Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Institute
Preparing Students in Medicine & Dentistry
The Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Institute, established by the Tennessee State University, is an accelerated medical program. It is designed to recruit, train and prepare students for careers in medicine and dentistry. The Accelerated Pathway Programs enable students to complete their undergraduate studies in three years instead of four while becoming fully prepared for the rigorous road ahead in medical school. Upon graduation with a B.S. degree in biology from TSU, students will matriculate to Meharry Medical
College, or a medical school of their choice, to earn M.D. or D.D.S. degrees.
The Institute is comprised of these five components:
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Meharry/TSU Medical/Dental Accelerated Pathway Program
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Healthcare Scholars Accelerated Pathway Program
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Society
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Lecture Series
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Endowed Scholarship.
Recent Highlights
STUDENT HIGHLIGHT
CEREMONY SPEAKER
About the Institute
The Institute is named for a most distinguished graduate of the University, Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. who became an outstanding physician, as a heart surgeon. He performed the first surgery to implant an automated cardioverter-defibrillator in a human patient in 1980. This surgery was a game changer in the field of cardiology. The device is still the first-line of treatment and prophylactic therapy for patients at risk for sudden cardiac death due to ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia.
Dr. Watkins, Jr. was also a champion of racial equality and diversity. He worked to increase diversity at Johns Hopkins Medical School. Four years after joining its admission committee in 1979, minority representation rose by 400 percent. Dr. Watkins, Jr. blazed the trail for underrepresented minorities in medical education. He led efforts to address racial disparities and advance health equity for medically underserved communities in the United States and around the world.
“Service and joy; as you keep that in your heart, in your pulse, equity and opportunity will be easy.”
-Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr.
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