About the President and Dean

Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice

Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice provides a valuable combination of experience at the highest levels of patient care and medical research, as well as organizational management and public health policy in to her role as president and dean of Morehouse School of Medicine. These assets make her an invaluable strategist, influencer and community partner.

Dr. Montgomery Rice is the sixth president of Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and the first woman to lead the free-standing medical institution. In addition to president, she will also retain the deanship. Dr. Montgomery Rice is a renowned infertility specialist and researcher, and most recently served as dean and executive vice president of MSM, where she served since 2011. In this role, she led MSM's widespread academic and clinical programs in health sciences and led its strategic planning initiatives for patient care, research and community engagement.

Dr. Montgomery Rice is the founder and former director of the Center for Women's Health Research at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., where she also served as dean of the School of Medicine and senior vice president of health affairs. The Center for Women's Health Research is one of the nation's first research centers devoted to studying diseases that disproportionately impact women of color. Prior to joining Meharry Medical College, Dr. Montgomery Rice held numerous administrative and faculty appointments at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Her dedication to health care research, preventative care and mentoring are manifested in every aspect of her work and life. As such, she has been honored with membership in the following: National Institute of Minority Health and Disparities and Office of Women's Health/National Institutes of Health (NIH) council (2013-); Society for Women's Health Research board (2012-) and the executive committee (2013); March of Dimes board (2012-); Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans Administrative board (2012-); FDA Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs (2011-); American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, board examiner (2007-); Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (2006-); President's Commission on White House Fellowships Regional Panelist Selection Committee (2010); Every Life Matters, Every Dollar Counts Campaign chair, National AIDS Fund board of trustees (2009-2010); National Aids Fund board of trustees (2007-2011), Wal-Mart Healthcare Insights Panel chair (2007-2010); and Wal-Mart External Advisory Board (2006-2008).

Dr. Montgomery Rice has been instrumental in generating multimillion dollar research grants and has received numerous accolades, including the National Coalition of 100 Black Women — Women of Impact (2014); YWCA — Women of Achievement (Atlanta-2014 and Nashville-2007); National Medical Association's President's Citation Award (2013); American Medical Women's Association Elizabeth Blackwell Medal (2011); Working Mother Media Multicultural Women's Legacy Award (2011); Maternal Infant Health Outreach Program Award (2009-2010); Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker (MIHOW) Mentorship Award (2009) and The Links, Inc. Portia Searcy Award (2007).

A Georgia native, Dr. Montgomery Rice holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Emory University School of Medicine and her fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Hutzel Hospital in Detroit, Mich. She also completed the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program at Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Penn.