Poland to guide Meharry research
Russell Poland, Ph.D., has been named vice president for Research at Meharry Medical College.
Russell Poland, Ph.D.
Poland's aim is to take the Meharry research enterprise to the next level.
“I am looking forward to supporting and growing the research enterprise for all the schools at Meharry,” said Poland. “Meharry has a unique history and has a research focus I am interested in — health disparities.
“My background fits very well with Meharry's aspirations. I would like to make Meharry a national leader, if not a global leader, in health disparities research.”
Prior to joining Meharry, Poland served as president of Texas Health Research and Education Institute and senior vice president of Texas Health Resources, both in Arlington, Texas.
His career and success in biomedical sciences research will serve as a great resource for future endeavors at Meharry, said Gordon Bernard, M.D., assistant vice-chancellor for Research at Vanderbilt Medical Center and a member of the search committee.
“I was delighted to see such an experienced and accomplished pharmacologist take over as vice president for Research for Meharry,” said Bernard.
Lee Limbird, Ph.D., professor of Cardiovascular Biology at Meharry, agrees that Poland's background will serve both Meharry and Vanderbilt research projects.
“I'm so delighted he is here because so much research that forges new discoveries occurs across disciplines, across departments and across the schools. It is nice to have someone whose primary concern is to assure that those discussions happen and that the necessary infrastructure for success is in place,” Limbird said.
Poland earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1979 after receiving his A.B. in bacteriology from the University of California, Berkeley.