by Kathy Whitney
André Churchwell, MD, has been named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2023 edition of the “Black health care leaders to know” list.
The list acknowledges that “diversity in leadership, particularly at the executive level, lends health care organizations a broader perspective and a deeper understanding of their clients and employees. The leaders featured on this list work tirelessly to advance their organizations and communities.”
The list honors Black leaders for their commitment to the health care field; their viewpoints are crucial to the foundation of organizations, programs and partnerships that foster health equity and inclusion.
Churchwell is Vice Chancellor of Equity, Diversity, Institutional Belonging, Community Outreach and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer of Vanderbilt University.
He was the first African American chief medical resident at Atlanta-based Grady Memorial Hospital in 1984 while completing his medical training. A few years later, he was among the team of experts from Emory and Georgia Tech in Atlanta that formed a bioengineering center. He has earned several awards for his achievements in cardiology and health equity and dedicated his career to improving diversity in medical trainees and academic medicine. Churchwell is a professor of Medicine (cardiology), a professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, and a professor of Biomedical Engineering.
Of note, Churchwell’s brothers and former Vanderbilt University School of Medicine faculty, Keith Churchwell, MD, president of Yale New Haven Hospital and executive vice president of Yale New Haven Health System, and Kevin Churchwell, MD, president and COO of Boston Children’s Hospital, were also named to the Black health care leaders to know list.