Vaughan to take over leadership of Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Dr. Douglas Vaughan was recently named chief of VUMC's Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. (Photo by Donna Jones Bailey)
Dr. Douglas E. Vaughan has been named chief, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine.
The appointment comes just weeks before the opening of the Vanderbilt Page Campbell Heart Institute, a state-of-the-art outpatient facility that will offer a "full menu of cardiovascular services."
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.
"One of the things that really attracted me to this position is the development of the institute," Vaughan said. "It¹s very exciting to have this new facility opening this month. I see it as a great new vehicle to catalyze our growth in the cardiovascular market."
Vaughan has already developed a list of priorities that he hopes will push Vanderbilt to the forefront in cardiac care.
"Overall, our goal is to move our division into the upper echelon of cardiovascular programs in the United States," he said. "I am really interested in growing our research and clinical divisions simultaneously. We have a widely recognized and highly regarded program, but we need to grow our market share and build upon our research strengths."
Focusing on atherosclerosis, vasculogenesis and cardiovascular genetics will augment the development of the program as well, he said. He also hopes to amplify the division¹s efforts in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Another component of Vaughan¹s mission is to continue efforts already under way in the area of vascular growth.
"Efforts are under way to identify and develop agents to promote the growth of new blood vessels. We are very interested in the concept of the Œbiological bypass.¹ We would like to be a leader in this field," he said
Genetics, a key element in every field of medicine, is another targeted area.
"We want to position ourselves to be leaders. It is crucial for both our research and clinical programs," said Vaughan.
"We also plan to develop novel clinical programs that will improve our market share and exploit the strengths of our staff. Vanderbilt will be a preeminent center for cardiovascular care both locally and nationally."
Dr. F. Andrew Gaffney, professor of Medicine, who led the division as interim chief prior to Vaughan¹s appointment, said the division is in good hands under Vaughan¹s leadership.
Gaffney, who has been named senior vice chairman for Clinical Services in the department of Medicine, has known Vaughan since his days as a resident at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where Gaffney was a faculty member.
"I have seen Doug Vaughan in action on the wards and watched his research develop over the past five years," Gaffney said. "I know that under his direction, with the support of his colleagues, the division will only get bigger and better."
Vaughan, a member of the Vanderbilt faculty since 1993, 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.