Tomorrow, Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) will officially be separate organizations — legally speaking, that is. The two will still continue to work closely together. But the medical center needed to take on debt to grow and remain competitive, while the university itself had no such interest in having that much debt on its books. In an email to VUMC employees, Dean of the School of Medicine Jeff Balser wrote,
After nearly 18 months we have completed the actions that are necessary and tomorrow will be a historic milestone, the Medical Center’s first day as a separate legal and financial entity. We are emerging well positioned for the future…
With the completion of the reorganization, some may wonder what’s ahead. While these structural changes will greatly facilitate our efforts to provide unique and transformative health services to more people across the Southeastern region than ever before, the quality of those services will only be as exceptional as those we provide right here at home. So my answer – and advice for all – is that we focus like never before on the fundamentals. By doing so, we will nurture what is most important – being the place patients come to for hope, and the brightest minds come to train and discover in ways that transform the future of medicine.