Randy Blakely, Ph.D.
Leadership changes '99
Several changes to the structure of Vanderbilt University Medical Center's leadership team were announced during the year:
• Dr. Thomas O. Daniel was named Catherine McLaughlin Hakim Professor of Medicine and director of the new Vanderbilt Center for Vascular Biology. The new center is expected to extend Vanderbilt's efforts to stimulate broad-based interdisciplinary research in vascular diseases.
• Dr. F. Andrew Gaffney, professor of Medicine, was named senior vice-chair for Clinical Services in the department of Medicine. His primary responsibility is to coordinate the department's clinical activities into patient care centers.
• The Office of the Dean of VUSM was restructured to enhance the institution's educational mission. A primary component of that was the creation of three Senior Associate Dean positions: Dr. Deborah C. German, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education; Dr. Gerald S. Gotterer, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Administrative Affairs; and G. Roger Chalkley, Ph.D., Senior Associate Dean for Education in the Biomedical Sciences.
• David Posch was named chief operating officer of Vanderbilt Medical Group. He succeeded Lynn Webb, who a year ago became administrator of the Psychiatric Hospital at Vanderbilt. Posch, 48, was previously with the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans.
• Elaine Sanders-Bush, Ph.D., professor of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, took the reins of the department she's called home for nearly 40 years. The veteran investigator was named to serve as interim chair of the department of Pharmacology until a new chair is identified.
• Dr. Martin P. Sandler, professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, was appointed to the newly created position of vice chairman for Clinical Services of the department and director of Radiological Clinical Service. In this expanded role Sandler is responsible for all radiological clinical services at VUMC, including Vanderbilt University Hospital, Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, The Vanderbilt Clinic and the institution's evolving clinical imaging network.
• Roxane B. Spitzer, Ph.D., was named chief executive officer of Nashville's Metropolitan General Hospital, Adrianne B. Bass was named chief operating officer and Philip Jones was named chief financial officer. The appointments came as part of the alliance agreement between the city, Meharry Medical College and VUMC. Vanderbilt agreed to provide the three top managers for Metro General Hospital.
• Dr. William W. Stead, associate vice chancellor for Health Affairs and director of VUMC's informatics center, was named to the new position of University Information Architect as part of a reorienting of Vanderbilt's information technology (IT). In his new role, Stead will oversee university-wide planning and policy formulation for information technology.
• Dr. Douglas E. Vaughan was named chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Vaughan, a veteran researcher at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was also named as the C. Sidney Burwell Professor of Medicine endowed chair along with the new post.