Morehouse School of Medicine Receives $1 Million Investment from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to Advance Medical Education
[Atlanta, GA] — Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) announced today that it has received a $1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to strengthen medical education and the nation’s healthcare system. This investment is part of RWJF’s $7.5 million commitment to Historically Black College and University (HBCU) medical schools, recognizing their leadership and innovation play an essential role in building a healthcare system that works for all communities.
This grant aligns with RWJF’s commitment to build a diverse healthcare workforce that mirrors the communities it serves. Funding support will strengthen MSM’s existing pathway and leadership development programming within the Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) and the Office of Educational Outreach and Health Careers (EOHC), all designed to diversify the health professions workforce. These programs reach learners from the primary educational level to the professional level. They promote career options across the health professions and foster stronger leadership skills to empower career growth. By expanding these programs, the institution will further its mission to train multidisciplinary health professionals who are highly skilled, community-rooted, and equipped to meet the nation’s most urgent health needs.
“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s investment underscores the transformative impact that partnerships can have on advancing equity in medical education,” said Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG, President and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine. “Together, we are expanding opportunities for students, strengthening pathways into medicine, and ensuring that every community—especially those with limited resources—has access to high-quality, compassionate care.”
HBCU medical schools play a critical role in building the nation’s health workforce. Despite representing a small fraction of U.S. medical schools, HBCUs produce 70% of Black physicians. HBCU graduates are more likely to provide care in medically underserved urban and rural communities and to conduct research on health disparities—helping to close critical gaps in access and improve health outcomes across the country.
“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is proud to support Morehouse School of Medicine’s commitment to student success and teaching excellence,” said Lauren Smith, MD, MPH, Vice President of Strategic Portfolios. “HBCU medical schools like MSM have long been engines of opportunity, educating the majority of America’s Black doctors and dentists. The leadership of these institutions is vital to building a more accessible healthcare system that is accountable to communities and treats all people with dignity and respect.”
With RWJF’s support, Morehouse School of Medicine will continue to strengthen pathways into medicine, and deliver innovations that ensure care is accessible, fair, and community-centered. This investment not only affirms the school’s national leadership but also accelerates a vision of a healthcare workforce that is prepared to serve every community’s unique needs.
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.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
RWJF is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. To get there, we must work to dismantle structural racism and other barriers to health. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, we work side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to achieve health equity fast and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
Media Contact
Jamille Bradfield
Director, External Communications and Media Relations
Morehouse School of Medicine
jbradfield@msm.edu | (404) 756-8951