Dr. William Schaffner 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 in 1957, 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 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for two years. He is a staunch advocate of collaboration between academic medical centers and public health institutions.

Dr. Schaffner’s 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 the media on communicable disease issues and regards this as a teaching opportunity.