09-06-2025
Meharry Medical College to expand into Memphis, partners with Mississippi Boulevard church
Meharry Medical College is set to expand into Memphis with a new medical training facility.
The historically Black, Nashville-based medical school announced the formation of its 'Office of Memphis Programs' at a ribbon-cutting on June 9. The new program will be housed on the planned 23-acre mixed-use campus of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in the Medical District and will support students during clinical training.
'I see this as a wonderful opportunity to turn the tide on and bring about better health care outcomes in the city of Memphis,' said Rev. Jason Turner of Mississippi Boulevard church.
The expansion is part of Meharry's long-term goal of building a second campus in Memphis, said CEO and president James Hildreth. The college often has to send students to hospitals out of state because major hospitals in Nashville have commitments to training students from other schools.
'One of the things that the branch campus in Memphis will do for us is to allow us to have two major training sites and not have to send our students to so many places,' he said.
The new facility will feature classrooms, faculty offices and a student lounge. The quality of education will be the same as at the main campus in Nashville, Hildreth said, but it will lay the foundation for a branch campus and keep medical students in Tennessee.
Memphis has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the country and struggles with obesity and diabetes, Hildreth said. He said Meharry plans to focus on the burden of chronic diseases in the city.
'Memphis is a place where we can have a huge impact,' Hildreth said.
In April, Meharry acquired four medical clinics in Memphis.
A Meharry alumnus, Dr. Joseph Walker, founded Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in 1921. He was its first pastor.
'It's serendipitous that their Office of Memphis Programs would be housed in the church that he founded 104 years ago,' Turner said.
Jack Armstrong covers breaking news and the environment for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at and followed on X @jca2902.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Meharry Medical College part of Mississippi Boulevard Memphis expansion
