Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, MSCI, is an internationally recognized physician-scientist in integrating social, cultural and environmental factors into clinical and translational research. She has pioneered efforts in the academic and clinical research enterprise and transformed approaches to clinical research design to engage interest holders and ensure their voices inform research design and implementation.  Dr. Wilkins has significantly contributed to the “science of recruitment,” by advancing innovative, community-informed, and culturally tailored strategies to enhance the recruitment and retention of various populations in clinical research. She is principal investigator on numerous prestigious, large-scale NIH research center awards and has published over 170 peer-reviewed publications on her research.  Dr. Wilkins is a tenured Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Senior Vice President and Senior Associate Dean for Community Health and Engagement, and Mildred Thornton Stahlman Chair in Rural Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  She earned a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and Doctor of Medicine from Howard University; completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Duke University Medical Center and a Geriatric Medicine fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine/Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Following her medical training, she earned a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation from Washington University School of Medicine.  Her transformative contributions to clinical and translational research continue to advance the field, ensuring that science is both rigorous and impactful for all populations.