Update on the EVPHA Search

Dear all in the Woodruff Health Sciences Center and Emory Healthcare community: 

Since I arrived at Emory, I have been deeply impressed with the many accomplishments that have come from you, our faculty, staff, physicians, nurses, and health care workers in EHC and the WHSC. Our community, state, and nation have relied on you for solutions and care, and, at every turn, you have answered the call to serve. Thank you for all you have done.

I write today with an update on the search for Emory’s next executive vice president for health affairs (EVPHA). This critical position attracted a strong pool of candidates including many outstanding leaders in health care and the health sciences who are very interested in the role. In speaking with candidates and thinking about the future, I have come to realize that before we welcome a new leader, I want to first clarify the role our university and EHC boards will have in collaborating with the EVPHA moving forward. As a result, I’ve decided to hold off on permanently filling the role by this summer, as originally planned.

During the coming months, I will work closely with the Emory University Board of Trustees and the Emory Healthcare Board of Directors to position EHC and the WHSC for even greater success. Dr. Jonathan S. Lewin has generously agreed to stay through the summer, and I am grateful to have his continued leadership. I will be providing more information in the coming weeks, and I look forward to recruiting a new EVPHA in the future. 

I thank the Search Advisory Committee for the energy and attention they have invested in this process and the valuable insights they’ve provided. The members of the committee spent much of their valuable time reviewing and interviewing candidates, which resulted in a strong set of finalists who remain interested in the position. I appreciate the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of the committee.

Finally, I want to thank you again for your hard work. Because of your dedication, Emory has served patients throughout every phase of the pandemic while making breakthroughs in care and research that will benefit communities in Georgia and around the world for many years to come. 

Sincerely, 

Gregory L. Fenves
President