NOVEMBER 14, 2024
Tennessee State Museum
DEAR FRIENDS,
James E.K. Hildreth, PhD, MD President and CEO
Meharry Medical College
Jeffrey R. Balser, MD, PhD President and CEO Vanderbilt University Medical Center
STEERING COMMITTEE
MEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE
James E. K. Hildreth, PhD, MD, President and CEO
Cherae FarmerDixon, DDS, MSPH, FACD, FICD Dean and Professor, School of Dentistry
Stephania MillerHughes, PhD, MS, MSCI
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery Director, Meharry
Community Engagement Core
Anil Shanker, PhD Vice President for Research and Innovation
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Jeffrey R. Balser, MD, PhD President and CEO
Gordon Bernard, MD Melinda Owen Bass Professor of Medicine Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Donald Brady, MD
Executive Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Office for Continuous Professional Development Executive Vice President for Educational Affairs and Medical Staff Affairs
Pamela R.Jeffries, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, FSSH
Dean, Vanderbilt School of Nursing
Valere Potter
Distinguished Professor of Nursing, RWJF Nurse Executive Fellow Alumna
Consuelo Wilkins, MD, MSCI
Dean for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Professor of Medicine, Senior Vice President and Senior Associate
DEAR ESTEEMED GUESTS,
It is with great pride and heartfelt gratitude that I welcome you to the 25th Anniversary Gala celebration for the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance (MVA) Tonight, we celebrate a quarter-century of collaboration, community, and commitment to advancing health equity. From our founding in 1999, built on the pillars of mutual respect, trust, and shared purpose, the MVA has grown into a recognized leader in creating partnerships that enhance healthcare, research, and education.
This milestone would not be possible without the incredible dedication of our faculty, staff, students, and community partners from both Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Your unwavering support has helped the MVA achieve a lasting impact, not only on the institutions we serve but also on the broader Nashville and Middle Tennessee communities.
Stepping into the role of Executive Director in 2020, I was inspired by the deep legacy of excellence promoted and supported by the MVA. My vision has been to continue that legacy, fostering new collaborations and expanding our community engagement efforts to address the most pressing health challenges of our time. At the heart of our work is the belief that by coming together, we can build stronger, healthier communities through innovative research, inter-institutional partnerships, and a steadfast commitment to health equity.
As we look to the future, I am excited about the opportunities ahead. The MVA will continue to serve as a catalyst for transformative change, leveraging the unique strengths of our institutions and partners to address health disparities and improve access to high-quality care for all.
Thank you for joining us this evening and for being a part of our shared journey. Together, we are building a brighter, healthier future for the next 25 years and beyond.
Sincerely,
Karen M. Winkfield, MD, PhD
Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance TEAM
Karen M. Winkfield, MD, PhD, Executive Director
Jake Cabiao
Manager,
Kenya Collins Program Manager
FuquaMeadows Administrative Director
Rami Hussien Program Manager, Community Engagement & Faculty Affiliate Program
Audrey Martin Associate Program Manager
Ridinger
Thayer Program Manager,
Engagement & Communications
Meredith Smalls
Whitted,
Thank you to our generous SPONSORS
GALA SPONSORSHIP
SPONSOR LOGO
Pitiasperum qui ullabores modiscid que omnit ut dia nihilitatum es ex este volestia praeprae. Itasperovid
FRIENDS OF MEHARRY-VANDERBILT ALLIANCE
Meharry Medical College President’s Office
Meharry Medical College Dean’s Office, School of Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center President’s Office
Institute for Medicine and Public Health
Department of Radiation Oncology
Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center
Department of Biomedical Informatics
Safety Net Consortium of Middle Tennessee
25 Year Gala EVENING PROGRAM
6:00 PM COCKTAILS
6:45 PM DINNER
7:00 PM WELCOME
Master of Ceremony, Tuwanda Coleman-Shaw & Dr. Karen Winkfield, Executive Director, Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
7:15 PM ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SPONSORS
Tuwanda Coleman-Shaw
7:20 PM
MEHARRY-VANDERBILT
ALLIANCE PROCLAMATION
Mayor Freddie O’Connell, Mayor of Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
7:30 PM PRESENTATION OF PARTNERSHIP AWARDS
8:00 PM
CLOSING REMARKS
Dr. Karen Winkfield
8:15 PM TOAST
PASSED HORS D’OEUVRES
Maple Bacon Jam Cone with Boursin Cheese
Mini Cone, Boursin Cheese, Maple Bacon Jam
Shrimp & Grit Arancini
Andouille Cream Sauce
Sweet & Spicy Cauliflower Bite
Sesame Seeds, Green Onion
PLATED DINNER
PRE-SET SALAD
Baby Iceberg Wedge Salad
Grape Tomato, Cucumber, Bacon, Blue Cheese, Ranch Dressing
BREAD
Bread Basket
House Rolls, Focaccia, Herb Butter Rosettes
DUAL ENTRÉE
Grilled Verlasso Salmon
Maple Bourbon Glaze
Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine Demi-glace
SIDES
Roasted Asparagus and Baby Carrots
Smashed Red Bliss Potatoes
Sour Cream, Butter, Green Onion
VEGETARIAN OPTION
Grilled Eggplant Roulade
Chickpea & Spinach Stuffing, Moroccan Tomato
Relish, Harissa Roasted Potatoes, Chef’s Choice Vegetable
PASSED DESSERTS
“Old Fashioned Cocktail” Whoopie Pie
Chocolate Whoopie Pie, Orange Bourbon Cherry Cream Filling
Chocolate & Pecan Pie
Tart Petit Four
Bourbon Whipped Cream
Mini NY Cheesecake Brûlée Tart Raspberry
PARTNERSHIP AWARDS
THE MEHARRY-VANDERBILT-TSU
CANCER PARTNERSHIP AWARD
is one of the first initiatives supported by the MVA which began in 2000. It is one of the most successful and longest standing cancers research partnerships in the country focused on reducing cancer disparities and training racial and ethnic minorities in cancer research. The partnership, which expanded to include Tennessee State University in 2010.
MARGARET WHALEN received a B.S. in Chemistry from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and a Ph. D in Biochemistry from the University of New Mexico (UNM). She did postdoctoral work at Los Alamos National Laboratory and in the Department of Medicine at UNM. She came to Tennessee State University (TSU) in 1999 and is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry. She has been part of the MVTCP since the Fall of 2011 where she serves as Co-PI at TSU and directs educational programs that engage High School and Undergraduate students in cancer research. Her research examines the effects of selected environmental contaminants, that are found in human blood, on immune cell function. Her lab has shown that several of these contaminants are able to inappropriately elevate immune cell production of inflammatory proteins that lead to chronic inflammation, which is a contributing factor to a wide range of pathologies including cancer progression.
Margaret Whalen, PhD, Professor, Department of Chemistry, TSU
CFAR PARTNERSHIP AWARD
The TN Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) is a unique partnership between Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Meharry Medical College and Tennessee Department of Health. Its vision is to make a transformative impact locally, nationally and globally. Guided by this vision, its mission is to coordinate institutional and community resources, and focus efforts on high-priority targets to most effectively reduce the burden of HIV/AIDS.
DR. APRIL PETTIT is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She joined Vanderbilt in 2004 after earning her medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. Following her internal medicine residency and infectious diseases fellowship, as well as her Master of Public Health studies at Vanderbilt, she became a faculty member in 2011. At the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic, Dr. Pettit provides care for individuals living with HIV and leads a research program focused on enhancing HIV prevention and care outcomes. She has collaborated with faculty members at Meharry Medical College on several projects aimed at improving HIV prevention and testing services in Nashville and Memphis. Dr. Pettit values the partnership between Meharry and Vanderbilt, as well as Meharry’s mission to advance health equity by empowering diverse populations and improving community health.
April Petit, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Divisions of Infectious Diseases & Epidemiology, VUMC
IPE PARTNERSHIP AWARD
This inter-institutional, interprofessional education (IPE) program, led by the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, provides an opportunity for students from 11 disciplines to learn team-based skills in a real-world setting.
DR. CHRISTIAN KETEL is a Professor at the University of Alabama School of Nursing and the newly appointed Assistant Dean of Clinical and Community Partnerships. With over two decades of nursing experience, he focuses on improving healthcare access for underserved populations. Dr. Ketel cofounded the Clinic at Mercury Courts, a nationally recognized nurse-designed clinic providing interprofessional care to vulnerable patients in Nashville. He also directed the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance (MVA) Interprofessional and Inter-Institutional Student Collaborative from 2020 to 2024, advancing interprofessional education and collaboration. His leadership in creating a mobile COVID-19 vaccine program that reached over 10,000 individuals earned him national recognition from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Ketel teaches health systems leadership, health equity, and biomedical informatics principles in his academic role. His research and publications focus on health informatics, interprofessional education, and innovative care delivery models for medically underserved populations. Beyond academia, Dr. Ketel serves on boards such as Urban Housing Solutions and the Tennessee Healthcare Campaign, where he leads DEI and fundraising initiatives. A distinguished National Academies of Practice fellow and recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Award from Vanderbilt University, Dr. Ketel holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Vanderbilt and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He is certified in Lean Healthcare and the Community Resiliency Model.
Christian Ketel, DNP, RN-BC, FNAP, Former Co-Director of the MeharryVanderbilt Alliance Inter-Institutional Interpforessional Student Program, VUSN
THE MEHARRY-VANDERBILT
ALLIANCE LEGACY AWARD celebrates the achievements of the MVA for the past 25 years. This award recognized two members who have shown exemplary leadership, time, energy and commitment to both institutions, faculty, students, and staff for 25 years.
The Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance Legacy Award celebrates two awardees in 2024:
DR. ROBERT DITTUS, MD, MPH and DR. GEORGE C. HILL, PHD
ROBERT DITTUS, MD, MPH is the Albert and Bernard Werthan Professor of Medicine and Nursing at Vanderbilt University, Chief Innovation Officer and SVP of the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network and founding Director of both the VA TN Valley Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center and the VA Nashville Quality Scholars program. He has secured over $600 million in grant funding and authored over 275 publications. He has served as chief of general internal medicine, founding director of the Vanderbilt Center for Health Services Research and the Vanderbilt Institute for Medicine and Public Health, Associate Vice Chancellor and EVP for Public Health and Health Care, Senior Associate Dean for Population Health Sciences, co-program director of the Vanderbilt-Meharry CTSA and co-director of the VUMC learning healthcare system.
Dr. Robert Dittus, MD, MPH
Chief Innovation Officer & Senior Vice President, VHAN
Co-Director, Learning Healthcare System, VUMC
Albert and Bernard Werthan Chair in Medicine
Professor of Medicine and Nursing, VU
Director, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center
Director, Quality Scholars Program, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System
Dr. Dittus has been honored with the Distinguished Educator Award from the Association for Clinical and Translational Science, the David M. Worthen Career Achievement Award in Health Professions Education from the Veterans Administration, the Duncan Neuhauser Award for Curricular Innovation from the Academy for Healthcare Improvement, the Innovation with Distinction Award in Research Training and Education from the AAMC, and the VUMC Excellence in Mentoring Translational Scientists Award. He has served on numerous Boards and Advisory Councils. He received the Harvey Branscomb Distinguished Professor award from Vanderbilt University and distinguished alumni awards from Purdue University, Indiana University and UNC-Chapel Hill. He is an elected member of the Association of American Physicians.
GEORGE C. HILL, PHD is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Medical Education and Administration, and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. He was the Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine where he previously served as Associate Dean for Diversity in Medical Education. He became the first Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at Vanderbilt University.
Dr. Hill was part of the leadership team initiating the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance. He was a professor in Microbiology, and Vice President for Sponsored Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research at Meharry Medical College.
Dr. George C. Hill, PHD
Dr. Hill was elected to the Institute of Medicine, now the National Academy of Medicine, in 1998 and is also a Fellow of the Academy of Microbiology, Fellow of the AAAS for distinguished contributions to tropical diseases research, leadership as President of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and for fostering a diverse research and healthcare workforce.
He received the AAMC Herbert W. Nickens Award which is given annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to promoting justice in medical education and health care.
He obtained his B.S. from Rutgers University-Camden, M.S. from Howard University, and a Ph.D. from New York University and served as research fellow at the University of Cambridge, England and a Fulbright Scholar to University of Nairobi.
Dr. Hill has three children, Yvette, Kevin and Nicole; five grandchildren, Spencer, Isabelle, Tiassa, Allie, and Lewis; and one great grandson, Tatum.
THE MEHARRY-VANDERBILT COMMUNITY ENGAGED RESEARCH
CORE (CERC) which began in 2007 with a goal of bringing academic teams and community partners together to improve community health and healthcare through research. Over the years, CERC has become a national leader in community engaged research and has developed programs many other academic institutions have replicated. CERC’s innovative programming has helped prepare researchers and community members to develop transformative research and engage patients and community members whose voice are often unheard.
The Meharry-Vanderbilt Community Engaged Research Core (CERC) celebrates two awardees in 2024:
DR. LEAH ALEXANDER and RAYMOND MITCHELL, IV
Leah R. Alexander, PhD, MPH Director, MPH Program Chair, Department of Public Health School of Global Health
DR. LEAH ALEXANDER is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Health in the School of Global Health at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN. She received her undergraduate degree from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia and her graduate degrees (MPH, PhD) from the Ryals School of Public Health at the University of Alabama, Brimingham. She has 20+ years’ experience training public health students and conducting community engaged research research.
Dr. Alexander is an avid proponent of community-engaged research (CEnR). As such, she combines her academic expertise and lived experience with that of community partners to implement projects focused on eliminating health disparities. Her current funded projects address topics related to HIV prevention and PrEP awareness among African
American women and HBCU students (TN CFAR), health promotion in faith-based organizations (NIH), Public Interest Technology (New America Foundation), and maternal health equity (HRSA).
Dr. Alexander collaborates with numerous local CEnR efforts including the Meharry Community Engagement Core (MCEC) and the Meharry-Vanderbilt-Tennessee State University Cancer Partnership (MVTCP) and Meharry’s Diversity Center for Genome Research (DCGR).
Dr. Alexander is the founding Director of the HRSA-funded Maternal Health Equity Research Center at Meharry (MHERC). MHERC exists to increase the capacity of faculty, students, and community to improve maternal health equity through research, outreach, public health education and practice and outreach. The center intentionally focuses on mothers of color because black women in Tennessee are twice as likely to die during childbirth.
MR. RAYMOND MITCHELL IV began his academic career at Fisk University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management with a minor in Health Administration in 1994. He received a Master of Science in Public Health from Meharry Medical College in 1996. Mr. Mitchell has a broad array of health administration experience in governmental, private and the non-profit sectors. He began his career as an Administrative Fellow for the Veterans Health Administration Central Iowa Health Care System. Mr. Mitchell has served as the Clinic Administrator for the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church First Response Clinic where he secured HRSA funding to support the daily operations of
Mr. Raymond Mitchell, IV
the First Response Clinic that provided services for indigent patients living with HIV/AIDS. He also served as the Program Coordinator for the Meharry Medical College Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Wellness Program/ Metro Health Department Preconception Peer Educator Initiative. As Program Coordinator, Mr. Mitchell was responsible for developing and implementing programming to address health disparities in underserved communities across Tennessee through collaborative partnerships with the State’s HBCU. For 10 years, Mr. Mitchell served as the Director of Member Services and Workforce Strategies with the Tennessee Primary Care Association (TPCA) providing training and technical assistance in workforce development for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Tennessee. Currently, Ms. Mitchell works for American Health partners as a Senior Clinical Recruiter.
Mr. Mitchell is an active member of the Omicron Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and is supported by his loving wife of 22 years Mrs. Tselanie Stovall Mitchell.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
THE CLIFTON K. MEADOR COMMUNITY HEALTH LEADERSHIP
AWARD was named in his honor and given to an individual in the community whose leadership and accomplishments have contributed significantly to improving access to quality care for low-income, uninsured people in Nashville and the surrounding area.
Presented at CKM Lectureship on Nov. 13th
COMMITMENT TO STUDENT EXCELLENCE AWARD
This award honors faculty members whose dedication to students and strong commitment to teaching and mentoring are present through an interest group formed of their own volition, making a genuine contribution to student education outside of their home institution.
Presented at CKM Lectureship on Nov. 13th
Fonda Harris, PhD, Bureau Director of Population Health, Metropolitan Public Health Department
