Dr. Alex Jahangir is one of the most recognized leaders in his hometown of Nashville, and a sought-after source nationally for fresh perspectives on confronting the great public health challenges of our time.
Dr. Jahangir honed his crisis leadership skills as an orthopaedic trauma surgeon and a professor of orthopaedic surgery, medicine and health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is senior vice president for physician network development, associate chief medical officer, vice-chair of orthopaedic surgery and director of the division of orthopaedic trauma at VUMC. He has also served as executive medical director of the Vanderbilt Trauma, Burn, and Emergency Surgery Patient Care Center and the Orthopedic Patient Care Center.
A former member of the of Metropolitan Board of Health Nashville, he served two terms as chair, and was named chair of the Metropolitan Nashville Coronavirus Taskforce at the onset of the pandemic in March of 2020 by Mayor John Cooper. He remained in this role for the entire 2 years of the task force. In this capacity, Dr. Jahangir led Nashville’s response, developing and implementing policies that mitigated the spread, bringing stakeholders across the city together, spearheading access to testing and vaccination for vulnerable communities, and serving as the public’s primary source for information about the city’s massive effort to keep residents safe and healthy.
Dr. Jahangir has become a sought-after source for national media eager for experts who can connect with the public, tell the truth, and promulgate workable solutions to tough public health problems.
His success is due to his leadership of a pandemic response in Nashville that was lauded for its success in addressing the needs of every sector of the city – and in the face of state and federal reluctance to instill mandates or promote vaccinations.
Dr. Jahangir demonstrated he is willing to speak out and speak up about what he believed were the right courses of action to protect health and safety. Yet he also appreciated the need to protect livelihoods and keep the economy on track, which garnered respect and partnership within the business community. And he established a reputation for working with other leaders representing immigrant and minority communities to eradicate health inequities that the pandemic threw into stark relief.
At age six, Dr. Jahangir immigrated with his family to Nashville, TN where he was educated in Metro public schools. He graduated from Martin Luther King Magnet High School, received his Bachelor of Science degree from George Washington University, his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Tennessee, and his Master of Management in Healthcare from the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, TN, and his orthopaedic trauma fellowship at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN.
Dr. Jahangir is committed to serving the community in which he lives. He co-chaired Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s Transition Committee and Imagine Nashville, a community-led initiative to shape the city’s future. He serves as a board member of organizations dedicated to improving the lives of Tennesseans including the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation, NashvilleHealth, and the University School of Nashville. He also is the past chair of the board of Nashville’s Adventure Science Center and a founding board member of ThinkTennessee.
Dr. Jahangir has been lauded for his community service: he has received the Nashville Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of the Region Award, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation Francis S. Guess Connector Award, the Nashville Public Education Foundation Distinguished Alumni Award, the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Spirt of the Dream Award, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s 5 Pillar Award, the Public Relations Society of America’s Nashville Chapter Apollo Award, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Physical and Mental Heritage Award, and the Siloam Health Amplify Award. He also was recognized by Major League Soccer as a 2020 Community MVP for his service to the Nashville community, and as a 2020, 2021, & 2022 Nashville Business Journal Power 100.
Dr. Jahangir lives in Nashville with his wife Helen, a speech-language pathologist, and their three daughters.