Dr. Valerie Montgomery-Rice begins era as 1st woman president of Morehouse School of Medicine

Two things get Dr. Montgomery-Rice’s adrenaline surging, along with that extraordinary inner drive which operates like a heat-seeking missile that won’t stop until it successfully reaches its target:
(1) New beginnings, because they represent excitement born from new and unknown possibilities and, (2) crashing through barriers to do things that very few others, if any, have done before.
Those rare qualities coupled with her obvious high intellect, makes it apropos for Montgomery-Rice to become the first ever black female to lead one of the nation’s most prestigious free-standing medical schools when, on Sept. 11 she officially became the sixth president in the storied history of the Morehouse School of Medicine.
Several dignitaries and renown individuals including: Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal; Atlanta’s former mayor, Ambassador Andrew Young; Georgia Tech President George P. “Bud” Petersen; Dr. Vivian Pinn of Women’s Health Advocates & Voices; Association of American Medical Colleges President Dr. Darrell Kirch, and CaroMonth Health’s Dr. Ramada Smith, brought greetings to a packed audience of more than 1,500 in the famed Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel on the campus of Morehouse College. MSM past presidents Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, Dr. David Satcher, and Dr. John E. Maupin Jr., also participated in the historic event to welcome the eminent academician into the Morehouse fold of leaders.
“I am excited about this new chapter not only for me, but for this great institution of Morehouse School of Medicine,” said Dr. Montgomery-Rice. “The community has joined me in support of our students with investments to the Presidential Scholarship Fund.  Our talented students are working to become the next generation of health care leaders and these scholarships help them reach those goals.”
“A presidential inauguration is a major occasion in the life of an institution of higher learning,” said Anthony Welters, J.D., Chair of the MSM Board of Trustees. “It is an especially significant time for us as we proudly recognize Dr. Montgomery Rice for her past contributions to MSM and confirm our confidence in her vision to continue to position the school as a national leader in medical education.
“Its sort of celebrating the beginning of a new era. There are new challenges and new opportunities facing us in this country and in the world. So we are celebrating a new president who so reflects the mission of this institution.