Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice on improving healthcare with the next generation of Morehouse doctors

Morehouse School of Medicine students review school curriculum. (Courtesy of Morehouse School of Medicine)

The Morehouse School of Medicine is one of only four historically Black medical institutions across the country. The school has grown since being founded in 1975 and was recently named as a Maternal Health Center of Excellence by the National Institutes of Health.

At the school’s helm is President and CEO Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice. She spoke with “Closer Look with Rose Scott” on the school’s campus about her journey into the medical field, how she’s guiding students and what she hopes to accomplish with the Morehouse School of Medicine.

Among her goals: improving healthcare for women.

“Women make most of the decisions in the family when it comes to healthcare,” said Montgomery Rice. “So, if you can care for women and put them on a track for self-care, that extends to the whole family.”

Montgomery Rice also discussed the need to diversify the healthcare workforce and her concerns after WellStar closed two medical centers, which left neighborhoods in East Point and near Midtown without an easily accessible hospital.