The UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery will welcome a student from Meharry Medical College for a clinical rotation as part of an agreement to contribute to Meharry’s clinical curriculum.

The program will begin with a single Meharry Medical College student, who will participate in a one-week clinical rotation. The hope is to grow this collaboration in the near future so that several students at once might join clinical rotations across various departments within the UAB School of Medicine.

In addition to guiding onsite student learning, faculty across UAB School of Medicine will also visit the school to talk about their area of expertise, once the COVID-19 outbreak is contained. This ongoing partnership program between UAB and the Meharry Medical College is championed by UAB School of Medicine Dean Selwyn Vickers, M.D., who encourages diversity within each department of the school.

Meharry Medical College, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the nation’s oldest and largest historically black academic health science centers. The mission of Meharry Medical College includes, “empathy for the disadvantaged, education in the health sciences, and maintenance of a center of excellence for the practice and delivery of health care.”

As part of this partnership, UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Professor and Chair Steven Theiss, M.D., and Professor Will Brabston, M.D., will serve as adjunct faculty at Meharry Medical College. Both are delighted to host students and have the opportunity to speak at the institution.

“We believe in championing diversity and inclusion within our department, and we were thankful to have had this opportunity arise to support the Meharry Medical College,” said Theiss. “It is a wonderful institution, and I’m confident that the department will benefit greatly from this program.”