OREANDA-NEWS. May 19, 2016. 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.