Meharry Medical College CEO and leadership

Dr. Wayne Riley is the President of the State University of New York (SUNY), Downstate Health Sciences University where he also holds academic rank as Professor of Internal Medicine and of Health Policy & Management. Dr. Riley is a Commissioner of the U.S. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Chair of the Board of Directors of the New York Academy of Medicine, President Emeritus of the 150,000-member American College of Physicians, which is the nation’s largest medical specialty organization, and an elected member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine. From January 2007 until July 2013, Dr. Riley was the 10th President and Chief Executive Officer of Meharry Medical College. Prior, he served as a corporate officer and member of the senior management team as the Vice-President and Vice Dean for Health Affairs and Governmental Relations and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Lamel Bandy-Neal are a Senior VP:Finance/CFO at Meharry Medical College.

Sandra A Williams is a Chief of Staff/Dir:Title III Admin at Meharry Medical College.

Behind every successful university president was someone keeping that president on top of things. Meet Carina Qualls.

As the former chief of staff to the first female president and CEO of Meharry Medical College, Carina acted as a liaison to other departments and assisted offices for the three schools on campus to orchestrate “anything the president needs implemented.” This was her second administration at Meharry; she started work as an executive secretary to the predecessor.

Now as a Legal Specialist in the General Counsel’s office of the College, she is exploring a field that had always been of interest to her, the Immigration system. “Working as the responsible officer handling foreign national visas, the immediate responsibility is quite different than before. My perspective has broadened and believe it or not, as amazing as we feel America is, the U.S. of A., about half of the foreign nationals I interview and process, decide to return to their home country to continue their research or work, even with an option to stay.”

Carina continues to share that “And knowing they have had a meaningful Meharry experience, a Nashville experience, an American experience, to take back to their country, is all I hope. I want to see that whatever was gained from their experience is used for the betterment of other worlds, sometimes third worlds, and most often the underserved. That mirrors our motto and mission for students and all that walk across Meharry’s campus.”

“The caliber of individuals you come in contact with is remarkable and if you continue to network, you become one of the remarkables yourself!”

Makeya Jenkins is a GPR Chief Resident at Meharry Medical College and is based in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.