Dr. C. Wright Pinson
Dr. Robert L. Macdonald
Pat R. Levitt, Ph.D.
Dr. Gordon R. Bernard
Pinson leads Department of Surgery
Dr. C. Wright Pinson, professor of Surgery and surgical director of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center, was named the chairman of the Department of Surgery and the H. William Scott Jr. Professor of Surgery. Pinson leads the largest department within the Section of Surgical Sciences, headed by Dr. R. Daniel Beauchamp, the director of the Section. Beauchamp was named the John Clinton Foshee Distinguished Professor of Surgery.
Macdonald named chair of Neurology
Dr. Robert L. Macdonald was named VUMC’s chair of Neurology, replacing Dr. Gerald M. Fenichel, who stepped down after 32 years as chair of the department.
Macdonald is an internationally recognized investigator, who brought years of basic and clinical neurological research experience to Vanderbilt. His research focuses on the molecular and electrical basis for epilepsy and the mechanisms of action of antiepileptic drugs.
Levitt to direct Kennedy Center
Pat R. Levitt, Ph.D., was named director of the John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development at Vanderbilt. Although Levitt’s appointment will not officially begin until June 1, 2002, in the interim he serves as a special consultant to facilitate the Kennedy Center’s recently announced transition to a university-wide research center.
D’Aquila chosen to lead Infectious Diseases
Dr. Richard D’Aquila was named to lead the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at VUMC and the Addison B. Scoville Jr. Professor of Medicine.
An expert in antiretroviral therapy and the molecular genetics of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), D’Aquila came to Vanderbilt from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Balser leads Anesthesiology
Dr. Jeffrey R. Balser, a respected physician-scientist who also directs the Vanderbilt University Physician Scientist Development Program, was named professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology.
Balser, 39, professor of Pharmacology and holder of the James Tayloe Gwathmey Physician-Scientist Chair, replaced Dr. Charles Beattie, who was professor and chair of the department for seven years.
Bernard appointed chief of Allergy, Pulmonary, Critical Care
Dr. Gordon R. Bernard, professor of Medicine, was appointed Chief of the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine in the Department of Medicine and the Melinda Owen Bass Professor of Medicine. In 1987, Bernard was appointed assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt where he rose through the ranks to professor and Interim Chief of the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine. Bernard has also served as Medical Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit and is currently the Chairman of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Medical Director of the Institutional Review Board at Vanderbilt.