Photo by Matt Schorr
The Rev. Neely Williams, a community member of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, was the keynote speaker at a pre-conference for the Community Campus Partnerships for Health 14th International Conference.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. The Rev. Neely Williams, a Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance community partner, recently spoke at a pre-conference for the Community Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) 14th International Conference on May 11. She discussed her life’s journey – which includes numerous efforts focused on a variety of social issues – and challenged those in attendance to be effective agents of change in their communities.
She titled her presentation "From Passion to Capcity."
“I was working under the assumption – and rightly so, I think – that most people in that room get into this work from their passion,” Williams said. “They want to do something to change things. They’re not working to get paid. They’re just doing something to help.”
CCPH is a nonprofit membership organization that promotes health equity and social justice through partnerships between communities and academic institutions. The conference sought to promote, support and encourage those partnerships, which are designed to improve health by addressing social and racial justice issues. It ran from May 11 until May 14.
“After being there that day, after listening to stories of attendees, there was a natural connection for me,” Williams recalled. “For whatever reason, they chose to start working on problems they saw in the community to help make it better. It was phenomenal to be a part of that dialogue.”
As the pre-conference keynote speaker, Williams described the path that led her to becoming a principal investigator of a national study. Her efforts include work with the First Response Wellness Center of the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church, the Imani Coalition, UJIMA House, the Interdenominational Ministers’ Fellowship Peniel Initiative and the Obesity Observational Research Initiative.
“It was through building capacity across different lines,” Neely explained.
On the local level, those efforts involved working on an advisory board for the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) grant. They also involve national efforts and work with the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
“I’m using the same foundational piece for my dissertation,” Neely said, “to talk about how to develop advocacy for vulnerable populations, using research and what I call ‘colleague mentors’ … entering into a process of trying to make a difference based on your personal desire and commitment.”
About the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
Founded in 1999, the Alliance bridges the institutions of Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University. Its mission is to enrich learning and advance clinical research by developing and supporting mutually beneficial partnerships between Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University and the communities they serve.
About Community Campus Partnerships for Health
Established in 1997, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) is a nonprofit membership organization that promotes health equity and social justice through partnerships between communities and academic institutions. They view health broadly as physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being and emphasize partnership approaches to health that focus on changing the conditions and environments in which people live, work, study, pray and play.