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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On January 28, 2022, more than 30 students from local institutions participated in the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance (MVA) Interinstitutional Interprofessional Education (IPE) student project. Gathering via Zoom, they met with faculty mentors and Nashville-based organizations to brainstorm ways to improve the community.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a three-year, $2 million contract from PCORI, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, to establish an Engagement Coordinating Center for PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network. The new center will be directed by Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD, professor of Radiation Oncology, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and executive director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Students from Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center gathered virtually on January 11, 2022, for the year’s first Meharry-Vanderbilt Student Alliance (MVSA) general meeting.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Marjorie Faith Christian-Hardwick, MPP, recently joined the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance (MVA) as Program Manager for the Meharry Medical College/Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center /Tennessee State University Cancer Partnership (MVTCP). She hopes to draw on her experience in public policy to further community-based research in Tennessee.

Meredith is excited to join Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance (MVA) as a Clinical Research Coordinator. She finds it important for minorities to have access to clinical trials, because when they take part, it helps to improve the health of all people and provide greater understanding of health disparities. Meredith believes “While it’s important to recruit minorities for clinical trials, it’s also important to understand and overcome the barriers to keeping them enrolled.”

Dr. Meador served as the first executive director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance from 1999 to 2012. Founded in 1999, the Alliance bridges the institutions of Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At the Alliance, he was one of the founders and first chairman of the Consortium of Safety Net Providers of Middle Tennessee, a consortium of 23 clinics that served uninsured people.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Freneka Minter, PhD, MS, MCHES, PMP, CCRP, always wanted to help people. From an early age, she was interested in caring for the community and making sure everyone was able to live a healthy life.

The Meharry Medical College/Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center/Tennessee State University Partnership (MVTCP) has received renewed funding for the next five years to continue long-standing collaborations to eliminate cancer health disparities.

Karen M. Winkfield, MD, PhD, has been nominated as a candidate for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Board of Directors by the ASCO Nominating Committee.

President Joe Biden has appointed Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD, to the National Cancer Advisory Board, where she will serve a six-year term and help guide federal initiatives that focus on cancer.