Vanderbilt is a beacon for people who never stop looking for a better way — to care, discover or educate — to improve the world around them. It’s a passion that has driven Vanderbilt Health and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine for more than a century and will propel this storied institution into the next era.
I’m inevitably asked what makes me the proudest as I step away. It’s not any single discovery or program — though we’ve had our share of both. It’s the people. Your character makes it all possible: a place that is brilliant and creative without sharp elbows, that treats geniality not as a weakness but as a strength, deliberately built and handed down for generations. Our caring nature runs every bit as deep as our intellectual curiosity. And the synergy of those attributes makes it possible for thousands to selflessly work together and overcome impossible challenges; it provides for those chasing the next landmark finding to lift up and support those who make it a priority to sit with a frightened family.
I’ve had the honor of living inside that culture for most of my life, and I’m endlessly grateful that opportunity came my way. I came in the 1980s as an MD/PhD student, left for training, and came back eight years later in no small part because of the wonderful way Vanderbilt had nurtured and inspired me as a student. That was 1998, and I never left again. Along the way, my wife, Melinda, and several other family members have attended Vanderbilt, and three graduated from different Vanderbilt schools on the same day. This place gets into you. It becomes part of how you think, part of what you expect of yourself and the people around you — far more than a résumé line, something ingrained and deep-rooted.
Now it’s time to hand it forward. David C. Miller, MD, MPH, is a gifted clinician, investigator, educator and leader — but more than that, he is warm and generous. If you’ve spent any real time here, you know that’s the personality our place requires. It isn’t a job description you can fake your way into. It’s a fit, or it isn’t. David fits.
This isn’t goodbye. Melinda and I will always find ways to celebrate your many successes and support you in the inevitable struggles. It’s a relay, and I’m passing the baton to someone who will run it well. Thank you for the trust you’ve placed in this institution and for being part of the Vanderbilt story. n
Jeff Balser, MD, PhD
President and CEO, Vanderbilt Health
Dean, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine