Jeeyeon Cha, PhD, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, & Metabolism, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (primary appointment)

Assistant Professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University (secondary appointment)

Dr. Cha discovered a love for basic science working as an undergraduate technician studying Xenopus laevis development in the joint laboratory of Christopher Wylie, PhD, and Janet Heasman, PhD, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She then completed MSTP training at Cincinnati Children's where she trained under Sudhansu K. (S.K.) Dey, PhD, in developmental biology and reproductive sciences to develop her interest in hormonal influences spanning development and aging. She accelerated clinical training by joining the Vanderbilt Physician-Scientist Training Program (Harrison Society) to hasten her return to the bench. She completed postdoctoral training under Roland Stein, PhD, studying pancreatic islet biology in the Dept of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics.

Dr. Cha's work has been supported by the NIH, the Doris Duke Foundation, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. She served as the Harrison Society Chief Fellow in 2020-2021 and received an ASCI Young Physician Scientist Award in 2022.