Deshpande to leave Nashville for Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Jayant Deshpande, M.D., MPH
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
Deshpande, professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been at Vanderbilt for 19 years where he established programs in Pediatric Critical Care, Anesthesia, Procedural Sedation and Quality and Safety at Children’s Hospital.
“ACH has a strong culture focused on quality and patient safety, and has made a significant commitment to continual improvement of clinically effective care,” said Deshpande, who will also hold faculty appointments in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine Departments of Pediatrics and Anesthesiology.
“Additionally exciting for me is that it’s the only Children’s Hospital in the entire state, and my sense is that they have a sense of responsibility for the health of children across Arkansas,” Deshpande said. “What happens at this institution sets an example and influences how children are cared for all across the state. I am delighted to be a part of this effort.”
While at Vanderbilt Deshpande was instrumental in growing the Sedation Program, designing and opening the Children’s Hospital, building the International Program and starting the Tennessee Emergency Medical Services for Children. He established programs in Pediatric Critical Care, Anesthesia and Quality and Safety at Children’s Hospital.
“Jay Deshpande has been a phenomenal leader of our pediatric anesthesiology division,” said Warren Sandberg, M.D., chair of the Department of Anesthesiology.
“He is known as one of the founding pillars of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, and his dedication has led to Children’s Hospital becoming one of the best children’s hospitals in the nation. While it is bittersweet to say goodbye to Jay, our mission is to send leaders out into the world. Jay's selection to his new role brings honor to Vanderbilt, and we should all be proud to be associated with his success.”
Jonathan Gitlin, M.D., James C. Overall Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, said Deshpande is internationally recognized as one of the first physicians to define the unique needs of children in critical care and anesthesiology.
“Through exemplar creativity and hard work he developed these innovative programs at Vanderbilt and recruited extraordinary talent including our current CEO Kevin Churchwell. Every day at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital lives are saved because of these efforts and we all owe him an enormous debt of gratitude.”
Deshpande, who earned his Master’s in Public Health from Vanderbilt, served as the president of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesiology while at Vanderbilt, and co-edited editions of “The Pediatric Pain Handbook,” and “Pediatric Pain Management for Primary Care.”
“I am very excited for Jay and am looking forward to hearing about the significant contributions he will make at ACH,” Churchwell said. “It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Jay and I know he will continue to ask the question, ‘What do the children need, and how do we get it done?’”
John Brock III, M.D., director of the Division of Pediatric Urology and surgeon-in-chief at Children’s Hospital, said he has worked side by side with Deshpande over the past 19 years.
“I’ve had the pleasure of watching him build a division from the ground up and into one of the finest anesthesia divisions in the country. He’s been a strong, steadfast advocate for quality and safety. It’s been an honor to be his partner.”