Vanderbilt University Medical Center will name the new expansion tower for Vanderbilt University Hospital the Jim Ayers Tower in recognition of Janet and Jim Ayers’ philanthropic legacy and abiding interest in improving the health care and quality of life for Tennesseans.
The naming of the 15-level, 470,000-square-foot tower, currently under construction between 21st Avenue South and Medical Center Drive on the Main Campus in Nashville, honors the couple’s steadfast community leadership and longtime connection to VUMC. The tower is scheduled to open its first floor — Level 7 — in October 2025.
A Parsons, Tennessee, native, Ayers has achieved business successes in financial services, real estate and health care ventures, and he is widely recognized for increasing educational opportunities for young people. In 1999, he established The Ayers Foundation, now known as the Ayers Foundation Trust, which supports a wide range of programs and institutions.
“We are honored to announce the Jim Ayers Tower, which will allow us to better fulfill the mission of Vanderbilt University Medical Center to make health care personal for the patients we serve. The tower’s new space is essential as we expand to meet the needs of our rapidly growing Middle Tennessee communities,” said Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and CEO of VUMC and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
“As our largest facility expansion to date, this structure is being named to recognize the unparalleled dedication of Janet and Jim Ayers to the health and well-being of all Tennesseans.”
The Ayerses expressed their gratitude at having the tower named in Jim’s honor.
“To have my name connected with empowering access to health care is the honor of a lifetime,” Ayers said. “This isn’t just a building but rather a space for families to receive care that can improve their lives. I’m humbled that it also represents how much Janet and I value the well-being of everyone in the community and that it will stand as a reminder long into the future of the importance of helping people,” he said.
“Jim and I hold Nashville and all of Tennessee close to our hearts,” said Janet Ayers, who spent her career in health care administration. “The Jim Ayers Tower reflects the principles we share with VUMC of serving others and ensuring the best quality of life, including for those who may otherwise be underserved. We are so touched to see Jim recognized in such a meaningful way.”
The Ayerses have a long history of philanthropy and community leadership.
“Janet and Jim’s desire to open doors and change lives has had a widespread impact on so many institutions, so many people, and in so many ways all across Tennessee, from rural Tennessee to Nashville and beyond. As leaders who truly care about and invest in others, they have influenced education, research, patient care and much more,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer for VUMC.
At VUMC, the Jim Ayers Institute for Precancer Detection and Diagnosis at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center was established in 2005 to help researchers find early markers for colorectal cancer that could improve diagnosis and potentially save lives.
Within nine years, the center had yielded an impressive return: identification of protein “signatures” of the genetic mutations that drive the nation’s second leading cancer killer after lung cancer.
Janet Ayers has served as a member of the Vanderbilt Eye Institute (VEI) Advisory Board since 2012, and the couple has supported VEI research in regenerative visual neuroscience, low-vision patients and families, and a directorship in the low-vision program. Joshua Robinson, OD, assistant professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, holds the Janet and Jim Ayers Directorship.
Their community involvement is also extensive. They established the Ayers Foundation Scholarship Program, supporting almost 20,000 students over the past 25 years to attend postsecondary education in over 100 institutions of higher education.
In recognition of their community support, the Ayerses received the Association of Fundraising Professionals 2007 Philanthropists of the Year Award.
The Jim Ayers Tower is the largest expansion to date for Vanderbilt University Hospital. The last sizeable expansion was the 11-floor Critical Care Tower that opened in 2009. The need for the tower is a result of the area’s booming population growth and the hospital operating at more than 90% capacity most of the year. It will initially include 180 inpatient beds, with five shelled floors for additional inpatient beds in the future.
The building will also include radiology services, a spacious lobby, a three-floor expansion to Central Garage adding 600 spaces, and 44,000 square feet of operating room space in adjacent Medical Center East. A two-story bridge will connect the new tower to the existing The Vanderbilt Clinic at levels 3 and 4.
The Jim Ayers Tower will also include a statue of his likeness, commemorating Ayers’ enduring influence for generations of patients. Serving as the new front door to Vanderbilt University Hospital, the building serves as a visible reminder of the monumental impact Janet and Jim Ayers have had on the people of Tennessee.
