Doug Vaughan, M.D.
Vaughan takes post at Northwestern
Doug Vaughan, M.D., chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine since 1999, is leaving Vanderbilt to accept a position as chair of the Department of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The appointment is effective June 1.
The Department of Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine is the largest department in the medical center with 225 full-time faculty based primarily on the downtown Chicago campus and more than 40 full-time faculty at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare (ENH).
"As one of the top academic medical centers in the country, we know other institutions take notice of our exceptional researchers, faculty and academic leaders,” said Harry Jacobson, M.D., vice chancellor for Health Affairs at Vanderbilt Medical Center.
“I am happy for Dr. Vaughan to have the opportunity to showcase his talents at a renowned medical school such as Northwestern. He will be greatly missed here, on both a personal and professional level.”
Vaughan, a member of the Vanderbilt faculty since 1993, is a veteran researcher and holds the C. Sidney Burwell Professor of Medicine endowed chair.
"For many years, Doug has been recognized nationally and internationally for his significant contributions to research,” said Steven Gabbe, M.D., dean of the Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
“Most recently, he has played a major role in the development of the Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Institute. We will miss him, and wish him all the best for continued success.”
At Vanderbilt, Vaughan directs a multidisciplinary research group focused on investigating the role of the plasminogen activator system in cardiovascular disease.
He also serves as principal investigator of the NHLBI-sponsored Cardiac Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN). Vanderbilt is one of five centers selected to participate in this program of phase 2 stem cell studies in humans.
Vaughan also is a member of a team of VMC researchers that received $16 million over five years to study why patients with diabetes and insulin resistance have a tendency to develop blood clots.
He played a leadership role in transitioning Vanderbilt's partnership with the Page-Campbell Cardiology Group to the Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Institute. He was instrumental in recruiting several key national and community-based faculty members to VHVI.
“I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished as a group,” Vaughan said. “The spectacular growth in the clinical programs has had tremendous impact on the local market and on Vanderbilt Heart's visibility nationally.
“The scale and scope of our clinical programs, practitioners and expertise is truly remarkable. We have remodeled our training program in cardiovascular medicine, and we are now competing for some of the best talent in the country. Our research program is diverse, innovative, and dynamic,” Vaughan said.
Eric Neilson, M.D., chair of Vanderbilt's Department of Medicine, will lead the search for Vaughan's replacement.
“Doug has done an outstanding job in rebuilding our programs in cardiovascular medicine, and I have no doubt he will put the same enthusiasm into building the Department of Medicine at Northwestern. He leaves behind a great legacy and many friends who will sorely miss him,” Neilson said.
Vaughan is a graduate of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
He completed his residency at Parkland Memorial Hospital/VAMC in 1984.
He trained in cardiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and was on the faculty at Harvard before coming to Nashville.
“I leave with the genuine belief that we have built an elite heart program here at Vanderbilt, and that the right people, philosophy and resources are in place to ensure further growth and success,” Vaughan said.