Beacon of Hope

The Novartis US Foundation established the Beacon of Hope Initiative in 2021 as a long-term commitment to address health disparities through holistic community-based collective action.  At its founding, Meharry Medical College with the support of the Foundation will establish, maintain, and operate a Clinical Trial Center of Excellence.

The mission of the CTR-COE is to advance broad, holistic, and long-term measurable interventions aligned with the mission of the Meharry Medical College and conduct Good Clinical Practice (GCP) compliant clinical trials, publish resulting clinical trial data, train staff and build capacity for clinical trials to increase the participation of Black/African American communities and other communities of color. The COE will provide the resources necessary to facilitate such translational, community-based, and multi-center clinical research projects at Meharry. The COE will expand existing programs, nurture new investigators, and encourage use of services to conduct community-centric clinical studies and collect data in a safe and secure environment. The COE will cultivate the scientific skills of fellows and young investigators on the path to independent research.