William Schaffner, MD

William Schaffner, MD, is Professor of Preventive Medicine in the Department of Health Policy and Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

After graduating from Yale, Schaffner attended the University of Freiburg, Germany, as a Fulbright Scholar. He graduated from Cornell University Medical College and completed residency training and a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt. He served in the U.S. Public Health Service as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for two years. He returned to Vanderbilt and established a long consultation with the Tennessee Department of Health and the CDC. He is a staunch advocate of collaboration between academic medical centers and public health.

Dr. Schaffner’s primary focus has been the prevention of infectious diseases with a special interest in the implementation and evaluation of vaccines. He often is invited to comment in local and national media on infectious disease issues, translating research and public health events into language that the public can understand. He regards this as a teaching opportunity.