Speaker Profile
PMWC PIONEER AWARD
Pioneering DNA biobanks and pharmacogenomics integration
M.D., Ph.D., President & CEO, Vanderbilt Health
Biography
As Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) CEO and medical school dean since 2009, Dr.
Balser has led health system expansion from two to six regional campuses housing eight hospitals and
over 2000 licensed beds. With over 45,000 employees, annual operating income has grown from two to
$9 billion, while annual visits at over 200 ambulatory locations now exceed 4 million from communities
nationwide. VUMC houses the nation’s highest volume heart transplant program and the largest for all
solid organs; the Mid-South’s largest NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center; and the Southeast’s
highest ranked children’s hospital. The medical center provides advanced training to nearly 1300
physicians in over 200 specialties and ranks #5 in the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings
of NIH funding for US medical schools. The nation’s academic leader in health information technology
and precision medicine, VUMC hosts the Data and Research Support Center for NIH’s “All of Us”
program, gathering DNA from one million Americans for the discovery of new diagnoses and cures.
An engineering graduate of Tulane and 1990 MD/PhD graduate of Vanderbilt, Dr. Balser trained in
anesthesiology, cardiac anesthesiology and critical care at Johns Hopkins. There he led an NIH-funded
research program aimed at genetic causes of cardiac rhythm disorders. Returning to VUMC as Associate
Dean in 1998, he was anesthesiology chairman from 2001-2004 and chief research officer from 2004-
2009. In 2015-16, Dr. Balser led the medical center’s $1.2B public debt issuance and historic
restructuring with Vanderbilt University to establish VUMC as a legally and financially independent, not-
for-profit TN corporation. As President and CEO, he is a director at VUMC and also at CVS Health
where he chairs the Medical Affairs & Technology committee. Elected to the National Academy of
Medicine (NAM) in 2008, he served as an NAM governing council member from 2018 - 2024.
Talk
Implementing Precision Medicine at Scale: Lessons from Vanderbilt Health
"Vanderbilt University Medical Centers CEO shares a strategic roadmap for scaling precision medicine. Drawing from VUMCs experience, this session highlights key lessons in data integration, clinical implementation, and cross-sector collaborationoffering leaders actionable insights to advance personalized care."
Session Abstract – PMWC 2026 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Burns Blaxall
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Euan Ashley, Stanford
• Jeffrey R. Balser, Vanderbilt
• Howard J. Jacob, Abbvie
Precision Medicine at Scale: Lessons from Vanderbilt
• Jeffrey R. Balser, Vanderbilt
From First Patient to a Million Genomes
• Chair: Howard J. Jacob, Abbvie
• Jeffrey R. Balser, Vanderbilt
• Euan Ashley, Stanford
Keynote: AI and Data-Driven Individual Health: Optimizing Wellness, Preventing Disease and Empowering Precision Medicine
• Lee Hood, Phenome Health
Keys to successful implementation of a Precision Medicine Program
• Chair: Howard McLeod, GeneDx
• Kevan Simms, Ochsner Health
• Chris Lunt, NIH
Key players in successful implementation – Beyond Oncology
• Chair: Damon Hostin, Illumina
• Shaista Malik, UC Irvine
• David E. Lanfear, Henry Ford Health
• Oren Caspi, Rambam
Precision Medicine at Scale: Lessons from a Statewide Genomic Initiative
• Chair: Premal Shah, MyOme
• Niall Lennon, Broad Clinical Labs
Integrating Multi-Modal Biology into Precision Care Pathways: A Systems Framework for Scalable Implementation
• K V Venkatesh, IIT Mumbai
Fireside Chat: From $/Gb to Outcomes: Simplifying Genomics for Health Systems
• Jacob Thaysen, Illumina
Achieving Comprehensive Precision Medicine
• Chair: Burns Blaxall
• Trish Brown, GeneDx
• Charles Sailey, Molecular Testing Labs
• Sarah Hersey, BMS
