About Us

Our Story

The Meharry Medical College (MMC), Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), and Tennessee State University (TSU) Cancer Partnership (MVTCP) is the longest-standing U54 Comprehensive Partnership to Advance Cancer Health (CPACH) in the United States. For over 20 years, this collaborative partnership has provided a robust infrastructure to address and overcome cancer disparities, while expanding research opportunities, recruitment, training, and outreach.

Our Institutions

These three institutions are geographically located within a five-mile radius in Metropolitan Nashville, a region of the country with the highest cancer mortality rates, among the highest breast cancer mortality rates in non-Hispanic Blacks, and among the highest incidence of lung cancer in the United States.

Each partner institution offers the others collaborative access to facilities, resources, expertise, and special populations.

  • Access to patients for cancer disparities research
  • Training opportunities for students and early-stage investigators
  • Infrastructure and space for the MMC components of the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and Translational Pathology Shared Resource Cores
  • Access to the only Biochemistry and Cancer Biology PhD training program in any Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the US
  • Membership and access to VICC-supported Shared Resources for MVTCP faculty as well as other resources such as the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR)
  • Full access to Vanderbilt graduate courses for MMC and TSU students
  • Infrastructure and space for Vanderbilt components of the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core and Translational Pathology Core
  • Senior cancer researchers involved in mentorship of trainees, faculty career development activities and cancer disparities research collaborations
  • Experience and expertise in reaching populations through culturally appropriate and sensitive interventions and population-based research
  • Training opportunities for students and career development support for junior faculty
  • Infrastructure and space for the Community Outreach Core
  • Division of Research and Sponsored Programs services in pre- and post-award support, mentorship and information technology

Source: Pal T, Suiter SV, Moses HL, Smoot DT, Richmond A, Tiriveedhi V, Whalen MM, Adunyah SE. The Meharry-Vanderbilt-Tennessee State University Cancer Partnership (MVTCP): History and Highlights of 20 Years of Accomplishments. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2022;33(1):419-436. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2022.0032. PMID: 35153231; PMCID: PMC9319115.