Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, HS’96–’99, has been named a recipient of a 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award by the Duke Medical Alumni Association in recognition of her visionary leadership, transformative community-engaged research, and national impact on advancing health equity.
As senior vice president and senior associate dean for community health and engagement at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and as the Mildred Thornton Stahlman Chair in Rural Health, Wilkins has redefined how academic medicine engages with communities to advance equitable, person‑centered science.
An internationally recognized physician‑scientist and tenured professor of medicine, Wilkins has transformed how social, cultural, and environmental factors are integrated into clinical and translational research. She has led more than $150 million in federally funded studies and shaped national standards for stakeholder engagement, clinical trial design, and inclusive research participation. Her leadership in the NIH All of Us Research Program and the Trial Innovation Network established enduring frameworks for embedding participant voices into governance, design, and implementation.
Wilkins developed the widely adopted Community Engagement Studio model, revolutionizing how researchers partner with patients and communities. As associate director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, she has advanced the “science of recruitment,” creating culturally tailored, community‑informed approaches that have strengthened research participation across diverse populations. With more than 170 peer‑reviewed publications, her scholarship is considered foundational in trust‑building, data sharing, and equitable research practice.
Her national contributions have been recognized with election to the National Academy of Medicine in 2020, where she now serves as Section 12 vice chair. She is also a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, which honored her with the Louis W. Sullivan, MD, Award in 2025. She has served on numerous NIH advisory committees and national boards shaping the future of translational science.
A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Wilkins has supported hundreds of trainees and faculty — particularly those from historically excluded communities. She spearheaded Vanderbilt’s Certificate in Health Equity, now a national model for training clinician‑leaders committed to equity and excellence. Her career reflects a steadfast commitment to ensuring that biomedical research is rigorous, inclusive, and meaningful for all populations.