Title:GUMC Advancement VP Jackie Wood supports ‘hope, health, and care’

In March 2025, Jackie Wood was appointed the new vice president for advancement for the Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC). Georgetown Health sat down with Wood to talk about her new role as she envisions Georgetown’s future.

Tell me about your background. What experiences have led you to your work at Georgetown?

I grew up in small towns in Tennessee and Virginia with a dad who was a radiologist and a mom who was a nurse—and later a nurse practitioner. From a young age, I went with my dad to the hospital when my mom was at nursing school and watched him engage with patients in our community. I saw that communities need to have access to care in order to be vibrant.

I didn’t follow a clinical care path, but quickly learned the advancement field has a unique opportunity to assist alumni, patients, and community members who want to help our educators, physicians, and researchers train the next generation and develop better tools to support healthier communities. I have spent several years at Vanderbilt, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and George Washington University at this intersection between philanthropy and health.

Where are you focusing to help facilitate the university’s work in health care research, education, and clinical care?

We’ve identified five pillars of excellence: cancer, return to function after a neurologic event, global health, health equity, and the creation of innovation districts. With a strategic investment in each of these areas, we can leverage our expertise alongside our academic health system partner MedStar Health. Our deep talent across medicine, nursing, health, law, policy, and business is positioned to support healthier communities through improved access to care and better outcomes.

What are you looking forward to in your work at Georgetown?

I’m excited about engaging with alumni and friends to learn about their foundational Georgetown experiences. Understanding the depth and breadth of the work that we do here is the biggest part of my first several months.

In my short time here, I’ve been inspired by our commitment to Jesuit values, our alumni and friends’ deep enthusiasm for Georgetown, and the momentum with the arrival of Norman Beauchamp, GUMC’s new executive vice president for health sciences. We have a powerful story to tell about the work that we do here. By partnering with our community, we can provide hope, health, and care with energy and enthusiasm. I am humbled and thrilled to be part of this team.