Dr. Dan Mark Roden is a world-renowned leader in clinical pharmacology and genomic medicine whose pioneering work has transformed the implementation of personalized medicine in clinical practice. He currently serves as the Sam L. Clark, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center while holding concurrent appointments as Professor of Pharmacology and Professor of Biomedical Informatics. After earning his medical degree from McGill University in 1974, he completed residency training in internal medicine in Montreal before arriving at Vanderbilt as a research fellow in Clinical Pharmacology and later as a fellow in cardiology. His distinguished career at Vanderbilt spans over four decades, during which he directed the Division of Clinical Pharmacology from 1992 to 2004 and subsequently became the founding director of the Oates Institute for Experimental Therapeutics.
Dr. Roden has earned international recognition for his groundbreaking research on the mechanisms and treatment of abnormal heart rhythms and variability in drug response, with particular emphasis on pharmacogenomics and the role of genetic variations in adverse drug reactions such as drug-induced arrhythmias. He is the principal investigator for BioVU, one of the world's largest DNA databanks integrated with electronic health records, which has grown to include over 300,000 samples and has enabled hundreds of studies exploring the genetic basis of various conditions. His leadership of the PREDICT project since 2010 has successfully applied genomic testing to drug prescribing in clinical practice, helping to prevent adverse drug reactions and demonstrating the real-world impact of pharmacogenomics. With more than 700 peer-reviewed scientific publications and recognition as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, his work has established foundational methodologies for integrating genomic data into clinical decision support systems.
Beyond his individual research achievements, Dr. Roden has been instrumental in shaping the national landscape of genomic medicine through his leadership roles in major NIH-funded initiatives including the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics Network and the All of Us program's Data and Research Center. His vision for integrating genetic information with clinical care has influenced healthcare systems worldwide, establishing Vanderbilt as a global leader in precision medicine implementation. As a dedicated mentor and educator, he has trained numerous investigators who have gone on to establish successful careers in pharmacogenomics and clinical pharmacology, further expanding the field's impact. Currently, Dr. Roden continues to drive innovation in personalized medicine, focusing on expanding the implementation of genomic medicine across diverse populations and developing new approaches to translate genomic discoveries into routine clinical practice, ensuring his enduring influence on the future of healthcare.
