R. Michael Rodriguez, M.D., came to Vanderbilt in 1980 as an intern in the Department of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Tufts University. He went on to serve a residency and postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt and entered into private practice at St. Thomas Hospital in 1985. He turned his focus to teaching medical students in 1997, and in less than a decade, he became one of Vanderbilt's most beloved instructors. He also served as Vanderbilt's director of minority affairs from 1998-2002. Dr. Rodriguez taught physical diagnosis and was the recipient of the Hugh Jackson Morgan Award, the Shovel Award, the Thomas Brittingham Teaching Award, the Grant W. Liddle Award, the Housestaff Teaching Award, and the Housestaff Distinguished Teacher Award.