Vanderbilt Medical Giving

The Canby Robinson Society honors and encourages those who provide financial support for the education, research and patient care programs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Because Vanderbilt is a nonprofit institution, philanthropic support plays a critical role in our mission as a center for scholarly research, informed creative teaching and service to society. Donor support is necessary for researchers to pursue that spark of an idea that can lead to major funding from national agencies, and for our students to become leaders of tomorrow.

Created in 1978, the Canby Robinson Society is named after George Canby Robinson, M.D., dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine from 1920 to 1928. He transformed the traditional physician-apprentice form of education at Vanderbilt into a modern university medical school format with a science-based curriculum and a full-time faculty. He restructured the physical facilities of the medical school, moved it from South Nashville to Vanderbilt's main campus, and oversaw the design of a new Medical Center building with teaching, patient care and research capabilities under one roof. This innovative concept was emulated across the country by other leading medical centers.