Nashville, Tenn. (December 7, 2016) – NashvilleHealth, founded by former U.S. Senate Majority
Leader Bill Frist to harness the force of community-wide collaboration and improve Nashville’s health
outcomes, announced today the appointment of a Steering Committee that will guide the work of the
organization. This latest news is another foundational element to fuel the organization’s mission,
capping off a year of tremendous momentum.
The Steering Committee brings together 24 business, government, and community leaders who each
carry diverse and deep expertise in health and the factors that shape it. The group will work parallel to
NashvilleHealth’s Governing Board announced in October, playing a critical role in advising
NashvilleHealth. A primary goal of the Committee is to align community attention and resources
around efforts to collaboratively address poor health outcomes and health equity issues.
“These 24 local leaders are critical champions for NashvilleHealth and Nashville as a whole,” said Sen.
Frist. “We will rely on each of them to provide guidance on our overall community-developed strategic
plan, help execute tactical implementation, advise on the development of pilot programs, and monitor
outcomes of our initiatives.”
Members of the Steering Committee include:
Nancy Anness, Saint Thomas Health
Stephanie Bailey, M.D., Meharry Medical College
Melinda Buntin, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
John Chobanian, Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness
Terry Cook, The Nature Conservancy, Tennessee
Magi Curtis, Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock
Dan Dummermuth, YMCA of Middle Tennessee
John Esposito, Warner Music Nashville
Gary Gaston, Nashville Civic Design Center
Todd Henry, Metro Nashville Police Department
Hayley Hovious, Nashville Health Care Council
Phil Johnston, Pharm.D., Belmont University College of Pharmacy
Shawn Joseph, Ed.D., Metro Nashville Public Schools
Rebecca Leslie, Nashville Academy of Medicine
Leslie Meehan, Tennessee Department of Health
Janet Miller, Colliers International
Bill Paul, M.D., Metro Nashville Public Health Department
Dexter Samuels, Ph.D., Meharry Medical College
Vicki Shepard, Healthways
Divya Shroff, M.D., Centennial Medical Center
Tom Starling, Ed.D., Mental Health America of Middle Tennessee
Joseph Webb, D.Sc., Nashville General Hospital
Consuelo Wilkins, M.D., Meharry Vanderbilt Alliance
Michele Williams, M.D., Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center
“NashvilleHealth is coordinating action around some critical issues for the health and wellbeing of
people in Nashville,” said Bill Paul, M.D., director of the Metro Nashville Public Health Department and
a member of both NashvilleHealth’s Governing Board and Steering Committee. “We look forward to
working in partnership with NashvilleHealth to bring together the best minds in the city and tackle
these issues, promote health, prevent illness, and save lives.”
Launched in partnership with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, NashvilleHealth is now an independent 501(c)3 organization. To date, the
organization has conducted significant research, convened national experts, and met with more than
200 community, health, business, and academic leaders, while also participating in local, state, and
national partnerships. Caroline Young serves as executive director.
“There is so much potential in a community-wide effort like NashvilleHealth to address our most
pressing and most unique health issues,” said Steering Committee member Stephanie Bailey, M.D.,
senior associate dean for Public Health Practice, Meharry Medical College. “No two neighborhoods
face the same set of challenges, but with a thoughtful and collaborative approach based on evidence
and action at a very local level, we can begin to create a culture of health.”
To learn more about NashvilleHealth’s efforts, visit NashvilleHealth.org and connect with the
organization on Twitter at @nashhealthorg, Facebook at facebook.com/nashvillehealthorg or
Instagram at @nashhealthorg.
About NashvilleHealth
NashvilleHealth is dedicated to making Nashville-Davidson County one of the healthiest places to live in
the state and the nation by achieving measurable gains in the health of all residents. Our goal is to
create a culture of health and wellbeing by serving as a convener to open dialogue, aligning resources,
and building smart strategic partnerships to move the needle on health outcomes and close the gap in
health disparities. To achieve this, we work to collaboratively identify major population health
challenges, propose transformative solutions, and facilitate and ensure execution to improve overall
health.
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