Farewell Dr. John Greene
The entire Dean of Students staff wishes to congratulate Dr. John Greene upon his retirement. Dr. Greene spent his entire academic career at Vanderbilt, a career marked by many firsts and much success.
Dr. Greene obtained his M.D. from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his residency at Vanderbilt where he served as chief resident in pediatrics in 1975-76. In 1977, he joined the faculty of the Department of Pediatrics, with secondary appointments in the School of Nursing and the department of obstetrics and gynecology, in 1977. He became Professor of Pediatrics in 1992, and established the Division of Adolescent medicine at Vanderbilt in 1979. This was the first comprehensive program of health care services for adolescents in Tennessee, including assessment and treatment of eating disorders, drug and alcohol issues, chronic illness and pain syndromes and reproductive health issues. His program for the medical management of eating disorders was the first such program in Middle Tennessee and is the most prominent service in the region. He also developed residency training and a fellowship in adolescent medicine at Vanderbilt. He was a co-investigator on several NIH studies of adolescent stress, psychosomatic illnesses and coping mechanisms.
Dr. Greene served as the director of the student health center from 1981 to 2006, where he recruited an outstanding staff and ran a highly efficient and effective student health service. His impact was most visible in our orientation program, which welcomed parents into the Vanderbilt community and made them part of our efforts to help their students make a successful transition to college. His orientation programs for parents and students were legendary. With an almost dead-pan delivery, betrayed by a hint of a smile, he engaged and informed students and their parents about available mental and physical health services and typical adolescent adjustment and health issues with compassion, grace and humor. His “chlamydia is not a flower” slide invariable brought the house down. More importantly, his presentation demonstrated his compassion and commitment and made parents our partners.
At a recent gathering to celebrate Dr. Greene’s retirement, Dean of Students Mark Bandas said, “Because of his commitment to excellence and his holistic philosophy of student development, I asked John to serve as Associate Dean of Student Health and Wellness in 2006. Under his leadership, we developed an outstanding early identification, intervention and care program for students in distress at Vanderbilt. The success of that program has been remarkable. Our students in distress, meaning students at risk for self-harm or harm to others, persist to graduation at nearly the same rate as other students. Under his leadership, we have helped students with severe eating disorders, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, bipolar disorders, alcohol and drug problems, and even schizophrenia to achieve a level of functionality and well-being that enabled them to graduate.”
Dean Bandas continued, “John’s leadership made this possible because of his compassionate concern and his studied approach to compiling critical information about our students’ medical conditions and life circumstances and then providing guidance to and coordination of the many dedicated health and student support professionals on our campus in the service of these troubled students. His personal effectiveness was enhanced by his collegiality; John’s gentle demeanor and gracious style engaged caregivers, be they academic deans, physicians, faculty members or student affairs professionals across the campus, to enthusiastically enlist as members of his care and welfare team.”
Dr. Greene’s many gifts, his tireless work, and the infinite depth of his compassion helped many, many students and modeled the very highest values that are constitutive of this University. Congratulations on your retirement, Dr. Greene!