Dr. Harry Jacobson, left, congratulates Bob Feldman on his new job. A reception was held by the Vice Chancellor’s office on Dec. 3 to honor Feldman. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Feldman leaving development post at VUMC
Robert Feldman, associate vice chancellor for Medical Center Development, is leaving Vanderbilt University to become Senior Vice President for Development for the Lifespan Corporation of Providence, R.I.
In this newly created position, Feldman will coordinate the fund-raising efforts for the five hospitals under the Lifespan banner: Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Miriam Hospital, Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital, and Newport Hospital. He will also manage the fund-raising campaigns for Rhode Island Hospital and Miriam Hospital, which are in the preliminary planning and solicitation phases, and evaluate and upgrade development information and research systems for Lifespan.
Feldman has led Vanderbilt University Medical Center on a very successful development program over the last four years and has recruited and mentored a number of outstanding development officers, according to Dr. Harry R. Jacobson, vice chancellor for Health Affairs.
During Feldman’s tenure at Vanderbilt, total dollars received for the Medical Center and University Central rose from $72.5 million in 1998 to $199 million in 2002.
“He and his team have developed a great platform for the Medical Center’s portion of the Vanderbilt University Capital Campaign,” said Jacobson.
Feldman cites his work with the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center as the highlight of his career at Vanderbilt.
“The new Children’s Hospital has been a very exciting project,” Feldman said. “The enhancement of the Cancer Center, led by the Ingram family and Dr. Moses, was also very rewarding.”
Vanderbilt’s database management for prospect management flourished under Feldman’s command — a critical component for ongoing fund-raising, according to Feldman. “Our database management is superb. It’s as good as it gets.”
With the infrastructure in place to continue the development work being done at Vanderbilt, Feldman points to the people of the Medical Center as the way to continue the fund-raising efforts. “You have to expose people to the facilities and the people,” he said. “Our greatness lies in the people. We do more than any other university. Nobody does it better.
“It’s been an honor and privilege to be a part of this group of people.”
Before coming to Vanderbilt in May 1998, Feldman served as director of external relations at the Yale University School of Medicine and director of development at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut.
Prior to Yale, Feldman served as vice president for development at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. As vice president of Boston University from 1981 to 1991, Feldman led a $200 million campaign and raised annual contributions from $9 million to $58 million. His previous fund-raising positions include executive director of the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center Fund in New York and deputy director of the Campaign for Yale.
Feldman has four children: Kyle, who is in the Army 82nd Airborne and is en route to Afghanistan; Alexandra, who is graduating from Vanderbilt Law School this year; Jeremy, also graduating from Vanderbilt College of Arts and Science this year; and Elizabeth, a sophomore at Vanderbilt.
“We will miss him both personally and professionally, and I would like to congratulate him on his new position and wish him the very best,” Jacobson said.