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Former CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry to Deliver Keynote Address at Morehouse School of Medicine Commencement

MSM's Fifth Winter Commencement Will Take Place December 12 in the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College.

ATLANTA, GA – (December 1, 2025) – Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) today announced that nationally recognized physician and public health leader, Dr. Debra Houry, will deliver the keynote address at the institution’s fifth Winter Commencement exercises at 9 a.m. EST on December 12, 2025, in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College.

A board-certified emergency physician, Dr. Houry served as Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she oversaw nine national centers and the Office of Science with a combined budget of more than $6 billion. She also served as Acting Principal Deputy Director, the agency’s most senior leader after the CDC Director, where she co-led the Moving Forward initiative—restructuring CDC’s 12,000 staff and $8 billion budget to strengthen preparedness, data and laboratory systems.

“We are so pleased that Dr. Houry has agreed to be our speaker for the 2025 Winter Commencement,” said Morehouse School of Medicine President and CEO Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice. “With more than two decades of experience guiding health care and public health strategy, she brings a unique perspective on frontline health care and a proven ability to lead complex organizations that our graduates will certainly benefit from as they begin their own medical careers.”

Previously, as Director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Dr. Houry guided dramatic growth in resources and impact, advancing national strategies on opioid use, suicide prevention and mental health. Earlier in her career, she was the Vice Chair for Research in Emergency Medicine at Emory University, where she built the department into the top NIH-funded emergency medicine program in the country.

An elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Houry has been recognized with numerous honors including the American Medical Association Award for Outstanding Government Service, Atlanta Business Chronicle Public Healthcare Hero Award, and American Public Health Association Jay Drotman Award.

She received her B.S. from Emory University, her M.D. and M.P.H. from Tulane University, and completed her emergency medicine residency at Denver Health Medical Center.

For more information about Morehouse School of Medicine, please visit MSM.edu.

About Morehouse School of Medicine

Founded in 1975, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is among the nation's leading educators of primary care physicians, biomedical scientists, and public health professionals. An independent and private historically-Black medical school, MSM was recognized by the Annals of Internal Medicine as the nation's number one medical school in fulfilling a social mission — the creation and advancement of health equity. MSM faculty and alumni are noted for excellence in teaching, research, and public policy, as well as exceptional patient care. MSM is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctoral and master's degrees. To learn more about programs and donate today, please visit MSM.edu or call 404-752-1500.

Contact

Jamille Bradfield
Director, External Communications,
Media Relations & Crisis Communications
Morehouse School of Medicine
404-756-8951 office
214-335-4472 mobile
jbradfield@msm.edu