Epstein files mention Vanderbilt professors, former chancellor

( vanderbilt hustler )

The Department of Justice released 3 million pages of documents related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein Jan. 30. The Epstein Files Transparency Act, enacted Nov. 18, 2025, originally mandated the release of all files pertaining to the investigation by Dec. 19, 2025.

Epstein’s case and the public database housing the documents have grabbed national attention due to the severity of the crimes and high-profile backgrounds of individuals mentioned in the documents.

Vanderbilt and affiliates were named several times in the files, including a former Vanderbilt chancellor.

Limited Brands, Incorporated

A former Vanderbilt chancellor is cited twice in the files in connection with his service on the board of Limited Brands, Incorporated, an international conglomerate that formerly owned Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch. The retail company’s founder, Leslie Wexner, is set to testify before congress Feb. 18 regarding his relationship with Epstein, who was Wexner’s money manager for decades.

The chancellor was appointed to the board of Limited Brands, Incorporated, in September 2012 while serving as the president of The Ohio State University. It is unclear if there is any direct connection between the former chancellor and Epstein himself.

Nobel laureate celebration

Ghislaine Maxwell forwarded Epstein an email inviting her to a dinner Dec. 2, 2010, in celebration of a 2000 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine who was briefly employed at Vanderbilt.

“This is my dinner tonight,” Maxwell said in the message to Epstein.

Napa Valley Tennis Classic

Vanderbilt Men’s Tennis was mentioned in an email sent to Epstein by Meadowood Napa Valley — a five-star resort and spa in California — Nov. 8, 2011. The newsletter detailed various event previews and recaps, including The Napa Valley Tennis Classic, which took place from Sept. 23-25, 2011, and featured Vanderbilt Men’s Tennis alongside other Division 1 programs like Notre Dame and UCLA.

Melanoma Research Alliance

Epstein received a press release via email from the Melanoma Research Alliance April 27, 2017, announcing over $8.5 million in grant awards. The newsletter included recognition for “Established Investigator Awards.” A Vanderbilt professor was amongst the winners, earning the “Leveraged Finance Fights Melanoma-MRA Young Investigator Award, 2017-2020.”

Vanderbilt surgeon

In an email to Epstein, the redacted sender discusses an eight-hour surgery that was done by a Vanderbilt surgeon. The sender praised the work and its results. 

“First few days very hard but I feel like a new person and of course my risk went from [redacted]. Still bruised up and healing and have drains for another week but I’ve been at work a few hours a day (no one there anyway/vacation) and no one can tell,” the email reads. “Steve was a bit of a mess but even he is amazed at the [redacted]. We are both very happy. [redacted] Especially him” 

Massage for Dummies

The author of Massage for Dummies, a book included in the files, discussed massage experiments done at Vanderbilt and thanked a Vanderbilt plastic surgeon in the acknowledgements. The experiments consisted of physicians administering massages twice a week for 13 weeks on three Yorkshire pigs: Flopsy, Zeus and Peewee.

According to the book, pigs were chosen for the experiment because their skin is similar to that of humans. The experiments were held at Vanderbilt and UCLA. 

Funding proposal

A funding proposal for three research projects on Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and age regeneration was sent to Epstein March 5, 2015. The email was sectioned into three different parts that reflected the current status of the projects. 

In the proposal, Vanderbilt scientists were credited as collaborators on a study regarding melanoma patients.

Ford v. Wainwright

Epstein was blind carbon copied on an email sent by Gregory Brown to undisclosed recipients Jan. 2, 2012 with the subject line “Greg Brown’s Weekend Reading and Other Things.. 05/10/2015.” A Vanderbilt professor is quoted in the email via a copy-pasted article titled “Executing the Insane Is Against the Law of the Land. So Why Do We Keep Doing It?”, which discussed the 1986 Supreme Court case Ford v. Wainwright.

This story includes files that appeared when “Vanderbilt” was searched in the DOJ database. Files that include the keyword “Vanderbilt” but referenced members of the Vanderbilt family, Vanderbilt Avenue or other non-university related matters were omitted.