Valerie Montgomery Rice of Morehouse School of Medicine Celebrates 10 Years as President.
Under Dr. Montgomery Rice’s leadership, student enrollment has surged and efforts toward health equity in Atlanta have advanced significantly.
Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice of Morehouse School of Medicine is celebrating her 10th year as president of the Atlanta-based medical school
The Georgia native is the sixth president and the first woman to lead the private historically Black medical school, which separated from Morehouse College and became independent in 1981. In a special feature by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, featured in MSM News, students and faculty praised the renowned infertility specialist and researcher for her impactful contributions as she joined returning and new students at a welcome celebration.
Under Montgomery Rice’s leadership, MSM enrollment has seen a vast influx in students since her inaugural year, when the school only enrolled 56 students compared to the boost of 100 students each year and an estimated 225 over the next decade. “She’s got a big presence here,” said first-year student Justin Barthel. “She’s highly regarded, highly respected, and she chose to be here.”
At Morehouse School of Medicine, her role extends beyond training the next generation of Black doctors; she is dedicated to tackling broader healthcare disparities. “It’s not just about who we educate and train, but how we prepare healthcare professionals to understand patients holistically,” Montgomery Rice explained. “We also need to place these healthcare resources in communities where they are more accessible—near where people live, work, play, and pray.” Her initiatives include addressing the health crisis caused by the closure of two Atlanta Medical Center locations, which impacted many low-income residents of color.
Known as the “masterful fundraiser” by MSM faculty, the MSM president was recognized for securing a $175 million donation this summer from Michael R. Bloomberg’s philanthropic initiative. This follows a 2020 gift of $26.3 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative to support HBCU students. Gianluca Tosini, the school’s chief scientific research officer, praised the president for her skill in obtaining crucial resources and framing complex research projects within the larger mission of health equity and justice. In 2015, the school also received a donation from baseball legend Hank Aaron and his wife Billye Suber Aaron, who admired Montgomery Rice’s commitment to realizing her vision for the school.
Before becoming president of Morehouse School of Medicine, Montgomery Rice was the dean and executive vice president of the medical school. Prior to her role at MSM, she served as a faculty member at various health centers. She also founded the Center for Women’s Health Research at Meharry Medical College, the nation’s first research center focused on diseases predominantly affecting women of color. Her numerous accolades include the Horatio Alger Award, being named one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians, the Dean Griffin Community Service Award from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Girls Inc. 2019 Smart Award, the National Medical Association OB/GYN 2019 Legend of the Section Award, the American Medical Women’s Association Elizabeth Blackwell Medal, and the Working Mother Media Multicultural Women’s Legacy Award, among others.
As Montgomery Rice begins another year leading the Atlanta medical institution, she remains committed to training more Black doctors and placing them in high-need areas such as primary care and pediatrics.
