Robert Dittus, MD, MPH

Dr. Dittus is Executive Vice President, Senior Associate Dean, Werthan Professor of Medicine and Director of the Institute for Medicine and Public Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Director of the VA Tennessee Valley Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center. He has devoted over 35 years to Dr. Dittus is the Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Vice President, Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network; Werthan Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University; Director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center and Director of the Quality Scholars Program at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. He has devoted over 35 years to health systems research, medical decision making and health outcomes research. He has led or been co-investigator of over $350 million in grant funding and has over 250 publications. He has guided the discovery of critical illness associated delirium and long-term cognitive impairment and development of new treatment paradigms with global impact on reducing the mortality, morbidity and costs of critical care. He co- leads Vanderbilt’s innovative Learning Healthcare System platform, integrating research into clinical care. He is engaged in population health research, including advances in care delivery and the integration of care with the social determinants of health. He was the President of the Association for Clinical Research Training and founding President of the Academy for Healthcare Improvement. Awards include: Distinguished Educator Award from the Association for Clinical and Translational Science, Harvey Branscomb Distinguished Professor at Vanderbilt University, Outstanding Industrial Engineer Award and Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award from Purdue University, Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University School of Medicine, the Tyroler Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, and the Innovation with Distinction Award in Research Training and Education from the American Association of Medical Colleges. He is an elected member of the Association of American Physicians.