Oral History with Dr. Cindy Vnencak-Jones, interviewed by Dr. Alice Coogan, 2025-05-23

Oral history interview of geneticist Dr. Cindy Vnencak-Jones by Dr. Alice Coogan. The interview was conducted in the History of Medicine Collections at Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Cindy Vnencak-Jones is a distinguished clinical molecular geneticist and professor emerita in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is nationally recognized for her pioneering contributions to molecular diagnostics and precision medicine and retired with emeritus status following a long and impactful career in clinical genetics and laboratory medicine.

Dr. Alice Coogan is the former Chair of the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Executive Medical Director of Anatomic Pathology, and Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. During her career, Coogan received honors for teaching, including the Shovel Teaching Award and the Jack Davies Basic Science Teaching Award. In her tenure as department chair, she led PMI through the testing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the strategic expansion of clinical laboratory services.

Interviewee: Cindy L. Vnencak-Jones, Ph.D., FACMG Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Emerita Division of Laboratory Medicine Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Interviewer: Alice Clark Coogan, M.D. Dorothy Beryl and Theodore R. Austin Professor Chair of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Vanderbilt University Medical Center