Members of the Metropolitan Board of Health elected Alex Jahangir M.D., M.M.H.C., as Board Chair and Tené Franklin as Vice Chair at last week's regularly scheduled Board of Health meeting. Board of Health Chair and Vice Chair elections take place annually. Dr. Jahangir and Franklin will begin their terms on October 1.
"I am humbled by the opportunity to serve as Board chair. An effective public health system is an important component of the success of great cities such as Nashville," Dr. Jahangir said. "I look forward to working with my fellow board members, the dedicated staff of the Metropolitan Public Health Department, as well as the administration of Mayor-elect Cooper to improve the health and well-being of everyone in Nashville."
"I am excited to continue working with my fellow Board of Health members to support our dedicated public health workforce and champion the mission of the Metro Public Health Department," Franklin said.
Dr. Jahangir had served the past year as Vice Chair and replaces Carol Etherington, R.N. as Board Chair. Etherington has served two five-year terms on the Board, the past two years as Board Chair. She was recently re-appointed to a third term by Mayor David Briley and will continue as a Board member. Franklin was recently appointed to the Board by Mayor Briley and replaces Dr. Jahangir as Vice Chair.
"I thank Carol for her leadership and direction while serving as Board chair. The Health Department is fortunate to have her experience and wisdom as a Board member moving forward" said Wendy Long, M.D., Director of Health. "Nashville will benefit from having Dr. Jahangir and Tené as the new Board Chair and Vice Chair. Each shares the Health Department's goal of protecting and improving the health of everyone in our community."
"It has been a very real honor to serve as Board Chair these past two years," Etherington said. "I look forward to continuing as a Board member working with Dr. Jahangir and Ms. Franklin, both of whom bring vision and expertise to their roles."
Dr. Jahangir is a professor of orthopaedic surgery and an orthopaedic trauma surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He serves as an associate chief of staff at Vanderbilt University Hospital and is the director of the Division of Orthopaedic Trauma.
Dr. Jahangir also serves as the executive medical director of Vanderbilt Center for Trauma, Burn, and Emergency Surgery and previously served as the executive medical director of the Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Institute, as well as the chair of the VUMC Medical Board.
Dr. Jahangir is a former Washington Health Policy Fellow and a Leadership Fellow for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Jahangir currently is a member of the American College of Surgeons National Committee on Trauma. He has served on the executive committee of the AAOS Political Action Committee, the board of the Tennessee Orthopaedic Society, and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association Health Policy Committee.
Dr. Jahangir was raised in Nashville, graduated from Martin Luther King Magnet High School, received his Bachelor of Science from the 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, and his orthopaedic trauma fellowship at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
Dr. Jahangir was selected as a member of the 2017-2018 Leadership Tennessee program, as well as a representative from Nashville to the 2018 Young American Leaders Program at Harvard Business School.
He resides in Nashville with his wife Helen, a speech-language pathologist at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, and their three daughters.
Franklin serves as the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Health Leads. In this position, Ms. Franklin provides strategic, operational, and organizational leadership that grows capacity for intercultural competence, nurturance of diverse populations, and inclusive leadership across the organization. Ms. Franklin also consults on community engagement and public health strategic approaches to addressing health equity in local communities.
Prior to joining Health Leads, Franklin served as the Director of the Tennessee Department of Health Office of Minority Health and Disparities Elimination (OMHDE). In this position, Franklin was responsible for promoting continuous improvement for disparities elimination by enabling cooperation and collaboration among minority communities and disparate populations with Tennessee Department of Health programs and services.
Under Franklin's leadership the OMHDE helped other Tennessee Department of Health divisions, offices and agencies identify, assess and address health disparities. The office also provided oversight and guidance for the Office of Faith-Based Health Initiatives that engaged faith community organizations to help address health disparities in their communities.
Other positions that Franklin has held include as a genetic counselor at Meharry Medical College, helping support to families with members with disorders including Sickle cell disease. She has also served as a genetic research consultant for the Vanderbilt University Center for Genetics and Health Policy in Nashville.
During her tenure at both the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics in Philadelphia, and the Tuskegee University Center for Bioethics in Tuskegee, Alabama, Franklin served as a project director for National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) funded efforts exploring the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of the Human Genome Project.
Franklin is active in her community through a myriad of volunteer and advocacy efforts including the Council on Black Health; Southeastern Health Equity Council (SHEC); Tennessee State NAACP Health Chair; and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Franklin, a native of Chattanooga, holds a Master's degree in genetic counseling from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and a Bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Virginia. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Nashville.
The six Board members are appointed by the Mayor to five-year terms. Margreet Johnston, M.D., Thomas Campbell, M.D., and David Frederick are the other Board members.
The Board of Health meets the second Thursday of each month. Board meetings are held at 4:00 p.m. at the Lentz Health Center, 2500 Charlotte Avenue.
