Kevin Vest, MBA joins UVMCC as Network Vice President, Cancer Clinical Programs

February 14, 2024 by Kate Strotmeyer

Kevin Vest, MBA joins University of Vermont Cancer Center as Network Vice President, Cancer Clinical Programs

The University of Vermont (UVM) Cancer Center and the UVM Health Network are pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Vest, MBA as Network Vice President, Cancer Clinical Programs. Mr. Vest, a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, joins the UVM Cancer Center from Yale Cancer Center. 

As Network Vice President, Mr. Vest will oversee cancer-related clinical activities with a primary focus on adult oncology specialties including hematology/medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, gynecologic oncology and neurooncology.  He will partner with UVM Cancer Center, UVM Health Network and Larner College of Medicine departmental leadership to implement plans to support a coordinated strategic vision and efficient operations across all network sites. Mr. Vest will also be appointed as Instructor in the Education Scholar series, in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine in the Larner College of Medicine. In this position, he will provide teaching focused on healthcare delivery and the business of healthcare to fellows, residents, medical students and students in the graduate public health program.

Mr. Vest has more than 20 years of healthcare management experience in academic health centers. Mr. Vest most recently served as Vice President for Centers of Excellence at Smilow Cancer Hospital, a unit of Yale New Haven Health System, where since 2020 he has been responsible for execution and alignment of strategic priorities and initiatives among Smilow and Yale Cancer Center, an NCI designated comprehensive cancer center. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Director for Finance and Administration at Yale Cancer Center where he oversaw all business and management functions for the NCI-designated cancer center and its four academic sections of medical oncology, hematology, palliative care, and neuro-oncology.  

“Kevin’s experience will be instrumental in enabling the University of Vermont Cancer Center to achieve it’s goals of exceptional clinical oncology care across all network sites,”  Randall Holcombe, MBA, MD, UVM Cancer Center Director said. “In addition to supporting the clinical mission, his experience in NCI designated cancer centers will support our larger goals as we move toward NCI designation ourselves.  Kevin is also a University of Vermont alum, and we are thrilled to welcome him back to Burlington.” 

Prior to joining Yale, Mr. Vest served as the Administrative Director for Business and Finance at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.  Mr. Vest has also served as a licensed physical therapist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA and the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center in Charlottesville, VA.  He holds a Masters of Business Administration with a healthcare management concentration from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont.

“I could not be more excited to join the remarkable team at UVM.  I’m honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the mission of UVM Health Network as well as UVM Cancer Center as we work together to serve the communities of Vermont and northern New York.  I can’t wait to build on the strong foundation of scientific excellence and exceptional patient care that already exists at UVM,” Vest said.

Mr. Vest brings extensive experience in strategic and business planning, fiscal responsibility, management and oversight in academic medical centers, and a deep understanding of clinical trials accrual to his new role, which he will begin on April 1, 2024. 

About the University of Vermont Cancer Center: Founded in 1974, the University of Vermont Cancer Center is Vermont’s only not-for-profit comprehensive clinical and research cancer center. The cancer center is located within the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine and enjoys a clinical partnership with the University of Vermont Health Network. Drawing on the expertise of more than 170 research and clinical members, the center works to reduce the burden of cancer in Vermont, northeastern New York and across northern New England, through research, outstanding clinical care, community outreach, and education. For more information, please visit: www.vermontcancer.org.