TriStar Health announces HCA Healthcare’s $600,000 gift to Meharry Medical College

TriStar Health, an affiliate of HCA Healthcare, announced today that we will give $600,000 to Meharry Medical College to support paid internship and scholarship opportunities over four years for graduate students in the School of Applied Computational Sciences (SACS). This investment is part of HCA Healthcare’s $10 million pledge to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).

Meharry Medical College is one of the nation’s oldest and largest historically Black academic health science centers. In addition to a medical school, Meharry Medical College is home to a dental school, graduate school and applied computational sciences school. Founded in 2021, Meharry’s SACS offers both M.S. and Ph.D. Data Science and Biomedical Data Science degrees.

“It is a pleasure to work with Meharry Medical College, a long-standing and respected institution here in Nashville, to provide opportunities for young professionals to explore fulfilling careers in healthcare and data science,” said Sherri Neal, chief diversity officer of HCA Healthcare. 

This gift will support paid internships annually for students in Meharry’s SACS. Students in good standing will be recommended by SACS faculty for internships in HCA Healthcare’s Information Technology Group (ITG). The gift will also be used to provide scholarships for students enrolled in Meharry’s SACS graduate data science degree programs. Both scholars and interns will have access to recruiting events, year-round leadership development opportunities and guest lectures.

“I meet so many bright students from diverse backgrounds whose only barrier to improving health care through data is affording their degree,” said Fortune S. Mhlanga, Ph.D., dean of the School of Applied Computational Sciences. “This scholarship and internship support from a global leader in health care will launch talented students into successful careers.”

HCA Healthcare and TriStar Health have a long-standing relationship, with many Meharry students going on to practice at TriStar Health hospitals. Members of HCA Healthcare leadership have also served on Meharry’s Board of Trustees. In addition, TriStar Health hosts Meharry medical students during their third-year clerkships at TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center for family medicine and TriStar Skyline Medical Center for emergency medicine.

HCA Healthcare has a history of partnering with higher education institutions across the country to help strengthen the diversity of the organization’s talent pipeline. Included among these partnerships:

• $500,000 to Nova Southeastern University to help establish a clinical simulation lab in support of their new nurse anesthesiology program
• $650,000 to Savannah State University to support a paid internship program for students pursuing a master’s degree in social work
• $200,000 to St. Mary’s University to support their Greehey School of Business
• $620,000 to the University of California, Riverside (UCR) to support scholarships for students in the UCR School of Medicine
• $1.5 million to Tennessee State University (TSU) to create scholarship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate school students pursuing careers in healthcare and computer science
• $1.5 million to Fisk University to support scholarships for students pursuing healthcare careers and a dual degree with Galen College of Nursing
• $750,000 to The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) to create multiple graduate-degree opportunities for students interested in healthcare administration careers
• $1.5 million to Florida International University’s (FIU) Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences (NWCNHS) to expand its faculty, offer scholarships to increase enrollment and help address the national nursing shortage
• $1.5 million investment in Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) School of Allied Health Sciences to strengthen students’ pathways from undergraduate to graduate to management careers in the healthcare industry

About HCA Healthcare’s TriStar Health:

TriStar Health is one of the largest and most comprehensive healthcare providers in the region, comprised of ten hospitals, 21 imaging centers, 93 physician offices, five freestanding ERs, eight outpatient surgery centers, 21 CareNow® Urgent Care centers and ten medical parks. TriStar Health utilizes advances in clinical technology and innovative procedures while delivering high-quality care. The TriStar Health network had over 900,000 encounters last year, including 478,000 ER visits, 93,000 inpatient admissions and 8,000 babies delivered. The network is supported by over 2,400 physicians and 10,000 employees – including more than 2,800 nurses – who, above all else, are committed to the care and improvement of human life. TriStar Health is an affiliate of HCA Healthcare, one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services. Learn more at TriStarHealth.com.