Scott Pearson
Professor of Surgery & Anatomy
Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine
Biography
Scott has been a faculty member in the Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine since the spring of 2023. Soon after arriving at Belmont, he served as Interim Chair of the Department of Integrated Medical Education, supporting a talented, dedicated, and growing faculty, while assisting the college during preliminary LCME accreditation.
Pearson received his M.D. from the University of Tennessee, Memphis followed by residency in general surgery in Parkland Hospital at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. At M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, he completed surgical oncology fellowship, focusing on complex gastrointestinal cancer, melanoma, and breast and endocrine tumors. His research focused on adenoviral-mediated p53 gene transfer into cancer cells.
Prior to joining Belmont, Scott was faculty in the department of surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical School for two decades. He cherishes the years of caring for patients at Vanderbilt University Hospital and the Veterans Affairs Hospital. In recent years, Pearson has focused his work as a medical educator on medical student coaching, case-based learning, and the teaching of foundational and advanced clinical anatomy.
Scott grew up on a farm in West Tennessee and enjoys helping as a "weekend farmer" to his brother who keeps the family farm going. He lives in Nashville with his wife, Robin, a pediatrician, and two sons, Will and John.
Hatcher A.R., Pearson, A.S., Platt, K.M. A Quality Improvement Apprenticeship: Gross Anatomy in the Time of Covid-19. Anat. Sci Educ. July 26, 2022.
Wong R.E., Quach H.T., Wong, J.S., Laxton W.H., Nanney L.B., Motuzas, C.L., Pearson A.S. Integrating Specialty-Specific Clinical Anatomy Education in the Post-Clerkship Curriculum Med.Sci.Educ. doi:10.1007/s4067-019-00833-y. Oct. 29, 2019.
Kaptein, A.A., Lyons, A.C., Pearson, A.S., van der Geest, S., Haan, J., Meulenberg, F., Smyth, J.M.. Storying stories – Literature & Medicine at the Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands. Med Educ Developm. vol.2, 24-26:e7, 2012.
Poteet S., Tarpley, M., Tarpley, J., Pearson, A.S. VA General Surgery Service: The Last Bastion of Integrated Specialty Care. Am J. Surg. Nov. 202(5), 507-510, 2011.
Stoops S.L, Pearson A.S., Weaver C., Waterson A.G., Day E., Farmer C., Brady S., Weaver C.D., Beauchamp R.D., Lindsey C.W. Identification and optimization of small molecules that restore E-cadherin expression and reduce invasion in colorectal carcinoma cells. JACS Chem. Biol. 6, 452–465. 2011.
Pearson A.S., McTigue M.P., Tarpley J.L. Narrative Medicine in Surgical Education.
J Surg Educ. Mar-Apr; 65(2):99-100, 2008.
Hatmaker A.R., Donahue, R.M.J., Tarpley, J.L., Pearson, A.S. Cost-Effective Use of Breast Biopsy Techniques in a Veterans Healthcare System. Am J Surg. Nov;192(5):e37-41, 2006.
Schrager J. J., Smalley W., Tarpley, J.L., Pearson, A.S. Endoscopic Ultrasound: Impact on Survival in Patients with Esophageal Cancer. Am J Surg. 190(5):682-6, 2005.
Schmidt C.R., Gi Y.J., Patel, T., Coffey R.J., Beauchamp R.D., Pearson A.S. E-cadherin is regulated by the transcriptional repressor slug during ras-mediated transformation of intestinal epithelial cells. Surgery 138(2):306-12, 2005.
Tedesco K.L., Berlin J., Rothenberg M., Choy H., Wyman K., Pearson A.S., Beauchamp R.D., Merchant N., Lockhart C.A., Shyr Y., Caillouette C., Chakravarthy B. A phase I study of concurrent 9-nitro-20(s)-camptothecin (9NC/Orathecin) and radiation therapy in the treatment of locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.
Radiother Oncol. Jul; 76(1):54-8, 2005.
Grau A.M., Ata A., Foster L., Ahmed N.U., Reasoner D., Shyr Y., Stain S.C., Pearson A.S. Effect of race on long-term survival of breast cancer patients: trans-institutional analysis from an inner-city hospital and university medical center.
Am Surg. 71(2):164-70, 2005.
Schmidt C.R., Gi Y.J., Coffey R.J., Beauchamp R.D., Pearson A.S. Oncogenic Ras dominates overexpression of E-cadherin in malignant transformation of intestinal epithelial cells. Surgery, 136(2):303-9, 2004.
Schmidt C.R., Washington M.K., Gi Y.J., Coffey R.J., Beauchamp R.D., Pearson A.S. Dysregulation of E-cadherin by oncogenic Ras in intestinal epithelial cells is blocked by inhibiting MAP kinase. Am J Surg, 186:426-30, 2003.
Barnett, C.C., Vama, D.G., El-Naggar, A.D., Dackiw, A.P.B., Porter, G.A., Pearson, A.S., Kudelka, A.P., Gagel, R.F., Evans, D.B., Lee, J.L. Limitations of size as a criterion in evaluation of adrenal tumors. Surgery, 128:973-983, 2000.
Pearson, A.S., Chiao, P., Zhang, L., Zhang, W., Larry, L., Katz, R.L., Evans, D.B., Abbruzzese, J. L. The detection of telomerase activity in patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas by fine needle aspiration. Int J Oncol, 17: 381-385, 2000.
Pearson, A.S., Whitehead, R.H., Leach, S.D., Threadgill, D., Beauchamp, R.D., Coffey, R.J. Introduction of an APC mutation in mouse colon cells results in down-regulation of the tight junction protein, ZO-1. American College of Surgeons, Surgical Forum, Volume 55:295-296, 2000.
Windham, T.C., Pearson, A.S., Skibber, J.M., Mansfield, P.F., Lee, J.E., Pisters, P.W.T., Evans, D.B. Significance and management of local recurrences and limited metastatic disease in the abdomen. Surgical Clinics of North America 80:761-74, 2000.
Pearson, A.S., Spitz, F.R., Swisher, S.G., Kataoka, M., Sarkiss, M.G., Meyn, R.E., McDonnell, T.J., Cristiano, R.J., Roth, J.A. Upregulation of the proapoptotic mediators bax and bak following adenovirus-mediated p53 gene transfer in lung cancer cells. Clinical Cancer Research 6:887-90, 2000.
Kagawa, S., Pearson, A.S., Ji, L., Xu, K., McDonnell, T.J., Swisher, S.G., Roth, J.A., Fang, B. A binary adenoviral vector system for expressing high levels of the proapoptotic gene bax. Gene Therapy 7:75-79, 2000.
Pearson, A.S., Izzo, F., Fleming, R.Y.D., Ellis, L., Delrio, P., Roh, M.S., Granchi, J., Curley, S.A. Intraoperative radiofrequency ablation or cryoblation for hepatic malignancies. The American Journal of Surgery 178:592-599, 1999.
Pearson, A.S., Koch, P.E., Atkinson, N., Xiong, M., Finber, R.W., Roth, J.A., Fang, B. Factors limiting adenovirus-mediated gene transfer into human lung and pancreatic cancer cell lines. Clinical Cancer Research 5:4208-13, 1999.
Bold, R.J., Hess, K.R., Pearson, A.S., Grau, A.M., Sinicrope, F.A., Jennings, M., McConkey, D.J., Bucana, C.D., Cleary, K.R., Chiao, P.J., Abbruzzese, J.L., Evans, D.B. Molecular and pathologic factors in resectable pancreatic cancer: p53 and bcl-2. Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery 3:263-277, 1999.
Pearson, A.S., Bouvet, M., Evans, D.B., Roth, J.A. Gene therapy and pancreatic cancer. Frontiers in Bioscience 3:230-237, 1998.
Pearson, A.S., Gollahon, L.S., O’Neal, N.C., Saboorian, H., Shay, J.W., Fahey, T.J. Detection of telomerase activity in breast masses by fine needle aspiration. Annals of Surgical Oncology 5:186-193, 1998.
Valentine, R.J., Pearson, A.S., McIntire, D.D., Hagino, T.T., Turnage, R.H., Clagett, G.P. Abdominal aortic aneurysms and malignant neoplasia: Double Jeopardy. Surgery 123:228-223, 1998.