Speaker Profile
PMWC PIONEER AWARD
Pioneering DNA biobanks and pharmacogenomics integration
M.D., Ph.D., President & CEO, Vanderbilt U Medical Ctr
Biography
As CEO and medical school dean since 2009, Dr. Balser has led VUMCs health system expansion from two to five regional campuses housing seven hospitals and nearly 2000 licensed beds. With over 40,000 employees, annual operating income has grown from $2 to over $9 billion, supported by 3.5 million patient visits at over 200 locations. VUMC houses the nations largest heart transplant center and the Mid-Souths largest NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. The School of Medicine is the nations 5th largest recipient of NIH grants and is the nations academic leader in health information technology and precision medicine, hosting the Data and Research Support Center for NIHs All of Us precision medicine program. He led a $1.2B public debt issuance and historic restructuring with Vanderbilt University in 2016, launching VUMC as an independent 501C3. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, he is a director of VUMC and CVS Health.
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 Honorees
• Euan Ashley, Stanford
• Jeff Balser, VUMC
Precision Medicine at Scale, Lessons from Vanderbilt
• Jeffrey R. Balser, Vanderbilt
Implementing Precision Medicine at Scale: Health Systems and Policy Perspectives
• Jeffrey Balser, Vanderbilt
• Euan Ashley, Stanford
• Sasa Jenko, European Commission
Keynote
• Lee Hood, Phenome Health
Keys to Successful Implementation of a Precision Medicine Program
• Chair: Howard McLeod, GeneDx
• David E. Lanfear, Henry Ford Health
• Kevan Simms, Ochsner Health
Key Players in Successful Implementation – Beyond Oncology
• Chair: Damon Hostin, Illumina
• Shaista Malik, UC Irvine
Precision Medicine at Scale: Lessons from a Statewide Genomic Initiative
• Chair: Premal Shah, MyOme
Achieving Comprehensive Precision Medicine
• Chair: Burns Blaxall
• Trish Brown, GeneDx
• Sarah Hersey, BMS
• Euan Ashley, Stanford
