David J. “D.J.” Kennedy, MD, clinical associate professor and residency program director in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with Stanford University’s Department of Orthopaedics, has been named chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). Kennedy will join the faculty on April 1.

The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Task Force for Empowerment and Well-being, a 16-member multidisciplinary group formed earlier this year to develop a deeper understanding of the nationwide problem of physician burnout and suggest solutions at VUMC, has made its initial recommendations.

In a first-of-its-kind collaboration for both parties, schools in Allen County, Kentucky, are joining with Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt so sick children can receive a more comprehensive array of health care services while attending school through virtual visits with Vanderbilt clinicians.

As Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) Division of Dermatology transitions from a division within the Department of Medicine to become the Medical Center’s newest clinical department, Mary-Margaret “Meg” Chren, M.D., professor of Dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has been named to serve as the department’s inaugural chair. She will join the faculty in January 2018.

For 2018, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) employee health plan will offer an array of insurance options and new wellness services.