MSM to Raise More than $225 Million in Support of Students, Programs, and Facilities
“IMPACT: The World Needs What We Do Best” is the historically Black institution’s first capital campaign in its 45-year history.
ATLANTA (MAY 19, 2021) – Morehouse School of Medicine today announced plans to raise $225 million to support scholarships, programs, facilities, research, clinical innovation, and community service as part of the historically Black institution’s first-ever comprehensive capital campaign, “IMPACT: The World Needs What We Do Best.”
The fundraising plan includes a $75-million endowment to help alleviate the significant debt burden that Morehouse School of Medicine’s students typically face. That debt can hamstring their dreams of practicing in primary care and underserved communities and risks exacerbating the nationwide shortage of Black physicians. This is a significant issue, given that studies show that Black patients — who are much more likely to die from COVID-19, heart disease, and other conditions — tend to fare better when treated by Black doctors.
“We are on a mission to change the world, a mission that is more important now than ever before, as America makes its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic and attempts to address social injustice,”
- MSM President and Dean, Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD
“We are on a mission to change the world, a mission that is more important now than ever before, as America makes its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic and attempts to address social injustice,” said President Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD. “These problems have a disproportionately negative impact on disadvantaged communities. We at Morehouse School of Medicine are working to change that. But we can’t do it without support.”
“Morehouse School of Medicine is one of the leading educators of Black physicians
in the country, with an attrition rate far lower than that experienced at white-majority
medical schools,” said David Abney, campaign co-chair and former chairman and chief
executive officer of UPS Inc. “MSM understands its students and that they tend to
come from more challenging socioeconomic backgrounds and carry higher levels of debt
than their peers. MSM knows how to nurture these students and help them succeed to
graduation.”
For more than 45 years Morehouse School of Medicine has been a leader in educating
the medical professionals the nation needs most — those dedicated to primary care
and to serving the underserved. Indeed, about 66 percent of MSM’s graduates go on
to practice in primary care and 72 percent plan to work in a primarily underserved
area.
“Our students are some of the best in the world, and time and time again they put
aside financial considerations to take on lower-paying jobs in underserved communities,”
said Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement Bennie L. Harris, PhD. “They
really believe in MSM’s mission and vision, and they carry it through into their careers
and their communities.”
This work has not gone unnoticed — MSM twice bested other medical schools for its
commitment to the social mission of medical education — and has recently attracted
attention and significant funding from such sources as the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
“Morehouse School of Medicine’s work does not just affect one slice of the population,” said Larry Renfro, campaign co-chair, vice chairman of UnitedHealth Group, and founding and managing partner of Optum Ventures. “Health inequity costs our economy billions of dollars in excess healthcare expenditures, lost productivity, emergency room visits, hospital stays, and chronic illnesses. This radiates beyond individual communities. Premiums go up, and the healthcare system suffers. A lot of medical schools acknowledge these problems. Morehouse School of Medicine is leading the way toward real solutions.”
To view the video announcement of the IMPACT campaign, please visit https://msmimpact.org/announcement/. For more information, please visit www.msmimpact.org.
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 www.msm.edu or call 404-752-1500.
Media Contact
Nicole V. Linton
404-756-5238
nlinton@msm.edu