Anna Hemnes, MD, professor of Medicine, director of the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, physician-in-chief of the Vanderbilt Lung Institute and director of the Center for Lung Research, has been chosen to serve as the 11th chair of the Department of Medicine and system physician-in-chief for Vanderbilt Health. Her appointment was effective Jan. 1.
Hemnes, who also holds the Elsa S. Hanigan Chair in Pulmonary Medicine, succeeds Jane Freedman, MD, who was promoted last year and now serves Vanderbilt Health in the roles of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer.
As chair of the Department of Medicine, Hemnes will oversee a wide range of distinguished clinical, research and training programs.
Founded in 1925, the Department of Medicine celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. With more than 1,500 physician faculty and advanced practice providers serving in 12 subspecialty divisions, the department is known internationally for its contributions in a wide array of subspecialty fields.
Reflecting its impact, the department is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in National Institutes of Health research funding among peers. The department is also renowned for its academic excellence, with more than 550 trainees in its residency and fellowship programs.
In the past year, the department received 10 new Veterans Affairs career development and Merit Awards totaling $15.7 million; six new NIH “K” early career awards totaling $1.6 million and holds 14 of Vanderbilt Health’s 19 NIH T32 training grants.
“As our largest clinical department, Medicine’s reach is enormous, touching all corners of the Medical Center. After an extensive national search, Dr. Hemnes was chosen for this important role not only due to her distinguished track record, but also because of her vision for the department’s future and her leadership style. As we begin the new year, I want to welcome Anna as our newest chair and look forward to her contributions as we build on the department’s rich history and success,” said Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vanderbilt Health and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
“I also want to acknowledge the steady leadership of Dr. Bryan Harris as interim chair during the search for Dr. Freedman’s successor and the important work of the search committee members who diligently pursued the process to identify Dr. Hemnes as our next chair.”
Hemnes joined the School of Medicine’s faculty in 2008 and is a translational physician-scientist with a research focus on the role of altered metabolism in pulmonary vascular disease. Her basic research is on the effect of BMPR2 mutation on insulin-mediated intracellular signaling in the pulmonary vasculature and the right ventricle.
“Growth of the Department of Medicine is essential to our health system’s success. Dr. Hemnes is an accomplished leader, and I am excited to welcome her to this new role on our senior leadership team. Her appointment will help assure the department’s continued national prominence,” said Freedman.
Hemnes’ clinical research interests include the role of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in human pulmonary vascular disease with a focus on genetic susceptibility to these conditions, and deep molecular phenotyping of pulmonary vascular disease. Her lab is currently investigating novel blood-based ‘omic’ predictive strategies for Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected to lead the Department of Medicine at this exciting time. The world class clinical care, innovative research and talented trainees coupled with a culture of excellence and collegiality make this department unique. I look forward to working with our faculty and other leaders across the institution to shepherd the department into its next century,” said Hemnes.
Hemnes received her undergraduate degree in biology and anthropology from Columbia University in New York and her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. After her internship, residency and fellowship at Johns Hopkins, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Vanderbilt Health before joining the faculty.
She was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) in 2019 and has served as co-chair of the ASCI Physician-Scientist Development Committee, which monitors, creates and supports programming for early-career physician-scientists. She was named to the Association of American Physicians in 2024.
Hemnes was one of four faculty members from Vanderbilt Health selected to participate in the highly competitive 2023-2024 Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program. Her selection placed her among the very best and brightest women leaders in academic medicine across the country.
She serves on the board of directors and is President of the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute, is the immediate past chair of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s Scientific Leadership Council and is co-editor-in-chief of the journal Pulmonary Circulation.
