John Christopher Burch, eldest son of Dr. Lucius E. Burch and Sarah Polk (Cooper) Burch, was born on July 21, 1900, in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended Vanderbilt University from 1917-1919 and then entered the medical school, graduating in 1923 as Founder's Medalist. After completing residency programs in Boston and New York and studying in Europe, he returned to Nashville in 1926 to begin his practice at the Burch Clinic and to begin his long career of teaching at Vanderbilt Medical School.

Dr. John C. Burch possessed a rare combination of medical talents. He was a beloved teacher and practitioner and also a skilled surgeon and researcher. During his career, Dr. Burch authored more than 150 articles. His book Hysterectomy is considered a classic. During World War II, he served as chief of the surgical service at Brooke General Hospital in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. In 1944 he returned to Vanderbilt as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and served as chair of that department until he became emeritus in 1965. Over his long career at Vanderbilt John Burch taught some 2000 medical students and trained more than 300 interns and residents.