Ten Years of Collaboration and Achievements

BEGINNINGS: THE MOU

Core representatives from each institution engaged in a year-long dialogue exploring mutually beneficial partnerships. This process began with an open and frank discussion about our historical differences, unique challenges and recent successes. More importantly, these discussions identified five major areas of common interest:

  1. Advance and receive support for graduate
    medical education.
  2. Expand primary care training and health service.
  3. Enhance patient care delivery through partnership.
  4. Reduce duplication of effort and cost in educational training.
  5. Develop cooperative programs that facilitate the enhancement of medical education and research.

On January 1, 1999, the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance office was opened and Clifton K. Meador, MD, became Executive Director.

Under the terms of the MOU, the Alliance would focus on 10 specific goals.

  1. Develop and implement cooperative, collaborative or integrated clinical science programs that enhance undergraduate medical student clerkships and graduate medical education training at the resident and fellowship level.
  2. Establish ongoing collaborative relationships with Vanderbilt’s Informatics Center and libraries to enhance information technology and library competencies at Meharry.
  3. Develop and implement formal mechanisms to enhance each institution’s academic infrastructure and curriculum of undergraduate medical education programs.
  4. Promote cooperative management agreements with other organizations, agencies and institutions in the health field, both public and private, for the purpose of providing, maintaining and coordinating health services.
  5. Increase the number of collaborative research projects between each institution.
  6. Increase levels of cooperative and collaborative research training for faculty and students at and between both institutions.
  7. Promote cooperative arrangements through which specialized or unique educational and training programs of the two institutions may be made available to health professions students and graduate trainees enrolled in or connected with either institution.
  8. Vanderbilt students and faculty used Meharry’s Objective Structured Clinical Examinations program while Vanderbilt developed its own program. Meharry and Vanderbilt research cores offered for use by faculty, staff and students at both institutions.
  9. Promote joint continuing education programs for the NINE benefit of graduates of each institution and all other persons who may benefit.
  10. Develop and implement initiatives that enhance interaction of students and faculty between both institutions and facilitate opportunities for increased diversity at each institution.