Mission
The mission of Meharry’s Office for Research and Innovation (OfRI) is to empower all Meharry investigators in their efforts to conduct micro and macro scales of inquiry on the continuum of basic to clinical sciences as well as policy matters. The OfRI provides strategic direction by identifying the priority areas of emerging research as well as fostering transformative academic entrepreneurship, collaborative research, and innovation. Our mission aligns with Meharry’s vision as a global academic health sciences center that advances health equity through innovative research and evidence-based leadership.
Leadership
Dr. Anil Shanker is the Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at Meharry Medical College and a tenured Professor of Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, Neuroscience, and Pharmacology. He serves as the Institutional Signing Official and the executive liaison to the Meharry Medical College Board of Trustees for matters related to research and innovation. A distinguished scientist and educator, Dr. Shanker pioneered research on thymic development of self-tumor antigen-reactive T cells and established the role of CD8 T lymphocytes in enhancing natural killer cell functions within solid tumors.
At Meharry Medical College, he has transformed the research landscape, spearheading initiatives like the NIH AIM-AHEAD Consortium for health equity in AI/ML, the NHGRI Consortium of Diversity Centers for Genome Research, the Beacon of Hope program—supported by partners like Novartis and Sanofi—and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Accelerate Precision Health program. He co-developed an international initiative, Together for CHANGETM (T4C), a multi-million-dollar partnership between Meharry Medical College, a biopharma consortium of Regeneron, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and Roche, and the Diaspora Human Genomics Institute founded by Meharry Medical College. This initiative is designed to enhance the number of underrepresented students in STEM professions while addressing gaps in genetic information for African ancestry populations. Dr. Shanker serves on the Board of Directors of the Diaspora Human Genomics Institute, which governs the T4C initiative. Under his leadership, Meharry’s health disparities research portfolio has grown remarkably.
Dr. Shanker has revamped graduate curricula and mentored >100 students from diverse underrepresented backgrounds to achieve academic success. Recognized globally, his honors include being an Overseas Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (UK), a Fellow of the International Union Against Cancer, a Champion of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, and a steering member of the American Association of Medical Colleges Group on Research Advancement and Development as well as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Health Sciences Policy Board. Dr. Shanker is deeply committed to nurturing young talents, fostering inter-institutional transdisciplinary collaborations, and eliminating healthcare disparities.
Objectives
- Advance a conceptual realignment of research
- Organize transdisciplinary research clusters
- Build a physical, technological, and computational infrastructure that is conducive to transdisciplinary research and innovation
- Define scientific, analytic, and administrative structures that enhance performance and excellence of the research clusters
- Maintain a robust institutional research portfolio via faculty recruitment and retention in the research clusters
- Promote career development and productivity of researchers by assisting with the development of their research projects and grant applications
- Assure the integrity of research processes and compliance with regulatory policies
- Forge strategic partnerships with institutional, state, federal, and corporate bodies to bolster funding from non-traditional sources
- Enhance the intellectual property ecosystem at Meharry
