For Steven J. Eskind, MD, the connection to Vanderbilt University spans a lifetime and generations beyond. 

From attending Vanderbilt football games as a child with his father, a Vanderbilt-trained physician, to his own decades-long career as a surgeon and educator, Vanderbilt has always been an integral part of his life. 

His experiences set the foundation for the Eskind Chair in Surgical Education, which Eskind and his wife, Laurie, established in 2022 to support a faculty member in Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Section of Surgical Sciences in the role of vice chair of Education or a comparable position in education leadership.  

“We made this gift to encourage others to commit themselves to the tradition of excellence in education I value so deeply — the teaching of students and residents within this department,” he explained.  

At the university’s 2026 endowed chair investiture ceremony, the Eskind Chair in Surgical Education was officially awarded to Christina Bailey, MD, MSCI, associate professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery and vice chair for Education for the Section of Surgical Sciences.  

“She’s a splendid recipient of this position,” Eskind affirmed, noting that Bailey shares his dedication to teaching, having previously served as the residency program director at Vanderbilt.

After completing medical school at Tulane University, a general surgery residency at Vanderbilt Health, and a vascular surgery fellowship at Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, Eskind returned to Nashville and practiced private general and vascular surgery at Saint Thomas Hospital for more than 30 years.  

He then became the surgery clerkship director for the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery, where he led the required surgery rotation for all second-year medical students. Even after stepping down as director, he remains involved in all aspects of clerkship teaching.  

“After working with so many Vanderbilt medical students, my perspective is solidified: They are incredibly savvy and inquisitive. I have seen many of them function as physicians after they graduate, and I am very proud of their skill and quality.” 

That sentiment between teacher and student is mutual. In 2022, Eskind was selected for the Robert D. Collins Award for Teaching Medical or Graduate Students or Practicing Physicians in the Lecture Setting given every two years by VUSM. 

He was also honored by fourth-year Vanderbilt medical students in 2019 with the Thomas E. Brittingham, MD, Clinical Teaching Award, which recognizes exceptional teachers, mentors and role models.  

Eskind’s advice to potential donors is straightforward: Reflect on the impact Vanderbilt had on your own life. 

“This is your opportunity to pay it back, to allow future graduates to achieve their goals.”