By Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College announced this week that the School of Applied Computational Sciences has received a $1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to strengthen medical education and the nation’s health care system. This investment is part of RWJF’s $7.5 million commitment to medical schools at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU), recognizing their leadership and innovation as essential to building a health care system that works for all communities.
Credit: Meta (Facebook) / Meharry Medical College
This grant will enable Meharry to advance its leadership in pioneering tech-enabled equity through computational sciences. Through its new initiative, Advanced Reality for Health Equity and Education, Meharry will integrate augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies and other advanced innovations into dental education, community partnerships, and interdisciplinary collaboration. This work will further the College’s mission to train physicians and health professionals who are highly skilled, community-rooted and equipped to meet the nation’s most urgent health needs.
“RWJF’s partnership enables us to accelerate innovation in medical education while addressing health disparities head-on,” said Dr. Juan A. McGruder, Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Meharry Medical College. “This investment reflects confidence in Meharry’s mission and expands our ability to cultivate institutions of belonging where all students, especially students of color, can thrive.”
“As an HBCU with research driven by AI and data science, our school is uniquely positioned to address health disparities,” says Dean Fortune Mhlanga, Ph.D. “By harnessing VR/AR/MR technologies, we can create immersive learning experiences that not only enhance medical training but also empower communities with knowledge and tools to improve health outcomes.”
HBCU medical schools play a critical role in building the nation’s health workforce. Despite representing a small fraction of U.S. medical schools, HBCUs produce 70 percent of Black physicians. Graduates of these institutions are more likely to provide care in medically underserved urban and rural communities and to conduct research on health disparities—helping to close critical gaps in access and improve health outcomes across the country.
“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is proud to support HBCU medical schools, which not only prepare diverse health professionals but also graduate doctors who are more likely to practice in underserved communities,” said Lauren Smith, MD, MPH, Vice President of RWJF’s Strategic Portfolios. “These institutions have long been pillars of excellence, cultivating environments where students of diverse backgrounds thrive and advancing health equity for all communities. By investing in HBCUs’ leadership and innovation, we are affirming that a health care workforce reflecting the diversity of our nation strengthens care, transforms systems, and improves outcomes for everyone.”
“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is proud to support Meharry Medical College’s commitment to student success and teaching excellence,” Smith continued. “HBCU medical schools like Meharry have long been engines of opportunity, educating the majority of America’s Black doctors and dentists. The leadership of these institutions is vital to building a more accessible health care system that is accountable to communities and treats all people with dignity and respect.”
With RWJF’s support, Meharry will continue to strengthen pathways into medicine and deliver innovations that ensure care is accessible, fair, and community-centered. This investment not only affirms Meharry’s national leadership but also accelerates its vision of a health care workforce that is prepared to serve every community’s unique needs.
About Meharry Medical College
Founded in 1876, Meharry Medical College is one of the nation’s oldest and largest historically Black academic health science centers. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Meharry is dedicated to educating physicians, dentists, researchers, and health professionals committed to serving the underserved. With a legacy of excellence in health equity, community engagement, and innovation, Meharry continues to advance its mission of improving the well-being of all people—especially those from historically marginalized populations.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. To get there, we must work to dismantle structural racism and other barriers to health. Through funding, convening, advocacy and evidence-building, RWJF works side-by-side with communities, practitioners and institutions to achieve health equity fast and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.