INDIANAPOLIS, May 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lilly
USA, LLC will partner with
Washington University School of
Medicine and Meharry Medical College on
a unique summer research program designed to expand diversity in
research to reduce minority health disparities and fuel innovative
health care solutions. Lilly (NYSE: LLY) and the two medical
schools jointly announced this partnership today.
The medical schools have partnered on this program since 2011;
this year, Lilly is joining that collaboration. The goal is to
increase participation of underrepresented minorities in academic
medicine through mentored research experiences. Through the
program, Meharry medical students experience the research
environment at top-ranked Washington
University School of Medicine.
To date, 46 medical students have participated in the program,
and eight students will take part this summer. Lilly USA, which is the U.S. affiliate of Eli Lilly
and Company, along with the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
will assist student participation through education grants.
A partnership committed to diversity
"Lilly is always
looking for great initiatives to support and reinforce our
commitment to diversity," said Yolanda
Johnson-Moton, director of external relations for Lilly's
U.S. Medical Division. "This partnership fits with Lilly's
commitment to more effectively develop medicines, to reduce
minority health disparities, and to achieve stronger overall public
health."
"This program offers Meharry students the chance to conduct
cutting-edge research with the School of Medicine's physicians and
scientists," said Koong-Nah Chung,
Ph.D., Washington University's School
of Medicine's associate dean for medical student research.
"Students also develop long-term connections with our faculty,
establish themselves in the pipeline for residency programs, and
position themselves for NIH training grants."
Added Digna S. Forbes, M.D.,
associate professor and associate dean for Medical Education at
Meharry Medical College, "We view our
students' participation in this collaboration as a highly
productive experience. The summer research program will help expand
their capabilities while providing an opportunity to explore
additional career options."
To learn more
Based in Nashville, Tenn.,
Meharry Medical College is one of the
nation's oldest and largest historically black academic health
science centers dedicated to training physicians to provide quality
care with a focus on serving the nation's underserved and most
vulnerable populations.
Here are more details about the program's partners:
Meharry Medical
College
Meharry Medical
College is the nation's largest private, independent
historically black institution dedicated solely to educating health
science professionals. Since its founding in 1876 in Nashville, it has been a leading educator of
African-American physicians, dentists and biomedical scientists. As
one of the nation's top producers of primary care physicians, more
than 80 percent of medical and dental alumni return to underserved
communities to provide health care to those most in need. To learn
more, visit https://www.mmc.edu/.
Washington University School of
Medicine
Washington University
School of Medicine's 2,100 employees and volunteer faculty
physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St.
Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine, located in
St. Louis, is one of the leading
medical research, teaching and patient-care institutions in the
nation. It is currently ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News
& World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish
and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is
linked to BJC HealthCare. To learn more, visit
https://medicine.wustl.edu/.
Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global health care
leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for
people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by
a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real
needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work.
Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring
life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the
understanding and management of disease, and give back to
communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more
about Lilly, visit us at www.lilly.com and
newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels. C-LLY
Refer to: (317) 354-7045; taylor_mark_e@lilly.com –
Mark Taylor, Eli Lilly and
Company
(615)
327-6851; jcaldwell@mmc.edu – Janet
Caldwell, Meharry Medical College
(314)
750-4213; martinju@wustl.edu – Judy
Finch, Washington U. School of Medicine
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SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company