George C. Hill, PhD, professor emeritus of Medical Education and Administration and of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, died Feb. 3. He was 86.
Dr. Hill recognized the need for representative medical staff and believed that transforming how medical education recruited students would make medicine more accessible and approachable for Americans from all walks of life. His storied career in biomedical research and medical education made him a perfect fit for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, which was at a transformative time in its history when he joined the faculty.
His success in bringing students from communities that had long faced barriers to medical education to VUSM was remarkable.
“Dr. Hill was a passionate educator who helped recruit and mentor the best and brightest students and trainees. His contributions to the School of Medicine were transformative. Our thoughts are with his family at this time as we mourn his passing,” said Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vanderbilt Health and Dean of VUSM.
Dr. Hill is remembered for his commitment to developing the next generation of physicians and scientists, especially those who overcame adversity, and for his strong desire to lift up others. His legacy continues to influence medical education.
“George’s seminal efforts with VUSM leadership, to foster a welcoming medical school class and environment, where all students can thrive, has left an indelible mark on our medical school. He helped change our culture, such that excellence is a part of our school and Medical Center’s DNA. He will forever remain in our pantheon of VUSM luminaries. He was an important mentor for me as I began my work here at the medical school,” said André Churchwell, MD, Levi Watkins Jr., MD, Professor and Senior Advisor to the Chancellor on Inclusion and Community Outreach for Vanderbilt University.
Before joining Vanderbilt Health, Dr. Hill had a distinguished career as a world-renowned microbiologist. His laboratory at Colorado State University was the first to successfully culture the causative agent of African sleeping sickness, Trypanosoma rhodesiense. This groundbreaking work, published in the journal Science, enabled scientists to develop treatments for the disease and advanced the field of tropical medicine.
Dr. Hill’s scientific achievements earned him election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (now known as the National Academy of Medicine) in 1998 — considered the pinnacle achievement for an academic scientist. He was also elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology and received the John P. Utz Leadership Award from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, where he served as president from 2008 to 2010.
Born in New Jersey, Dr. Hill graduated from Rutgers University-Camden in 1961. He earned his master’s degree from Howard University and his PhD from New York University. In the 1970s, he served as a National Institutes of Health research fellow at the University of Cambridge in Great Britain and as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Nairobi.
Dr. Hill served for 19 years in various faculty and administrative roles at Meharry Medical College, including dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research and vice president for Research, before joining VUSM as an associate dean in Medical Education.
Throughout his career, Dr. Hill was deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of physicians and scientists. He remained closely connected with Levi Watkins Jr., MD, VUSM’s first minority student, who graduated in 1970, and established a lectureship in Watkins’ name to honor him and bring thought leaders to campus.
In 2012, Dr. Hill was inducted into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni, joining a select group that includes Nobel Prize winners Selman Waksman and Milton Friedman. He was also recognized as a “Giant in Science” for his efforts to motivate minority students into biomedical research.
Dr. Hill served on numerous boards, including the NIH Fogarty International Center Scientific Advisory Board and the medical advisory board of Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. He was preceded in death by his wife, Linda Hare, EdD, in 2009, and son Brian in 2010.
He is survived by his twin brother, Washington Clark Hill, and his sister, Mary Ester Davis. He was a devoted father to Yvette Hill Smith (Rick), Kevin Lewis Hill (Jill), and Nicole Y. Hare.
Dr. Hill was a proud grandfather to Spencer Hill Ray, Isabelle Cruz Hill, Tiassa Marie Ray, Alexandra Rosengard Hill, Lewis Grant Hill, Mary Kate Yaukey (Jason), and Kelly Anne Smith (Taha), and a cherished great-grandfather to Tatum Michael Williams, Tianna Michaela Ray, and True Mazi Ray.
He is also survived by his nieces and nephews, Brad Witherspoon (Rachel), Nathan Hill, Michelle Davis, and Brenetta Smith (Kofi); his longtime partner, Catalina Flores; and his former wife, Paula Hill. He leaves behind many cousins, great-nieces and great-nephews, as well as countless colleagues and students whose lives he impacted over the years.
A service celebrating Dr. Hill’s life will be held Thursday, Feb. 12, at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church Capitol Hill in Nashville, TN 37203. Visitation with the family will take place in advance of the service from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Burial will take place at Greenwood Cemetery, 1428 Elm Hill Pike, Nashville, TN 37210.
A reception/repast will follow the burial at Vanderbilt University Black Cultural Center from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
An additional visitation with the family will take place Wednesday, Feb. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Lewis & Wright Funeral Home, 2500 Clarksville Pike, Nashville, TN 37208.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that Dr. Hill be honored with a donation to the Hill Family Center for College Access at Rutgers University-Camden, which provides college and career guidance to students and families in the Camden, New Jersey area, or the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, supporting faculty efforts to eliminate health disparities.
