Dr. André Churchwell, a native of East Nashville, has made significant contributions that extend well beyond Tennessee. An accomplished physician, advocate, mentor, educator, and artist, he has dedicated his life and career to promoting equity and access by breaking down barriers in clinics, classrooms, and communities. His work has earned national recognition in engineering, medicine, and inclusivity.

As one of the first children to attend newly integrated schools in Nashville during the Civil Rights Era, Dr. Churchwell’s early experiences shaped his dedication to equity. He graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt School of Engineering in 1975, earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1979, and became the first African American Chief Medical Resident at Grady Memorial Hospital from 1984 to 1985. He completed his internship, residency, and cardiology fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine, where he also served as the inaugural Minority Affairs Officer and was named Most Outstanding House Officer.

In collaboration with colleagues at Emory and Georgia Tech, Dr. Churchwell helped develop the Emory-Georgia Technology Research Center, which later became the Emory-Georgia Technology Biomedical Engineering Program. In 1991, he returned to Nashville and joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, serving in various disciplines, including medicine, radiology, biomedical engineering, and cardiology. He also held positions as Vanderbilt’s Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Chief Diversity Officer, among other leadership roles. Most recently, he has served as Senior Advisor to the Chancellor in Outreach and Community Engagement.

Dr. Churchwell’s initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion have been impactful, including launching the Hidden Figures Program and the Underrepresented Portrait Program at VUMC. He has received numerous accolades, such as the Walter R. Murray, Jr. Distinguished Alumnus Award, the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, and the 2023 Diamond Award from the Not Alone Foundation. Modern Healthcare recognized him as one of its Top 25 Diversity Leaders.

Moreover, Dr. Churchwell has focused on inclusivity in patient care through adaptive education, addressing health literacy—a known predictor of cardiovascular outcomes. Approximately 90 million Americans have limited health literacy, and Dr. Churchwell has worked to improve the suitability and readability of cardiovascular patient education materials.

Continuously committed to service, both locally and nationally, Dr. Churchwell has held significant roles, including the southern representative for the Group on Diversity and Inclusion at the American Association of Medical Colleges and a trustee at Cumberland University. His artistic talents have also played a part in teaching engineering and medical students to utilize both creative and analytic skills to solve complex problems.

Throughout his career, Dr. Churchwell has been consistently recognized as one of the nation’s top cardiologists, receiving accolades such as the Professional Research Consultants’ Five-Star Excellence Award and being named one of the Top 15 Most Influential African American Health Educators. His peers honored him with the American Registry Most Compassionate Doctor Award, further highlighting his exemplary skills in both medicine and education. His ongoing contributions to biomedical engineering led to his induction into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2016. Dr. Churchwell continues to mentor young minority students aspiring to careers in medicine and science, while still practicing medicine with his trademark excellence.