Meharry SACS students Broderick Bellard, MSDS ’26, LaPorchia Davis, MSBD ’26, Justin Irick, Dyani Peterson, MSDS ’26, Grace Scanlan, India Scruggs and Brian Strong, MSDS ’26, are the 2026 National Institutes of Health (NIH) R25 Scholars.
During the 10-week program, scholars conduct hands-on research alongside faculty mentors from Meharry, Fisk and the Department of Bioinformatics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). Each participant received a $10,000 stipend and additional funding for summer housing.
Strong’s project, FACE, is a personalized health agent designed to elevate patient-provider communication.
“In one word, I would describe my research as transformative,” said Strong. “Because of this program, I now know that I can be a high-level data scientist as well as someone who can actually contribute.”
Participants have access to NIH resources and attend seminars and workshops at Meharry, Fisk and VUMC. Seminar topics include education and career pathways, research topics and methods, professional skills and the latest advances in biomedical data science.
Scruggs shared the value of learning how clinicians from several fields are improving patient care through AI and other technology.
“I have been exposed to clinical informatics and some of the different ways hospitals help to improve outcomes for patients,” said Scruggs. “Because of this program, I now know that I can have an impact on patients without having to go to medical school and become a doctor.”
The NIH R25 Scholars program is made possible through a grant awarded to Meharry, Fisk University and VUMC from the National Library of Medicine of the NIH. Meharry is the principal institution on the grant, making it the only HBCU to serve as lead on an NIH R25 grant.
