Eric Martin Chazen MD

89, a celebrated pediatrician who treated thousands of Nashville children for over four decades, passed away on April 19, 2021. With great intellect, compassion, curiosity, and love of learning, Eric was a renaissance man and a mensch. Born July 8, 1931 in Knoxville, Tennessee to Molly and Philip Chazen, he graduated from Knoxville High School before earning his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University, and his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Tennessee. He trained at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York and Boston Children’s Hospital before returning to Nashville to complete a residency in the Vanderbilt University Department of Pediatrics under Dr. Amos Christie. He went into practice by himself for seven years before growing Green Hills Pediatric Associates. Dr. Chazen earned a reputation across the city as a strong advocate for children, a dedicated physician who made house calls until the handle of his medical bag fell off, an academic leader, and a noted contributor to a range of medical journals. He nimbly juggled a robust pediatric practice with leadership roles on numerous boards, including the Nashville Academy of Medicine, Canby Robinson Society, Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Association, the Center for Child Development at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, and Friends of Jean and Alexander Heard Library. He cofounded the James Cayce Community and Neighborhood Clinic in East Nashville and community clinics in Appalachia. He was President of the Cumberland Pediatric Foundation, Amos Christie Pediatric Society, Tennessee Public Health Council, Davidson County Pediatric Association, Tennessee Pediatric Society, and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Clinical Faculty Association. After retirement, he continued to teach at Vanderbilt Medical School as a clinical professor of Pediatrics.

With a bottomless appetite for learning and scholarship, Dr. Chazen audited classes in architecture, literature, religion, and history. He was a member of The Temple, Sherith Israel, Homo Ludens, The Peers, Thursday Lunch Bunch, the Shamus Club, and the Nashville Bridge Club. Eric had a true joie de vivre as he loved to read, play golf, run, and cycle in his spare time. He enjoyed classical music, dancing, and traveling the world — plus a good sazerac or negroni with his many friends. But most of all he cherished his beloved family. He is survived by his wife of more than sixty years, Barbara; his daughter, Lisa Chazen Levine, and her husband, David; his daughter-in-law Jamie Zimmerman; his grandchildren, Molly, Noah, Zoë, and Charlotte, and his many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his son Dr. Geoffrey David Chazen and his sister Pauline Chazen Karp. The family would like to thank his many doctors, nurses, and caregivers at Vanderbilt Hospital, Richland Health Center, and WholeCare. In his memory, please be kind, be generous and hug those you love.