Vanderbilt Health chief executive Dr. Jeff Balser will retire at the end of the year after almost two decades in the role, the health system announced Thursday.
The Nashville, Tennessee-based academic health system said its board of directors will begin a national search for its next president and CEO. Balser will retire Dec. 31.
Balser was first appointed dean of Vanderbilt University’s medical school in 2008 before being appointed to the CEO role at Vanderbilt Health in 2009.
At 47, Balser was the youngest person to ever hold the position, according to Vanderbilt.
Prior to Vanderbilt, Balser served in the faculty at Johns Hopkins and was a cardiac anesthesiologist and surgical intensivist.
In 2016, Balser led Vanderbilt Health to financially split from Vanderbilt University. Previously, the health system had operated as a unit of the university. Vanderbilt Health, which includes eight hospitals and 200 ambulatory centers across five states, became a separate nonprofit organization.
Under Balser, the health system expanded its employee base from around 16,000 to more than 45,000 workers, Vanderbilt said.
Balser’s retirement comes at a time of growth for the health system. The system grew operating revenues and profit during the second half of its fiscal year ended Dec. 31, the most recent financial statement available. The system netted $361 million in profit off of $4.7 billion in operating revenue.
