Jennifer McGugin, JD, and Amy D. Hampton, JD, became Managing Counsel in Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Office of Legal Affairs effective July 1.
McGugin assumes the Managing Counsel Healthcare Transactions position recently held by Douglas Mefford, JD, who on July 1 succeeds Michael Regier, JD, as General Counsel and Secretary. Hampton assumes the Managing Counsel, Health Care Operations and Patient Issues position held by Julia Morris, JD, MSN, who is stepping down from the Managing Counsel role in transition to part-time status with VUMC.
McGugin will lead the team focusing on business transactions and support for VUMC’s procurement programs, software/IT licensing and intellectual property issues. Hampton will lead the team handling the Medical Center’s health care delivery and operations issues including professional licensure and scope of practice, health care decision-making and consent to treat, medical staff matters, EMTALA, release of information, and privacy along with employment and labor relations.
They join Dawn R. Crumel, JD, and Kathleen C. Hanbury, JD, in Managing Counsel roles.
“We are very fortunate to have such experienced and talented leadership in the Office of Legal Affairs,” Mefford said. “Each of the Managing Counsel brings a unique perspective and background to the role, and VUMC benefits from the breadth of that experience. Having them in these leadership positions gives me great confidence as I transition to my new role.”
McGugin, who received her law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law, joined Vanderbilt in 2012. Before that, she was in private practice at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis (now Holland & Knight). Prior to the separation of VUMC from Vanderbilt University, McGugin served as Associate General Counsel for Vanderbilt University.
Hampton, who received her law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, joined VUMC’s Office of Legal Affairs in 2019. She had judicial clerkships in both the United States Court of Appeals and the United States District Court, then was a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLC. In private practice, she focused on the representation of health care systems and providers throughout the region in a variety of legal and administrative actions.
Crumel, who earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, has been serving as Managing Counsel for Legal Operations and Administration since 2018. She focuses on administration of the Office of Legal Affairs and supports VUMC’s corporate and board matters, conflict of interest issues, and patient assistance and value-based enterprise initiatives. Prior to joining VUMC, she was in-house counsel at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia. She started her career clerking for the New Jersey Supreme Court and as an associate at Buchanan Ingersoll.
Hanbury, Managing Counsel, Regulatory Compliance and Research, also a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, has served in her current role since 2022. Her team’s responsibilities include research, the clinical laboratory, compliance matters and the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network. Before joining VUMC, Hanbury practiced law at HellerEhrman in Silicon Valley, and began her in-house career at Celera Corporation supporting the scientific discoveries generated by the Human Genome Project. Immediately prior to joining VUMC, she served as Vice President, Legal for a regional laboratory company in North Carolina.
