Alex Jahangir, M.D., a professor and vice chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), is the 2023 William W. Tipton Jr., MD, Leadership Award winner from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
The Tipton Leadership Award recognizes AAOS members who have demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities that have served and advanced the broader orthopedic community, patients and/or the American public. The award honors and celebrates the life, accomplishments and qualities of the late William W. Tipton Jr., MD, an orthopaedic surgeon, educator and former AAOS chief executive officer.
“The greatest honor of my professional career is receiving the William W. Tipton, Jr., MD Leadership Award. Ours is a specialty that disproportionately produces many leaders in our practices, our communities, and our nation. I am extremely humbled to be recognized as a Tipton honoree when so many other leaders in orthopaedics are equally deserving,” Dr. Jahangir said.
Called to Serve
Dr. Jahangir led the Metropolitan Nashville COVID-19 Taskforce at the request of Mayor John Cooper, a position he held for two years while simultaneously continuing his practice at VUMC. He spearheaded the implementation of city-wide COVID-19 testing and vaccination services.
According to William T. Obremskey, M.D., professor of orthopedic surgery at Vanderbilt, “One of Dr. Jahangir’s most significant collaborative initiatives was his work early in 2021 with Nashville’s three major tertiary medical centers—VUMC, HCA Healthcare/TriStar Division and Ascension Saint Thomas—to develop the state’s first-ever regional transfer coordinating center between these three friendly, but fierce competitors.”
Dr. Jahangir and his family immigrated from Iran to Nashville in the 1980s. He went on to attend the University of Tennessee for medical school, undertook an orthopedic surgery residency at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, and then completed an orthopedic trauma fellowship at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
Dr. Jahangir serves on the boards of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation, Center for Nonprofit Management, NashvilleHealth, and the University School of Nashville. He has received the Nashville Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of the Region Award, the Nashville Public Education Foundation Distinguished Alumni Award, the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Spirt of the Dream Award, and VUMC’s 5 Pillar Award, among other.
Giving and Learning From Others
Asked by OTW about lessons learned while serving as chair of the Metropolitan Nashville COVID-19 Taskforce, Dr. Jahangir said, “In the two years I served as chair of the taskforce, I had the opportunity to work with so many outstanding public servants dedicated to serving the people of Nashville. These individuals never folded or allowed the divisiveness that characterizes the present state of our body politic to dissuade them from taking responsibility and making tough decisions regardless of the fallout.”
“All of them just want to make life better for the people they serve. When it came to serving the residents of Nashville throughout the pandemic, they wasted as little time as possible worrying about or kowtowing to bullies. These individuals taught me many lessons in leadership including that adversity rather than ease defines real leaders and those who would presume to step up must put the needs of others above their own. Also, the best leaders have the courage of their convictions and stay the course, even in the face of withering criticism yet are willing to change course when shown a better way.”
“Because of the people with whom I shared responsibility, I believe that no matter how damaging the next crisis, we will succeed in solving the problem. We overcame impossible challenges in Nashville. We overcame them nationally. And if needed, we can do it again. However, we must go forward together with all the grace we can muster—whether we consider ourselves leaders or not. We must hold our families close and treat one another with respect and compassion. We must care more about others than ourselves. We must leave no one behind.”
Concerning what he might say to his younger colleagues entering leadership positions, Dr. Jahangir said, “As leaders in our profession and communities, we must always appreciate and respect the trust that has been placed in us. We must also always recognize the work of leading is never done and that there will always be new challenges that require new solutions and fresh resolve.”
