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	Roberta Flack, Yolanda Adams Featured in Second Annual Benefit Concert for Meharry Center for Women's Health Research
	17 FEB 06 -- Grammy-winning songstress Roberta Flack and gospel extraordinaire Yolanda Adams and will share the stage April 7 at the 2006 Benefit Concert for Women's Health, a supporting the Center for Women's Health Research at Meharry Medical College. The concert starts at 8 p.m. at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium. The concert's presenting sponsor is Cummins-Fleetguard. Nashville-based Cummins-Fleetguard, is the leading worldwide designer, manufacturer and distributor of filtration, exhaust systems, chemical additives and coolant for diesel and gasoline powered equipment. Fleetguard is a wholly owned subsidiary of Indiana-based Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI) and is one of its seven strategic business units. "Cummins-Fleetguard is proud to serve as the presenting sponsor for the Second Annual Benefit Concert of Meharry's Center for Women's Health Research," said Pamela Carter, President. "As a company, one of our core values is supporting the communities, and this is a cause we truly believe in. The team of brilliant medical professionals at the new Center is on the cutting edge of protecting women's health. The groundbreaking research supported by proceeds from this concert is vital to empowering women to take control of their health. The impact will be far-reaching for families, the workplace and society at large." Scheduled to open this fall, the Center for Women's Health Research at Meharry began its five-year, $9 million fund-raising campaign last year with the inaugural benefit concert featuring three-time Grammy winning jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves. The center is establishing itself as a nationally recognized research center with a primary focus on women of color. It will consolidate biomedical and behavioral research, utilizing interdisciplinary approaches while expanding global awareness and clinical responsiveness to women's health research. The annual benefit concert plays a critical role in raising awareness of women's health issues and stimulating funding for Meharry's new research center. All proceeds from the concert directly support the center and its mission to eliminate disparities in women's health. "Roberta Flack and Yolanda Adams reflect in their music everything the Center for Women's Health Research is about: awareness, empowerment and self-reflection," said Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, director of the Center for Women's Health Research and chair of Meharry's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "The positive and uplifting impact Ms. Flack and Ms. Adams bring to the world musically is the same impact the Center for Women's Health Research intends to make in health care for women of color." Flack is an internationally acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning recording artist and performer. Her debut album, "First Take," was released in 1969, but her career took off in 1972 when Clint Eastwood picked Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" for the LP of his film, "Play Misty for Me." In March 1973, Flack won three Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for the hit, "First Time Ever," and Best Top Vocal by a Duo for "Where Is the Love," which she performed with Donny Hathaway. She is the host of her own weekly, two- hour syndicated radio program, "Brunch with Roberta Flack." In her stirring Elektra debut "Mountain High . . . Valley Low," Grammy nominee Yolanda Adams was able to bring both her inspirational vision and wide-range of influences to an audience hungry for spiritual fruit. Since her 1988 debut, the acclaimed and uplifting "Just As I Am," Adams has been wowing gospel audiences all over the world. In 1999, Adams' "Mountain High … Valley Low" album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. Her solid church background and love of all kinds of music left her with a respect for traditional musical hues, as well as a desire for more contemporary interpretation. Construction is currently under way on the Center for Women's Health Research at Meharry, which will be located on the fifth floor of the Meharry Clinics, adjoining Nashville General Hospital at Meharry. It will occupy 10,000 square feet of space, equipped with research facilities, state-of-the-art exercise facilities, spa-like dressing rooms, patient rooms, conference areas and more. It is scheduled to open in fall 2006. Meharry Medical College is the nation's largest private, independent historically black institution dedicated solely to educating health science professionals. The College is particularly well known for its uniquely nurturing, highly effective educational programs; preeminence in health disparities research; culturally sensitive, evidence-based health services; and significant contribution to the diversity of the nation's health professions workforce. Black 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.