Department of Education Awards Meharry Medical College $2M for FutureTech Program

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 22, 2026)—Meharry Medical College's School of Applied Computational

Sciences (SACS) will soon develop three short-term certificates in AI, cybersecurity and bioinformatics thanks to a $ 2 million Department of Education grant—Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

The four-year grant funds the "Meharry FutureTech" program. This initiative will launch three 12 to 15 week, nine-credit-hour graduate certificates: AI and data analytics for health systems; cybersecurity for health and medical data; and bioinformatics and genomics data foundations.

"These online certificates will include advising, tutoring, and support for work-based and employer-mentored learning for each participant," said Dean Fortune S. Mhlanga, Ph.D., the grant's principal investigator. "Their coursework can also count toward one of our master's or doctoral programs should they wish to continue on that path."

The project aims to serve working adults eligible for Pell Grants, early-career professionals and those looking to switch careers or advance in health technology.

SACS will record employer skill requirements in a "FutureTech Skills Record" to ensure the curriculum meets long-term workforce demands. Additionally, the school will share a replication package with other HBCUs, MSIs and their partners to expand the grant's impact. The FutureTech program certificates will be led by Sajid Hussain, Ph.D., chair and professor of computer science and data science, Aize Cao, Ph.D., chair and professor of biomedical data science, Asmah Muallem, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science and data science, Firdous Kausar, Ph.D., assistant professor of cybersecurity, and Benu Bansai, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical data science.

ABOUT MEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE:

Meharry Medical College is a historically Black academic health sciences center founded in 1876 that trains qualified physicians, scientists and dentists from every demographic to heal underserved communities. Meharry educates its students in the school's nearly 150-year heritage of healing the whole person and advancing public health. True to its heritage, it is a United Methodist Church-related institution. Diverse Issues in Higher Education's ranking of institutions annually lists Meharry as a leading national educator of African Americans with M.D. and D.D.S. degrees and Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences. Learn more about Meharry at www.meharry.edu

Team Photo: Drs. Mhlanga, Hussain, Kausar, Muallem, and Bansal.

Provided by Meharry Medical College