NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fisk University, one of the nation’s historically black colleges and the oldest institution of higher learning in Nashville, Tennessee, and HCA Healthcare, a leading healthcare provider with 184 hospitals and approximately 2,000 sites of care in 21 states and the United Kingdom, today announced the creation of HCA Healthcare Scholars at Fisk University, a partnership designed to enhance opportunities for Fisk University students.
The HCA Healthcare Scholars at Fisk University program will create scholarships and internship opportunities for high-achieving Fisk University students. In addition, HCA Healthcare will provide guest lecturers to inform and prepare students who may be considering a career in healthcare. To fund the scholars program, HCA Healthcare has committed $1 million over the next four years.
“We are excited to strengthen our relationship with Fisk University by providing valuable educational opportunities for Fisk students,” said Sam Hazen, HCA Healthcare chief executive officer. “Our partnership, through the scholars program, demonstrates our continued efforts in developing a diverse pipeline of top talent right here in the city of Nashville.”
The scholars program, which launched this summer, supports students studying in a variety of academic areas including business, computer science, biology and psychology.
“Fisk is deeply committed to the success of its graduates and this partnership with HCA Healthcare will provide invaluable exposure and experience for our students,” said Fisk University President Kevin Rome.
HCA Healthcare values the diverse backgrounds of its patients, physicians and colleagues and is committed to providing exceptional care that is built on a foundation of inclusion, compassion, dignity and respect.
“We are excited to launch this new program as part of our continued commitment to diversity and inclusion,” said Sherri Neal, HCA Healthcare’s vice president of cultural development and inclusion. “The goal of the scholars program is to cultivate Fisk students throughout their studies by complementing their academic abilities with professional development experiences at HCA Healthcare.”
About Fisk University
Founded in 1866, Fisk University is a private, liberal arts university located in Nashville, Tennessee. Consistently recognized for its brand of academic excellence, Fisk is ranked No. 6 on the Top 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report. Fisk ranked No. 1 in the nation among HBCUs for social mobility and No. 3 in the nation among small liberal arts colleges for research expenditures in the 2018 Washington Monthly rankings. Fisk University’s focus has always been on student success and outcomes. Fisk excels at preparing its highly motivated student body for prosperous professional careers and elite graduate schools. From the classroom to the boardroom, a Fisk education gives students the tools to turn their passions into careers and prepare them to make a difference in their own lives, communities, and around the world. To learn more about Fisk University, please visit www.fisk.edu.
About HCA Healthcare
Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services, comprising 184 hospitals and approximately 2,000 sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 21 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44 percent. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system that uses its more than 31 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives. Please click here to connect with HCA Healthcare on social media.
