Statements
Mission
Meharry Medical College is a national treasure, with a long, successful history of meeting the healthcare needs of the underserved. Meharry Medical College is a global academic health sciences center advancing health equity through innovative research, transformation education, exceptional and compassionate health services and policy-influencing thought leadership. True to its legacy, Meharry empowers diverse populations to improve the well-being of humankind. The Meharry mission is firmly rooted in its core belief that health care -- irrespective of one's social standing or economic means -- is a basic human right. Perhaps the College's greatest and most enduring contribution to health care is the number of its graduates who serve in medically underserved communities. Throughout its 146-year history, Meharry has been highly regarded as a respected advocate for quality, community-based healthcare and research in the biosciences. Meharry is a community partner serving the medical needs of Nashville residents and extending our reach globally as our researchers seek to eliminate health disparities that impact underserved communities around the world. We collaborate in strategic partnerships with likeminded organizations that strive for excellence in education, research, and patient care. Meharry is a community of scholars and learners committed to excellence. These are our core values: Accountability with transparency; Equity with inclusion; Respect with collegiality; Service with compassion and Integrity without exception.
Background
Meharry Medical College is a historically black medical school affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee College, it was the first medical school for African Americans in the South. This region had the highest proportion of this ethnicity, but were excluded from many public and private segregated institutions of higher education, particularly after the end of Reconstruction. Meharry was one of six medical institutions established between the years of 1876 and 1900 in the state. Meharry was chartered separately in 1915 and today is the largest private, historically Black institution in the U.S. dedicated to educating healthcare professionals and biomedical scientists.
Meharry Medical College includes the School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Graduate Studies and Research, School of Applied Computational Sciences, and it is home to the Center for Health Policy and the Lloyd C. Elam Mental Health Center. It offers ten-degree programs that incudes Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Master of Science in Public Health (M.S.P.H.), and Master of Health Science (M.H.S.) and dual degrees (M.D./Ph.D. and D.D.S./Ph.D.). The newly established School of Applied Computational Sciences offers Ph.D. in Biomedical Data Science, and Master of Science (M.S.D.S.) degrees in Data Science and Biomedical Data Science (M.S.B.D.S.). Meharry is the second-largest educator of African-American medical doctors and doctors of dentistry in the United States. It has the highest percentage of African Americans graduating with Ph.Ds. in the biomedical sciences in the country. The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved is a public health journal owned by and edited at Meharry Medical College.
Meharry trains approximately 40% of all Black dentists, 20% of all Black biomedical PhDs, and 10% of all Black physicians in the country. Meharry's training emphasizes recognizing health disparities in different population. Around 80% of its graduates work in underserved communities. School training emphasizes recognizing health disparities in different populations. For nearly 150 years, Meharry has closed racial, economic, and geographic disparities while fighting for opportunity and equity in healthcare.
Impact
Since its inception, Meharry has been a beacon of light in marginalized communities and has earned the trust of the people it serves which made it uniquely positioned to spearhead the city's response to COVID-19. Under the guidance of President James E.K. Hildreth Sr., Ph.D., M.D., a globally recognized infectious disease expert, Meharry utilized all its resources to fight COVID-19, ramping up a comprehensive response aimed at mitigating immediate consequences, containing the pandemic's scale, and building for a more prepared future. As new variants continue to emerge, Meharry is called to respond by bringing its legacy of service and impact to a whole new scale. The following are highlights of accomplishments during the 2020-2021 year:
1) As COVID-19 gripped the country and dominated 2020, Meharry emerged as a leader in Nashville's healthcare response and worked with the City of Nashville to create COVID-19 wards, operating three testing sites that were available to the entire city five days a week.
2) From late March 2020 through the next year, the three sites operated through summer and winter-mostly in tents open to the elements. Meharry operated testing sites on weekends in the parking lots of area churches.
3) Performed and expanded testing for COVID-19 within at-risk communities, as vulnerable, low income, African American, Latinx and other vulnerable communities experienced disproportionate adverse outcomes as a result of the disease.
4) Developed a National Model for Addressing Health Disparities and the Pandemic Through COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Innovative Technology.
5) As of March 31, 2022, Meharry personnel, volunteers and members of the National Guard and others have administered approximately 400,000 PCR COVID-19 tests for Metropolitan Nashville and Middle Tennessee residents.
6 Through the Telemedicine Outreach Program, Meharry has administered nearly 2,000 vaccinations throughout the state of Tennessee at churches, workplaces, schools, colleges and universities, public libraries and in low-and-middle income neighborhoods as of March 31, 2022.
6) Meharry's Center for the Study of Social Determinants of Health received the Redefining American Healthcare Award from the Healthcare Leadership Council in December 2021.
8) The College announced the beginning of the public phase of its capital campaign (Campaign 150), an effort to raise $200 million before its sesquicentennial year in 2026.
9) Meharry winner of HHS national challenge to increase pediatric vaccinations and well-child visits.
Goals for the current year are:
1) Despite increasing optimism, the pandemic is not yet over; therefore, Meharry will continue to collaborate with likeminded partners to address the continued COVID-19 crises and highlight the need for continued vigilance to ensure equity for African Americans, Latinx and other vulnerable populations.
2) Increase the production of diverse health care professionals and researchers.
3) Establish a performance culture based on excellence and accountability.
4) Enroll students from across the U.S. and around the world who aspire to improve the lives of disadvantaged populations.
Needs
The top 5 pressing needs of the College include: 1)The Vision Fund is an annual campaign that raises unrestricted funds to meet the immediate operating and maintenance needs of the College such as technology improvements, maintaining facilities, and library acquisitions. ; 2) Scholarship Support for all currently enrolled and new admissions; 3) Facility Support to provide funding for a new comprehensive research building which will serve as the center of Meharry's computational sciences in academic training and research; 4) Programmatic Support to update and integrate Data Science into curricula, implement research support platforms and create consortia with key partners to expand learning beyond the classroom; and 5) Faculty Support to attract the best teachers and scholars--distinguished and dedicated men and women who both connect in the classroom and who are motivated to conduct nationally recognized research.
Community Outreach Funding Needs: 1) The Lloyd C. Elam Mental Health Center; 2) Wilda Seibert Adopt-a-Grandparent Program; 3) Shelbyville Dental Clinic
CEO Statement
Meharry Medical College is a national treasure, with a long, successful history of meeting the healthcare needs of the underserved and underrepresented. Meharry has a rich and distinguished legacy of providing health professions education opportunities to minority students and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, regardless of race or ethnicity. We stand on our motto 'Worship of God Through Service to Mankind,' attracting a special kind of student and a particular kind of faculty member - individuals who place service above self.
Meharry is fast approaching its sesquicentennial year in 2026- 15 decades of changing and saving lives through a mission of dedication to the health care of all-especially the indigent and marginalized. Meharry's alumni are known for their dedication, devotion and service to all segments of society, and the College's drive as an institution is as strong as ever to press into the next 150 years, determined not only to produce health care leaders, but health leaders who care.
Meharry is nationally recognized as a top producer of primary care providers, who account for more than 60 percent of our medical and dental graduates. And four out of every five Meharry physicians and dentists work in underserved rural and urban communities today. Historically, Meharry's commitment to equity and service has gone unmatched. We provide opportunity to promising students others overlook and are a top producer of black biomedical PhDs and black dentists.
As Meharry moves forward toward its sesquicentennial, "Evolution and Transformation," will help position Meharry to embrace new developments, technology and cutting-edge research for students, post-docs and faculty in preparation for a new world of science and medicine.
Board Chair Statement
Under the leadership of Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, Meharry Medical College is experiencing groundbreaking change, strong initiatives both domestically and internationally, sound development within the four schools of study and substantial support from alumni and friends. Meharry's drive as an institution is as strong as ever to press into the next 150 years, determined not only to produce health care leaders, but health leaders who care. Over the past year, the character of Meharrians shown more brightly than ever as Meharry stepped to the front lines and stayed there; and with character and strength we led the city of Nashville through unprecedented times; provided hope and healing, and found distinction nationally. The last year and a half has been challenging for all but it was also a momentous year for Meharry Medical College, giving the College the opportunity to showcase the extraordinary work and commitment it has in fulfilling its mission. A mission that we have been doing for 146 years.
Campaign 150 will lay the foundation of Meharry for the next 150 years as it has already seen much success. The future of Meharry is bright and there are great things to come.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Education - Graduate & Professional Schools |
| Secondary Category: | Health Care - |
| Tertiary Category: | Diseases, Disorders & Medical Disciplines - |
Areas Served
Meharry has alumni practicing both home and abroad. The following cities in the United States, have the greatest numbers of practicing alumni: Nashville, Memphis, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., New York, Dallas, and Birmingham. More than 80% of Meharry alumni practice in underserved communities. In the field of medicine, 56% practice in primary medicine nationally. In dentistry, 81% of Meharry alumni practice general dentistry.
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| TN |
| TN - Davidson |
