About Me

Kaylon Bruner-Tran grew up in Grenada, Mississippi (USA). She attended Delta State University for her undergraduate degrees in Biology and Chemistry before earning her PhD in Reproductive Pathology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. After post-graduate studies at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she returned to Nashville and joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

At Vanderbilt, Dr. Bruner-Tran’s laboratory is a component of the Women’s Reproductive Health Research Center within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her laboratory is best known for experimental models for the study of endometriosis and for examining the generational effects of environmental toxicant exposure. She is particularly interested in how such exposures may lead to the development of reproductive disease and dysfunction across generations. Much of her research is focused on the effects of dioxin, the chemical contaminant of Agent Orange that has been linked to numerous adverse health effects in veterans, their children, and the population of Vietnam. Using a mouse model, Dr. Bruner-Tran’s laboratory was the first to demonstrate dioxin exposure of the father increases the risk of preterm birth in his pregnant partner. Current studies are focused on understanding the mechanisms of this effect.

In addition to her research studies, for more than twenty years, Dr. Bruner-Tran has also served as the primary writer of scientific documents emanating from the Center. Reflecting her passion for writing, in her spare time, she still loves to write. At present, she has published four novels and has a fifth nearing completion. She is also preparing a non-fiction volume on the Vietnam War. It is expected to be released in the Spring of 2025 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.