Morehouse School of Medicine is a medical school in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Founded originally as a part of Morehouse College in 1975 during the tenure of college president Hugh M. Gloster, with Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. as dean, The School of Medicine at Morehouse College began as a two year program in the basic sciences. The first students were admitted in 1978 and transferred to other medical schools for the clinical years of their training.
The institution became independent from Morehouse College in 1981, with Dr. Sullivan as President, and was fully accredited to award M.D. degrees in 1985. Initially, third year clinical courses were taught by faculty from Emory University's School of Medicine, but since 1990 the school has taught them itself. In 1989 Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) President Sullivan was appointed United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and served until 1993 in the administration of President George H.W. Bush.
Former US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher assumed the role of interim president in addition to being the director of the National Center for Primary Care which is located at the Morehouse School of Medicine. Later he was named as a full president.
On February 28, 2006 Morehouse School of Medicine announced the appointment of John E. Maupin Jr., D.D.S. as the institution's next president. Dr. Maupin departed from his position of president at Meharry Medical College.
Valerie Montgomery Rice, M.D. was named the sixth president of Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and the first woman to lead the free-standing medical institution in July 2014. In addition to president, she also retains the deanship. Dr. Montgomery Rice is a renowned infertility specialist and researcher, and most recently served as dean and executive vice president of MSM, where she served since 2011. In this role, she led MSM’s widespread academic and clinical programs in health sciences and led its strategic planning initiatives for patient care, research and community engagement.
In 2006 MSM admitted 53 students to its M.D. program making it the largest class since the school's inception.
On February 3, 2009, Eric Holder, then-vice chairman of MSM's board of trustees, was confirmed as U.S. Attorney General.
On July 13, 2009, President Obama nominated Morehouse School of Medicine Trustee Dr. Regina Benjamin as U.S. Surgeon General. Benjamin's nomination and subsequent confirmation marks the second time a MSM trustee held a high-profile position with the Obama administration.
A 2010 study ranked MSM as the number one medical school in the country in the terms of social mission. The social mission score used in the study evaluated schools on percentage of graduates who practice primary care, work in health professional shortage areas, and are underrepresented minorities.
President | Tenure (years) |
Louis W. Sullivan | 1981 – 1989 |
James A. Goodman | 1989 – 1992 |
Louis W. Sullivan | 1993 – 2002 |
James Gavin III | 2002 – 2004 |
David Satcher | 2004 – 2006 |
John Maupin | 2006 – 2014 |
Valerie Montgomery-Rice | 2014 – present |