Annette Schaffer Eskind, a civic leader and philanthropist who, with her late husband, Irwin Eskind, MD鈥�48, made transformational contributions to , and throughout the city of Nashville, died July 13, 2025. She was 97.
Among the Eskind family鈥檚 many contributions were the establishment of the comprehensive and the Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair at the .
They also provided a landmark gift toward the renovation and expansion of Vanderbilt鈥檚 biomedical library. The , which reopened in 2018, is a hub of medical information services and resources that supports the next generation of scientists, physicians, students and patients.
A native of Boston, Mrs. Eskind graduated from Brookline High School and Arcadia University in Philadelphia and earned a master of social work from Boston University.
In 1956, after Dr. Eskind completed his residency, fellowship and military duty at West Point, the couple and their two young sons moved to Nashville, where he opened a private practice in internal medicine. Mrs. Eskind began her career as a caseworker for Jewish Family Services of Nashville, and she served as casework supervisor from 1980 to 1990.
Mrs. Eskind held several leadership positions at Vanderbilt, including serving on the advisory boards of the Ayers Institute and Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, and on the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Leadership Council. She also founded the Nashville Public Education Foundation and served in board membership capacities for Alive Hospice, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, the Council of Jewish Women, the Nashville League of Women Voters and the W.O. Smith Music School.
Her accolades include the Human Relations Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Hope Chest Award from the Middle Tennessee chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Alexis de Tocqueville Award from United Way, the YWCA Academy of Women of Achievement Award and the Jack C. Massey Leadership Award from the Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee.
She is survived by her two sons, Dr. Steven Eskind, associate professor of surgery, and Dr. Jeffrey Eskind; five grandchildren, including David Eskind, MD鈥�12; nine great-grandchildren and extended family.
