Jeffrey Balser, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been appointed to serve on the board of CVS Health, effective immediately.
Dr. Balser has also been named to the board's medical affairs committee.
"Dr. Balser's extensive experience in a wide range of roles across healthcare organizations will be an invaluable asset for the Board," CVS Health President and CEO Karen Lynch said in the news release. "His deep clinical expertise and leadership of a prestigious health system gives him the insight to help support our strategy to serve consumers and meet their health needs differently."
In addition to his role as CEO of VUMC, which he's held since 2009, Dr. Balser has also served as dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine since 2008. Before then, he served as VUMC's chief research officer and chaired its department of anesthesiology. Prior to his time with VUMC, Dr. Balser was a faculty member with Johns Hopkins Medicine, where he practiced cardiac anesthesiology and ICU medicine. He completed his internship, residency training in anesthesiology, and fellowship training in cardiac anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Balser's appointment means the size of the board stands at 12 directors after it had fallen to 11 directors this spring with the retirement of two members.