The NIH R25 Scholars program enhances the curriculums at Meharry School of Applied Computational Sciences (SACS) and Fisk with a meaningful summer research experience. From 2023 to 2028, scholars representing both institutions will participate in 10 weeks of summer training and research. They will have access to NIH resources, faculty mentorship, and training with Meharry SACS, the Fisk University School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the Department of Biomedical Informatics at VUMC. 

The summer program will involve research and mentoring, training in technical and professional skills for the summer research activities, and a summer seminar series.  Seminars include education and career pathways, research topics and methods, professional skills and the latest advances in biomedical data science. 

Our purpose is clear: to prepare students from a variety of backgrounds for success in biomedical data science and bioinformatics through strong academic and professional training.

Leading biomedical data science research 

The partnering institutions for the NIH R25 Scholars program combine excellence in biomedical data science and bioinformatics with a passion for addressing health disparities. Fisk and Meharry are HBCUs with a high proportion of students who are typically not fount in biomedical informatics and biomedical data science classes. VUMC provides substantial expertise in successful summer research experiences through the Vanderbilt Biomedical Informatics Summer Program. Each institution is in Nashville, Tenn., and enjoys a history of successful collaborations.