VUSNPride is a vibrant and influential community that fosters social engagement, networking and a sense of belonging. We provide support and mentorship for VUSN applicants and students across all programs, and strive to create a culture of safety for all LGBTQ+ students. We are an avenue for addressing any issues that may arise for the community and we are a place to call home.
Please reach out to one of our faculty advisers or student leaders for more information or support.
Student Leadership
- President – Corinne Parrish
- Vice President: Ashley Strausser
- Treasurer: Zoe Smith
- Secretary: Adam Dockery
Faculty Advisers
Dr. Michael Gooch
Michael Gooch is board certified as an Acute Care, Family, and Emergency Nurse Practitioner and has more than 20 years of emergency and critical care experience. His current focus is in emergency and transport nursing. At Vanderbilt, he coordinates the advanced pharmacotherapeutics course for the AG-ACNP program and primarily works with the Emergency NP program. Michael has completed over 1,400 patient transports with the Vanderbilt LifeFlight transport program and practices in an area emergency department as an Emergency NP. Email Dr. Gooch
Dr. Cole Powers
Dr. Powers has 20 years experience in clinical practice and management experience, including a decade as APRN and clinic director at Planned Parenthood. Additionally, she started the first APRN-managed sexual assault service in Nashville at Metro General Hospital. She has been VUSN faculty for the past 18 years, with a teaching focus in Community Health and the professional development series. Her special interests are around health literacy, disparities, and outcomes in at-risk populations, as well as student learning outcomes using non-linear teaching methodologies. She has collaborated in numerous related poster presentations and published in The Journal of Nursing Education.
Dr. Powers serves as a PreSpecialty student and faculty adviser, as well as a volunteer for Sigma Theta Tau International Honorary Nursing Society, Iota Chapter. She is a member of the American and Tennessee Nurses Associations and the National League for Nursing. Email Dr. Powers
Dr. Ty Williams
Dr. Williams is board certified as an Acute Care NP, Family NP, and Nurse Educator. He joined the faculty in 2013 and is currently the course coordinator for N6091 (LGBTI Health in Inter-professional Practice), N8010 (Evidence-Based Practice I) and N8022 (Evidence-Based Practice II). Additionally, he teaches in the DNP epidemiology course and is the small group faculty coordinator for the DNP project course series.
Dr. Williams’ scholarly work has been published in Nurse Educator, Nursing Clinics, the Journal for Nurse Practitioners, and the Journal of Doctoral Nursing Practice. He is a longtime member of the VUSN Alumni Association and is currently spearheading a mentoring program geared toward facilitating alum-student and alum-alum relationships. Personal interests include LGBTQIA+ advocacy and his many pets.
BS: Northwestern; MSN: Vanderbilt (ACNP); PMC: UCLA (FNP); DNP: Vanderbilt
Email Dr. Williams