Professional Bio
Robert Hester, MD, MS, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology within the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). He has a Master of Science in Health Policy and Administration from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which led to an administrative position as Finance Manager for the Pharmacy Division at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Inspired by the scientific advances around him while in that role, he decided to pursue a career in medicine, with a specific interest in oncology. In 2016, Dr. Hester earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, where he received the Achievement Award for Clinical Medicine. He did an internal medicine residency at Baylor College of Medicine, where he was actively involved in medical student and resident education, as well as quality improvement initiatives. He completed his fellowship training in Hematology and Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he served as Chief Fellow for Quality Improvement from 2020 to 2021. In this role, Dr. Hester spearheaded several impactful quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, including improving patient compliance with oral chemotherapy, and reducing wastage of blood products in the blood bank. He joined VUMC as faculty in 2022.
Relevant Links
Education
MS - Health Policy and Management - Harvard University, 2005
MD - University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 2016
Residency - Internal Medicine - Baylor College of Medicine, 2019
Fellowship - Hematology / Medical Oncology - University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2022
Contact
Email
Kimryn.Rathmell@Vumc.Org
Address
777 Preston Research Building
2220 Pierce Ave
Nashville, TN 37232-6307