TENNESSEE HEALTH CARE HALL OF FAME NOMINEE ANDRE CHURCHWELL

NAME: André Lemont Churchwell, M.D., F.A.C.C.

IS THE NOMINEE LIVING OR DECEASED: Living

COMPANY: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University

EMAIL: andre.churchwell@vanderbilt.edu

PHONE NUMBER: 615.936.5784

ADDRESS: Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute, 1215 21st Avenue South, Suite 5200 Medical Center East, South Tower; Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2318

NOMINEE BORN, LIVED OR WORKED IN TENNESSEE?: Born, Lived, Worked

NAME: Jeffrey R. Balser, M.D., Ph.D.

COMPANY: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

EMAIL: barbara.carter@vumc.org

PHONE NUMBER: 615.936.3030

ADDRESS: 1161 21st Avenue South, D-3300 MCN, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2104

RELATIONSHIP TO NOMINEE: President and CEO, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Dean, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

DESCRIBE THE NOMINEE: Conviction, learning, creativity and service are the foundation of Dr. André Churchwell’s career. He is an accomplished physician, advocate, mentor, educator and artist who has devoted his life and decades-long career to breaking down barriers in the clinic and the medical school classroom as well as within both institutions and the community. He’s the embodiment of a champion, who is indefatigable on the path to improving everything he touches by advocating for equity and access.

His career began as a faculty member at Emory University School of Medicine where he served as the inaugural Minority Affairs Director and a founding member of the Emory-Georgia Tech Bioengineering Center. In 1991, he returned to his hometown and alma mater when he joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He’s a beloved cardiologist who brings patients into the family. His specialty is changing and improving the hearts of others—both figuratively and literally.

Dr. Churchwell’s extraordinary practice started under the auspices of change. The Civil Rights Era was a defining childhood experience for him. He was among the first wave of children to attend school at newly integrated campuses in Nashville, Tenn. He would accumulate a multitude of firsts in the years to come on the campuses of Vanderbilt, Harvard, Georgia Tech and Emory Universities. His medical practice brought him back to where his love and yearning for education, a legacy of parents who encouraged he and his siblings to continuously water their curiosity. He came back to Nashville, where his career and devotion to improving the world exploded into a career that would keep multiple people busy for their respective lifetimes.

His email signature is a crash course in achievement, envisioning a better tomorrow, excellence in care, and inclusion. The list of roles he performs is testament to the truth that Dr. Churchwell is peerless at Vanderbilt, in Tennessee, and the country.

He serves as the Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer for Vanderbilt University. He is Chief Diversity Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Senior Associate Dean for Diversity Affairs at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He still practices medicine. In all these roles, Dr. Churchwell advances diversity and inclusion in the culture and climate of the Medical School and Medical Center. Due in large part to his years of foundational work, VUMC has been named as a Top Hospital for Diversity consecutively by BlackDoctor.org since 2018. Throughout his prestigious career at Vanderbilt, Dr. Churchwell has garnered many roles, including Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences and Professor of Biomedical Engineering. He’s a regular face on a multitude of committees including the Admission and Promotion Committees. In 2005, he was named the Walter R. Murray Jr. Distinguished Alumnus by the Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni for lifetime achievements in personal, professional and community arenas. And in 2015, Vanderbilt University endowed him with the Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D. Chair for achievements in diversity and inclusion. His ambition and capabilities put him early on the path of being a pioneer. As a Black man in the South, he often found himself in roles that no one who looked like him had previously held. He remained loyal to data and history, his faith, and his love of people as he illuminated the way for the next generation. He was the first African American Chief Medical Resident at Grady Memorial Hospital (1984–1985). He’s as passionate about increasing access to and representation in medical school as he is the history of men’s clothes. In 2012, he was elected to serve as the southern representative for the Group on Diversity and Inclusion for the AAMC (American Association of Medical Colleges). In 2013, he helped create The Hurst-Logue-Wenger Cardiovascular Fellows Society (HLWCFS) of Emory University School of Medicine and was elected the first President of HLWCFS. In 2014, he was named one of the Top 15 Most Influential African American Health Educators by Black Health Magazine.

His larger-than-life presence in medical education circles around the U.S. never overshadowed his commitment to patient care. He endears himself to those whom he treats with remarkable care, a personal touch, and top flight patient outcomes. He was recognized with an American Registry Most Compassionate Doctor Award. From 2010-2013, he has been awarded the Professional Research Consultants’ Five-Star Excellence Award—Top 10% Nationally for “Excellent” Responses for Medical Specialty Services and Overall Quality.

His drive knows no limits. He has served on the editorial board of a number of peer-reviewed journals and as a reviewer for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Biomedical Engineering Society’s internationally recognized Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology Journal. Dr. Churchwell is passionate about mentoring and helping others find their own path to success by building their own road, just as he did.

EDUCATION: In 1975, Dr. Churchwell graduated from the Vanderbilt School of Engineering magna cum laude.

He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1979 and later completed hisinternship, residency and cardiology fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine and affiliated hospitals in Atlanta.

Dr. Churchwell broke through a racial barrier by becoming the first African American Chief Medical Resident at Grady Memorial Hospital from 1984-1985.

PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS: In 2012, Dr. Churchwell was elected to serve as the southern representative for the Group on Diversity and Inclusion for the AAMC (American Association of Medical Colleges).

In 2013, he helped create The Hurst-Logue-Wenger Cardiovascular Fellows Society of Emory University School of Medicine and was elected its inaugural President.

In 2015, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees for Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn.

In 2016, Dr. Churchwell was named to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering for his work in biomedical engineering education.

Over the last four decades, Dr. Churchwell has served in the following positions:

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

● Senior Associate Dean for Diversity Affairs (2014-Present)

● Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering (2013-Present)

● Professor, Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences (2013-Present)

● Professor, Department of Medicine – Cardiology (2013-Present)

● Associate Dean for Diversity in Medical Education, Graduate Medical Education, and Faculty Affairs (2011-Present)

● Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering (2011-Present)

● Associate Professor, Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences (2011-Present)

● Associate Professor, Department of Medicine -Cardiology (2008-2013)

● Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine - Cardiology (2006-2008)

● Associate Dean for Diversity in Graduate Medical Education and Faculty Affairs (2007)

● Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine - Cardiology (1994-2006)

● Adjunct Instructor, Department of Medicine - Cardiology (1991-1994)

Meharry Medical College ● Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine – Cardiology (1991-Present)

Emory University School of Medicine

● Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine - Cardiology (1986-1991)

● Instructor, Department of Radiology – Nuclear Cardiology (1986-1991)

HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS:

• Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN (1998-Present)

• Williamson Medical Center, Franklin, TN (2005-2017)

• Muhlenberg Community Hospital, Greenville, KY (1999-2016)

• Livingston Regional Hospital, Livingston, TN (1997-2016)

• Bedford County Medical Center, Shelbyville, TN (1999-2010)

• St. Thomas Hospital, Nashville, TN (1991-2006)

AWARDS: Dr. Churchwell has been nationally recognized for his contributions to biomedical engineering, medicine, and inclusivity.

In 1975, Vanderbilt School of Engineering awarded Dr. Churchwell with the Biomedical Engineering Student Program Award. In 1986, while at Emory, he was named Most Outstanding House Officer, named an honorary Morehouse Medical School class member and received a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Minority Medical Faculty Development Award.

Dr. Churchwell received Emory’s J. Willis Hurst Award for Best Clinical Teacher in 1991, and in 2004, he was named the Emory University School of Medicine Resident Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award winner. For the last decade he has been named one of the nation's top cardiologists in “The Best Doctors in America.”

Dr. Churchwell comes from a family of talented physicians. The annual Trumpet Awards celebrate and honor African American achievers. In 2011, Dr. André Churchwell, along with his brothers, Drs. Keith Churchwell and Kevin Churchwell, were awarded a Trumpet award for their contributions to the field of medicine.

In 2012 and 2013, The Vanderbilt University Organization of Black Graduate and Professional Students (OBGAPS) honored him with one of the organization’s first Distinguished Faculty Awards.

From 2010-2013 on, he has been awarded the Professional Research Consultants’ Five-Star Excellence Award—Top 10% Nationally for “Excellent” Responses for Medical Specialty Services and Overall Quality.

In 2010, Dr. Churchwell was awarded The Distinguished Alumnus Award of Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, and in 2017, he received the Vanderbilt University Pioneer in Diversity Award.

In 2014, he was named one of the Top 15 Most Influential African American Health Educators by Black Health Magazine. It was with no surprise that he was also recognized with an American Registry Most Compassionate Doctor Award.

Dr. Churchwell gives his heart, soul, and mind to the advancement of equal and ethical patient care.

PLEASE PROVIDE INFORMATION TO SPEAK TO THE FOLLOWING POINTS: As his career evolved, Dr. Churchwell emerged as a linchpin of ethical change in Tennessee’s robust healthcare industry. As he took on myriad leadership roles, he found new ways to teach and mentor. In addition to mentoring students and younger professionals, he speaks to media and community groups about the challenges our innate unconscious bias poses to society and culture. He credits the many influential mentors who invested in him throughout his career as the catalyst for his passion for mentoring the next generation. Mentoring, he believes, is critical to the growth of career-oriented people, especially African American males who are more likely to see themselves represented as prospects for professional sports than as medical school candidates.

Various faculty at his alma maters, and his father who trail-blazed a path as for Black journalists in Nashville, guided him in the early days of his career, and he now appreciates the chance to return the favor. “Although perfection cannot be fully achieved, striving for the unreachable can make us better human beings and better physicians. Mentors play a key role in this life journey and, oftentimes, serve as road signs to direct us. I hope that our younger colleagues will understand this principle and spend their lives developing a ‘listening ear’ in order to hear the voices of their mentors,” Dr. Churchwell said in an article in the Texas Heart Institute Journal.

To develop the next generation, he looks to elementary students. He’s taught art classes for young students at the Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary School in Nashville.

Dr. Churchwell strives for inclusivity by meeting his patients’ needs through adaptive education. Health literacy is a known predictor of cardiovascular outcomes, and approximately 90 million Americans have limited health literacy and read at the fifth grade level or lower. Dr. Churchwell was part of a team that sought to determine the suitability and readability level of common cardiovascular patient education materials (PEM) related to heart failure and a heart-healthy lifestyle. His study found commonly available cardiovascular PEMs used by some major healthcare institutions are not suitable for the average American patient’s understanding. Dr. Churchwell’s study demonstrates to the medical community that inclusive material influences optimal healthcare delivery and is a building block to excellent outcomes.

Dr. Churchwell’s legacy lives on at Emory University. The Internal Medicine housestaff established a resident organization named in Dr. Churchwell’s honor, who was the first African American IM Chief Resident from 1984-1985. The Churchwell Diversity and Inclusion Collective (CDIC) is a multicultural resident group open to all house staff committed to advancing the mission of diversity, equity and inclusion for current and prospective learners in the Department of Medicine at Emory University.

A native of East Nashville, Dr. Churchwell’s contributions stretch far beyond the Volunteer State’s borders. His admirable career leaves a legacy that will open doors for generations to come. Dr. Churchwell and his team in the Department of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, in partnership with Arie Nettles, PhD, director of the Office of Inclusion and Health

Equity at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, have developed a robust and multifaceted unconscious bias training program at Vanderbilt that has become a model for other academic medical centers.

This initiative started when he began to realize that there was unequal treatment of patients – specially based on income level, race and gender. And as a cardiologist, he saw firsthand that heart patients from underserved populations were not being given equal treatment in ERs or given the same treatments for coronary disease – fewer stents, less bypass surgery.

Dr. Churchwell began his research, and data began to show that unconscious bias does exist in medicine. This was especially true for certain members of Latino, African American, Native American and other underserved populations. His efforts exposed that when making hiring decisions, working with colleagues or treating patients, interpretations and past experiences come into play without conscious recognition. This suggested that humans have “blind spots” for certain people or cases. He knew that specialized training was needed.

As such, Dr. Churchwell suggests a three-step process: awareness; education; mindfulness. Under his leadership, Vanderbilt is committed to conducting unconscious bias training across many departments from the top down. Today, all first-year med students and new faculty and staff are required to go through the training. Search committees are also required to go through extra training in order to select candidates through the lens of diversity and inclusion.

Dr. Churchwell’s profound initiative has changed the culture of VUMC, caused others to dig deep to uncover unconscious bias and, most importantly, changed the trajectory for the careers of many. His program has widened Vanderbilt’s diversity representation among Chairs to 17% and growing (national representation is only around 7%). When medical staff are more diverse, health outcomes for diverse patient populations are improved. Dr. Churchwell’s efforts to eradicate unconscious bias has changed the way Vanderbilt and beyond treat patients and in return saving more lives.

ANY ITEMS OF SIGNIFICANCE TO BE MENTIONED: Dr. André Churchwell is a multidimensional individual who is cherished inside and outside of the hospital. Although his specialties include radiology, cardiology and biomedical engineering, Dr. Churchwell has a passion for art and fashion. His personality is as vibrant as his wardrobe, and equally loved by all. So much so that he was once asked to participate in the Rhode Island School of Design’s spring museum exhibition and speak as a panelist for The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology: “I am Dandy”. Dr. Churchwell’s talents in art and fashion were once on display at The University Club of Nashville. The show featured approximately thirty pieces, including portraits, landscapes and architecture from his travels, superheroes and fashion, which featured the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute blazer that he designed. His care and consideration for his patients is just as robust. It is no surprise that he was voted the American Registry Most Compassionate Doctor Award by his peers.