Tech & Health

December 16, 2021

Year in Review 2021: Appointments strengthen Medical Center’s mission

New leadership appointments during the past year helped strengthen Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s core missions.

 

Ronald Alvarez, MD, MBA, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was named executive medical director for Performance Excellence for Quality, Safety and Risk Prevention, serving as a physician leader for quality and safety measures.

 

Troy Chisolm has been named chief operating officer (COO) for Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital.

As COO, Chisolm will lead a variety of initiatives and will support exceptional patient service, staff satisfaction, clinical quality outcomes, growth and volume management, and financial performance.

 

Daniel Clair, MD, was named the inaugural chair of the newly formed Department of Vascular Surgery in the Section of Surgical Sciences and professor of Vascular Surgery in VUSM.

 

Nancy Davis, MD, was promoted to Vice President for Cancer Care Network and Strategy, a new position responsible for developing provider relationships with other health care systems and expanding access to oncology care throughout Tennessee and other states.

 

Peter Embí, MD, MS, was named as the new chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI), effective Jan. 1, 2022. He will also serve as Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation.

Embí succeeds DBMI chair Kevin Johnson, MD, MS, who departed VUMC on Nov. 1 for leadership roles with the University of Pennsylvania and Perlman School of Medicine.

 

Jane Freedman, MD, joined VUMC as director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and the physician-in-chief of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute.

She came to Vanderbilt from University of Massachusetts Memorial Heart & Vascular Center, where she was Edward Budnitz Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, director of translational research and director of the High-Throughput Gene Expression and Biomarker Core Lab.

 

Angela Malik, DNP, RN, NE-BC, CPHQ, was named chief nursing officer of Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital.

Malik came to Vanderbilt from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Memphis, where she served as chief nursing officer/associate director of Patient Care Services.

 

Scott McCarver, MHA, interim President of Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital, was been named as the hospital’s new President.

Prior to serving as Interim President since April, he was the hospital’s chief operating officer.

 

Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, Cornelius Abernathy Professor of Medicine, has been named deputy director of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

He is also director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at VUMC.

 

Mary Pawlikowski, MA, MEd, interim Vice President and chief operating officer for Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital, was named as the hospital’s new President after having held the position on an interim basis since November 2020.

 

Eben Rosenthal, MD, was named chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS).

Rosenthal succeeds Roland “Ron” Eavey, MD, SM, Guy M. Maness Professor and chair of OHNS, who announced last year he would be stepping down from his position at the end of the academic year after serving as the department’s leader for 12 years.

 

Warren Sandberg, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, and VUH’s chief of staff for Perioperative and Critical Care Service, was named as the hospital’s new chief of staff.

Since 2018, Sandberg has served as VUAH’s co-chief of staff during a period of sustained growth in inpatient volumes.

 

Amy Schoeny, PhD, was named VUMC’s Chief Human Resources Officer.

Schoeny serves as a key member of the executive leadership team, directing a Human Resources department that is responsible for more than 28,000 full- and part-time employees who comprise Middle Tennessee’s largest private workforce.

 

Kristy Sinkfield, MEd, director of Strategy Development for the Office of Strategy and Innovation, and a 17-year veteran of VUMC, was named Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion for the Office of Diversity Affairs.

Sinkfield advances efforts to increase the diversity of VUMC staff and promotes a climate of inclusivity and belonging.

 

Marilyn Smith, DNP, MSN, RN, was named chief nursing officer of Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital.

She supervises a dedicated staff of 250 people at the 135-bed hospital

 

C.J. Stimson, MD, JD, assistant professor of urology, was named chief medical officer (CMO) of the VUMC and VU Employee Health Plans.

As CMO of the health plans, Stimson works to design transformative programs to achieve improved health outcomes and better patient experiences while controlling costs.

 

Peggy Valentine, EdD, was named Vice President for Allied Health Education.

Valentine came to VUMC from Winston-Salem State University School of Health Sciences where she has served as dean since 2006. Additionally, she served as interim chancellor at Fayetteville State University from August 2019 to March 2021.

 

Anne Wagner, MD, joined VUMC to serve as medical director of the Vanderbilt Burn Center.

Wagner most recently served for six years as medical director of the Burn and Frostbite Center at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, in Aurora, Colorado.

 

Consuelo Wilkins, MD, MSCI, Vice President for Health Equity for VUMC and Associate Dean for Health Equity for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) was named Senior Vice President for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence for VUMC and senior associate dean for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence for VUSM.

Wilkins will lead VUMC’s initiatives in health equity, diversity and inclusion, and will oversee both VUSM’s Office for Diversity Affairs and VUMC’s Office of Health Equity.

 

Mamie Williams, MPH, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, was named senior director of Nursing Diversity and Inclusion.

In this role, Williams builds on efforts to create a sustainable system for diversity, equity and inclusion in nursing, working within VUMC and engaging the wider community.

 

Patty Wright, MD, professor of Medicine and associate division director for Clinical Affairs in the Division of Infectious Diseases, was named VUMC’s chief of staff for Adult Ambulatory Services for Davidson County.

 

Rick Wright, MD, chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at VUMC, was named medical director for Patient Access Services.

 

Jonathon Yeatman, MBA, was named Senior Vice President for Business Development.

In this role Yeatman is responsible for business development goals and objectives for VUMC that are aligned with institutional strategy. Yeatman will also be responsible for fostering relationships with regional hospitals and physicians and will manage and guide the implementation of regional development initiatives.