Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin to Serve as Morehouse School of Medicine’s Commencement Speaker
Dr. Benjamin is an MSM alumna, having been a member of the institution’s second charter class.
Dr. Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA
18th United States Surgeon General
ATLANTA, GA – MAY 13, 2025 – Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is proud to announce that Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, 18th United States Surgeon General, will deliver the keynote address at MSM’s 41st Commencement Exercises, which will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Benjamin back to MSM as our Commencement Speaker,” said MSM President and CEO Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG. “Dr. Benjamin has a historic connection to Morehouse School of Medicine, having been a member of our second charter class when we were a two-year medical education program. As MSM celebrates our 50th anniversary, it is fitting that Dr. Benjamin joins us to share her wisdom with our graduates."
Dr. Benjamin earned her B.S. degree in chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana and after completing the MSM basic medical sciences program, she went on to receive her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and completed Family Medicine Residency in Macon GA. Dr. Benjamin then returned to her home state of Alabama, where she founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic which provides primary health care to patients regardless of their ability to pay.
From 2009 to 2013, Dr. Benjamin served as the 18th U.S. Surgeon General, providing the public with the best scientific information available to improve the health of the nation. Dr. Benjamin also oversaw the operational command of 6,500 uniformed public health officers who serve in locations around the world to promote and protect the health of the American people.
Dr. Benjamin specializes in prevention policies and health promotion concerning obesity heart disease, stroke, and tobacco use. She has special interest in rural health care, health disparities, suicide, violence, mental health, breastfeeding, and care for the poor.
Dr. Benjamin is a member of the Institute of Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. She was chosen as a Kellogg National Fellow and Rockefeller Next Generation Leader and has received numerous awards, including the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights, the NAACP Chairman’s Award, a MacArthur Genius Award Fellowship, and the Papal honor Pro Ecclesia et Ponticifice from Pope Benedict XVI.
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 to achieve health justice. 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 and Media Relations
Morehouse School of Medicine
jbradfield@msm.edu