Preparing for the Meharry Medical College School of Medicine interview

Succeeding in your interview at Meharry Medical College School of Medicine involves having a solid grasp of Tennessee’s unique healthcare context, awareness of essential health policies on both the state and national levels, and an understanding of key social and medical issues affecting the community and the country. 

This resource is designed to give you valuable knowledge and strategies so you can present well-informed, thoughtful answers that highlight your commitment to a career in medicine and your intention to make a lasting, positive impact on the populations you hope to serve.

1. The Meharry Interview: Structure, Themes, and Hidden Agendas

Meharry uses a traditional, mission-focused interview format with two 30-minute one-on-one sessions (faculty and/or community physicians). 

Key details:

• Open-File Interviews: Interviewers review your entire application, probing experiences in underserved settings. Example: “Walk us through your work at [specific clinic/organization]. How did it shape your view of health equity?”

• Scenario-Based Ethics: Situational questions like, “How would you advocate for a patient denied care due to insurance status?”

• Themes:

  1. Mission Alignment: Meharry’s founding mission to train Black physicians and serve vulnerable populations.

  2. Community Resilience: 72% of Meharry grads work in underserved areas; expect questions about your commitment to rural/urban Tennessee.

  3. Structural Competency: Understanding how policies like Medicaid non-expansion disproportionately impact communities of color.

Insider Tip: Meharry’s interviewers often ask, “Why Nashville?”—be ready to link local health gaps (e.g., North Nashville’s 15-year life expectancy disparity) to your goals. shemmassianconsulting.com

2. Tennessee’s Healthcare Policy: Volunteer State Paradoxes

1. Medicaid Non-Expansion & the Coverage Chasm

Tennessee remains one of 10 states rejecting ACA Medicaid expansion, leaving 300,000+ low-income residents uninsured. Meharry’s Sickle Cell Center addresses this gap by offering sliding-scale care in ZIP codes like 37208 (56% Black, 28% uninsured).

2. Rural Hospital Collapse

14 rural hospitals have closed since 2010—the South’s highest rate. Meharry’s Rural Health Initiative deploys mobile clinics to counties like Haywood, where ER wait times average 5 hours.

3. Opioid Settlement Reinvestment

Tennessee is allocating $600M from opioid lawsuits. Meharry partners with Nashville’s Recovery Court to provide MAT (medication-assisted treatment) for Davidson County’s 12,000+ recovery patients.

Tip: Name-drop Meharry’s Center for Health Policy when discussing systemic fixes. Example: “I’d expand Dr. Veronica Mallett’s telehealth model for prenatal care in Fayette County.”

3. Current Events & Social Issues: The Tennessee Lens

Local Flashpoints

• Maternal Mortality: Black women in Tennessee die at 2.6x the rate of white women. Meharry’s Maternal Health Equity Project trains doulas in Memphis’s Orange Mound neighborhood, reducing C-sections by 19%.

• Mental Health Crisis: Tennessee ranks 45th in mental health access. Meharry’s H.O.P.E. Clinic provides free counseling in North Nashville schools, where 45% of students report anxiety.

• Environmental Racism: South Nashville’s predominantly Black Wedgewood-Houston area faces toxic landfill leaks. Meharry’s Environmental Justice Lab maps cancer clusters linked to industrial zoning.

National Issues with Tennessee Stakes

• Abortion Access: Tennessee’s near-total ban (triggered post-Dobbs) increased maternal ER visits by 33%. Meharry OB-GYNs lead research on delayed ectopic pregnancy care.

• Immigrant Health: Nashville’s Kurdish population (largest U.S. enclave) faces 40% uninsured rates. Meharry’s Center for HIV Health Equity offers bilingual PrEP services in Antioch.

Tip: Cite Meharry’s Salt Wagon Clinic for unhoused populations when discussing harm reduction strategies. medschoolcoach.com

4. The 5 Questions Meharry Medical College School of Medicine is most likely to ask during your medical school interview

1. “How does your life’s mission align with Meharry’s commitment to underserved communities?”

2. “Tennessee hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Design a community-led solution for Memphis’s uninsured.”

3. “Describe a time you advocated for someone facing systemic barriers. What did you learn?”

4. “Nashville’s Black infant mortality rate is 14.3 per 1,000. Propose an intervention.”

5. “How should medical schools address racism as a public health crisis?”