Meharry Medical College was founded in 1876 in Nashville to teach medicine to former enslaved Africans. Now a scientist in one of its labs says he is close to testing an antiviral for coronavirus, the disease ravaging many African American communities.
He hopes to have the anti-viral treatment created in the next two weeks. It will then move on to clinical trials and, if successful, be approved by the Food and Drug Administration within a “few months.”
“I have been pushing for pre-emptive screening with health officials going into the underserved communities to start testing because that would be a way to get in front of it with the most vulnerable public,” Hildreth said. “If you have pre-existing auto-immune disease and the other stated health issues, the outcomes are much more severe. Those are exactly what we have in our communities. The burden of the disease is so much higher.
Meharry is able to bridge the lack-of-trust factor that permeates the black community because of its long-standing reputation as a go-to place for black residents seeking talented black doctors. The school set up a Mobile Health Unit, where students, faculty and staff of Meharry went door-to-door to do health and wellness checks, and offer complimentary care where needed.There are many examples: At Stanford University, Meharry graduate Dr. Italo Brown works on the front lines of the COVID-19 response in California, serving mostly black and brown patients.
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