Alex Jahangir, MD, MMHC, medical director of the Vanderbilt Center for Trauma, Burn and Emergency Surgery, has been elected chair of the Metropolitan Board of Health of Nashville and Davidson County. Tené Franklin, vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Health Leads, was elected vice chair.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to serve as board chair. An effective public health system is an important component of the success of great cities such as Nashville,” Jahangir said. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members, the dedicated staff of the Metropolitan Public Health Department, as well as the administration of Mayor-elect Cooper to improve the health and well-being of everyone in Nashville.”
Jahangir had served the past year as vice chair and succeeds Carol Etherington, RN, associate professor of Nursing, emerita, who served as board chair for the past two years. Etherington will continue as a board member.
The six-member Board of Health governs the health department, which is charged with protecting, improving and sustaining the health of Metropolitan Nashville.
Jahangir, professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, also serves as an associate chief of staff at Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital and is the director of the Division of Orthopaedic Trauma.
Jahangir was raised in Nashville, graduated from Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet School, received his Bachelor of Science from the George Washington University, his medical degree from the University of Tennessee and his Master of Management in Healthcare from the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, and his orthopaedic trauma fellowship at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
