David Russell, Senior Vice President for Business Development, has been promoted to Executive Vice President for Organization Transformation and Chief Strategic Business Development Officer.
Since joining VUMC in 2022, Russell has contributed significantly to the institution’s business development initiatives. In this newly created role, he will oversee VUMC’s enterprise-wide internal and external business development, market positioning and growth strategies, as well as strategic transactions such as mergers, acquisitions and other affiliations. Russell also oversees VUMC’s Health Professional Services team. In this role Russell will continue to report to C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, VUMC’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer.
“David’s vision and expertise will be instrumental in driving VUMC’s strategic growth,” said Pinson. “His extensive experience and innovative approach make him the ideal leader for this transformative role.”
VUMC’s Business Development team works on a variety of growth initiatives inside and outside of VUMC in collaboration with Patient Care Center leaders, the Department of Finance, Strategic Marketing and Development, the Office of Legal Affairs, and other teams throughout the organization. These efforts have centered on managing relationships and transactions with VUMC’s partners.
Working closely with the Vanderbilt Health executive team, Russell will lead commercialization and diversification initiatives, including Vanderbilt Health Professional Solutions, a holding company for VUMC’s commercial businesses. He will also oversee incubation, development and the launching of new commercial products and services.
Prior to joining VUMC, Russell held significant roles at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) for 15 years. He began as Director of Strategic Planning, focusing on patient satisfaction and clinical volume analyses, and was promoted to Vice President of Strategic Planning. In this role he led an 18-person team that supported executives throughout UPMC. His responsibilities included managing hospital mergers, clinical affiliations, physician network development and practice acquisitions. He was instrumental in UPMC’s expansion beyond Western Pennsylvania, negotiating terms and the merging of seven health systems into UPMC.
“As one of the greatest health systems; VUMC has a unique vantage point to improve the lives of our patients and communities by building upon our strengths. It is an honor to be a part of our team,” said Russell.
Russell earned a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration from the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.
