September 10, 2015

Efforts to support employees in Guard, Reserve honored

Vanderbilt University Medical Center officials were recently honored by the Committee for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) for their dedication to supporting reserve military personnel.

Committee for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) officials Marvin Wells, left, and Carl Lambert, third from left, with, from left, Vanderbilt’s David Raiford, M.D., Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., Jesse Ehrenfeld, M.D., MPH, Meg Rush, M.D., and Luke Gregory. (photo by Sanford Myers)

Vanderbilt University Medical Center officials were recently honored by the Committee for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) for their dedication to supporting reserve military personnel.

Warren Sandberg, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, received the Patriot Award, which is presented to individual supervisors for their efforts to support a National Guard or Reserve member through a wide range of measures.

Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., vice chancellor for Health Affairs and dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, received the ESGR Pro Patria Award, which goes to an employer who has demonstrated dedication to Guard and Reserve employees through practices such as adopting personnel policies that make it easier for employees to participate in the National Guard and Reserve.

Sandberg and Balser were nominated by Jesse Ehrenfeld, M.D., MPH, associate professor of Anesthesiology, who is a Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

The ESGR is a Department of Defense  organization that works to foster support and cooperation between employers and their employees who serve in the National Guard or Reserve.