Ronald J. Vender, M.D., HS, FW

Ronald J. Vender, M.D., ’77, HS ’80, FW ’82, a nationally recognized gastroenterologist who specializes in therapeutic endoscopy and inflammatory bowel disease, started on June 1 as chief medical officer (CMO) for Yale Medical Group (YMG) and associate dean for clinical affairs at the School of Medicine. He reports to David J. Leffell, M.D., chief executive officer of YMG and deputy dean for clinical affairs. Vender, a clinical professor of medicine, built a clinical practice in the New Haven area and has held leadership and teaching roles at Yale-New Haven Hospital, the Hospital of Saint Raphael and Milford Hospital. He chaired the National Affairs Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology and currently serves on the board of trustees. He has published numerous research papers with colleagues on the Yale faculty. One of the appeals of his new position is the chance to return to his alma mater and work with colleagues he’s known since he was a student. “There are a number of people with whom I was a resident who are on the faculty. Some of my teachers and mentors are still here,” Vender says. “I am being very warmly and generously received by my colleagues and former mentors. I feel that I am coming back to a place I never left.”