Morehouse School of Medicine

Morehouse issued a statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action which reads in part as follows: "The decision eliminates the consideration of race and ethnicity for admissions to colleges and universities and has the potential to significantly reduce the number of Black physicians and increase health inequity in underserved communities, some of which are health care deserts...The Court ignores hundreds of years of slavery, segregation, and other forms of discrimination that affected Black people and other minority groups, suggesting that students should be admitted to colleges based on their own merit...Morehouse School of Medicine uses a holistic admissions process to admit students who are aligned with our mission and considers grade point average and MCAT score as only 2 of 10 admission criteria. We have documented that with our approach, milieu of support, and role models, students whose credentials are judged by many schools as 'not ready' show unimpeded progression."

MSM's 2015-2020 Strategic Plan titled "Excellence Through Health Equity," states that it would "Develop innovative new curricula to advance the achievement of health equity."

On June 29, 2021, the school announced that its Satcher Health Leadership Institute "launched the first-of-its-kind Health Equity Tracker (HET) for the United States with support from Google.org..." The tracker "enables MSM to provide a detailed view of health outcomes by race, ethnicity, sex, and other critical factors with a health equity–first approach." The goal of the HET is to "help policymakers understand what resources and support communities need to be able to improve their outcomes on a range of health issues."

On Nov 3, 2021, the school reported that "Through new partnerships with the four HBCU medical schools, the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, the Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and the Morehouse School of Medicine, alongside the National Black Nurses Association and National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Abbott has dedicated $5 million to fund nearly 300 scholarships over the next five years to support the next generation of ethnically diverse nurses, doctors and researchers who will lead and support future clinical trials."

On July 27, 2022, the school's News Center reported that the "Morehouse School of Medicine is part of a new $10 million, Pharma-sponsored initiative called Equitable Breakthroughs in Medicine Development." The article goes on to state, "MSM doctors explain that some minorities are simply never asked to participate in clinical trials, or some groups may be reluctant, especially when they think about the Tuskegee experiment. But when Black and Brown people are not included in trials, it causes a huge disparity in research."

MSM's Office of Global Health Equity "was established in January 2018, as part of MSM's 2015-2020 strategic plan to broaden diversity in the healthcare, scientific and public health workforces and lead the next generation’s global health training and education."

In August 2024, MSM received a $175 million donation to its endowment from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative. The donation provides a "solid financial underpinning that will enable [MSM] to provide more support to its students and help the medical school continue to contribute to building a more diverse healthcare workforce." The donation marks the "largest gift given to a single Historically Black College and University."

Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and CommonSpirit Health joined for "a 10-year, $115 million partnership" for an initiative "to address the underlying causes of health equity, including underrepresentation of Black clinicians." According to MSM, "The partnership will lay the foundation for patients to have more access to Black clinicians and for Black medical students and graduates to gain community-based experience... Additionally, it will allow MSM to expand its enrollment - increasing the pipeline of students recruited from underserved and rural communities."

On September 19, 2022, the school's News Center reported that "Three fourth-year medical students at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) have been selected to participate" in the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative which is a "partnership between MSM, the National Football League (NFL), the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) and the Professional Football Athletic Trainer Society (PFATS) that will have students involved in a one-month clinical rotation."

MSM published its 2015-2020 Strategic Plan titled "Excellence Through Health Equity," which outlines its many goals and strategies for the school.

MSM's Neurology Residency Program states, "Our program is geared to increase diversity in the workforce and increase healthcare access and equity, while providing excellent neurological care for all."

First-year medical students at MSM take a Community Health Course that "trains first-year medical students to work with people of racial and ethnic minorities and economically and medically disadvantaged communities." The class covers health inequities and teaches that "racism is a major contributor to these inequities." Overall, the class is a year-long "competency-based course aimed at addressing the social determinants of health, particularly racism, through collaborations with communities of color."

MSM extended its “Excellence Through Health Equity” strategic plan through June 2023. The plan aims to "broaden diversity in the healthcare, scientific, and public health workforces" among other goals.

The school has several strategic initiatives centering around the advancement of health equity. Initiatives include "Rerouting the Pipeline: Black Males in Medicine" and "Rerouting the Pipeline: From Prison to Possibilities for Black Males."

In a new student orientation for the class of 2024, the Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs stated the mission of the school is “Improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities; increasing the diversity of the health professional and scientific workforce and addressing primary health care needs.... with emphasis on people of color and the underserved urban and rural populations across Georgia and the nation."