Roy Zent, MD, PhD, is the Vice Chairman for Research of the Department of Medicine and the Thomas F. Frist Sr. Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is also the division chief of Nephrology at the Tennessee Valley Veterans Affairs Hospital. He practices both general medicine and nephrology in the inpatient and outpatient settings and has an interest in glomerular disease.
Dr. Zent has a research laboratory that focuses on understanding how cells interact with their extracellular matrix, utilizing in vitro and in vivo models, and his techniques range from biophysical studies to making transgenic mice. The laboratory works on the basic role of integrins in epithelial cell biology. Lab members utilize the kidney as a model system and perform biochemical techniques, cell biology and transgenic mice to understand the basic mechanisms whereby integrin-ECM interactions modify cell function. In addition, in collaboration with Dr. Charles Sanders, the lab performs structural functions on integrins utilizing NMR.
Dr. Zent is widely published in top-tier journals and is well funded by both the National Institute of Health and the Department of Veteran Affairs. He has published over 175 peer reviewed papers. Dr. Zent is currently an editor for the Journal of Matrix Biology and serves on multiple editorial boards. He is a reviewer on numerous national and international study sections and advisory boards.