Dr. Jeffery Balser is slated to succeed Dr. Harry Jacobson as vice chancellor of health affairs. The former dean of medicine, Balser has held several clinical and research leadership roles at Vanderbilt.

Balser served as associate vice chancellor for research at the School of Medicine from 2004 to 2008. During his tenure, Vanderbilt Medical School experienced a period of expansion that moved Vanderbilt into 10th place among U.S. medical schools in National Institutes of Health funding.

"It is a tremendous honor to follow Harry Jacobson in this leadership role at Vanderbilt. His many accomplishments have provided a phenomenal platform for Vanderbilt to lead the nation and the world as we experience the next decade of transformational changes in science and healthcare - from unprecedented advances in diagnosis and therapy, to more cost-effective and patient-centered ways of providing care," Balser said.

"As an alumnus of both our medical and graduate schools, Jeff (Balser) is deeply committed to the lives and careers of our faculty and staff, and to our growing number of students and trainees in the sciences and healthcare," Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos said.

Balser received his M.D. and Ph.D. in pharmacology from Vanderbilt in 1990. He returned to Vanderbilt in 1998, becoming a professor in 2000. He is a member of American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, has chaired the NIH Director's Pioneer Award Committee and became a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in 2008.

Balser's appointment as vice chancellor is subject to approval by the university's Board of Trust, which meets in late April.

Vanderbilt News Service contributed to this article.