Professional Bio
Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, MSCI, is an internationally recognized physician-scientist and a leader in integrating social, cultural, and environmental factors into clinical and translational research. She is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and has revolutionized the academic and clinical research landscape by embedding participant and community engagement into every aspect of biomedical discovery. A pioneer in her field, Dr. Wilkins has reshaped clinical research design to prioritize involvement of people most impacted by poor health.
Dr. Wilkins is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Society for Clinical Investigation. She has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and is the principal investigator (PI) on numerous prestigious, large-scale NIH research center awards including: the Southeast Collaborative for Innovative Solutions to Chronic Disease, Catalyzing and Harmonizing Operational Innovation for Recruitment (a national Recruitment Innovation Center), and the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.
Previously, Dr. Wilkins served as the inaugural Director of the Engagement Core for the All of Us Research Program, a key component of the Precision Medicine Initiative. In this role, she oversaw initiatives to meaningfully engage participants in the governance, oversight, implementation, and dissemination of the program. Her research portfolio also includes serving as PI of the Vanderbilt-Miami-Meharry Center of Excellence in Precision Medicine and Population Health, PI of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation award focused on building and measuring trust in healthcare among African American men, as well as a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) award aimed at improving patient engagement and assessing its impact on research.
Before joining VUMC in 2012, Dr. Wilkins was an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, with secondary appointments in Psychiatry and Surgery (Public Health Sciences). She was the founding director of the Center for Community Health and Partnerships within the Institute for Public Health, co-director of the Center for Community-Engaged Research in the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program, and director of “Our Community, Our Health,” a collaborative initiative with St. Louis University designed to disseminate culturally relevant health information and foster community–academic partnerships.
Dr. Wilkins’ transformative contributions to clinical and translational research continue to advance the field, ensuring that science is both rigorous and impactful for all people.
Relevant Links
Publications
Education
MD - Howard University, 1996
Residency - Internal Medicine - Duke University, 1999
Fellowship - Geriatric Medicine - Washington University in St. Louis, 2000
MSCI - Washington University in St. Louis, 2002
Contact
Email
Kimryn.Rathmell@Vumc.Org
Address
777 Preston Research Building
2220 Pierce Ave
Nashville, TN 37232-6307