Historical Perspective
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) was established in 1975 as The Medical Education Program at Morehouse College. In 1981, MSM became independent of Morehouse College. Originally a two-year educational program in the basic medical sciences, MSM now confers the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), the Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences (Ph.D.), the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (P.A.), the Master of Administration in Justice-Involved Care (M.A.J.I.C.), the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), the Master of Science in Biomedical Research (M.S.B.R.), the Master of Science in Clinical Research (M.S.C.R.), and the Master of Science in Medical Sciences (M.S.M.S.), Master of Science in Neuroscience (M.S.N.S.), Master of Science in Biotechnology (M.S.B.T.), and the Master of Science in Health Informatics (M.S.H.I) degrees, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.
The school’s history is a unique one. In 1973, Morehouse College received a federal grant to study the feasibility of developing a two-year program to train students for careers as primary care physicians who would work in medically underserved areas among minority and poor populations. The study revealed a severe shortage of black and other minority physicians in Georgia as well as a shortage of physicians for the rural and inner cities of the nation. To address the critical health manpower needs of the citizens of Georgia and those who reside in medically underserved areas of the nation, the National Medical Association endorsed the development of a new medical school at Morehouse College.
Other organizations, including the Georgia State Medical Association, the Medical Association of Georgia, the Georgia General Assembly, and the Carnegie Council also supported the development of a new medical school at the college. Morehouse College accepted the challenge.
The Charter class of twenty-four students entered a two-year basic sciences program in September, 1978. Those students and the subsequent two classes transferred to other schools of medicine elsewhere in the country to complete their clinical medical training. In July 1981, the School received authorization to begin planning for expansion to a four-year, degree-granting institution. In February 1982, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) gave authorization to proceed with plans to award the Doctor of Medicine degree in May, 1985. In the summer of 1983, third-year medical students began clinical rotations at Grady Memorial Hospital in cooperation with the Emory University School of Medicine. In April 1985, the LCME granted the School full accreditation to award the M.D. degree. The first class of M.D. students trained by Morehouse School of Medicine graduated on May 17, 1985.
In the summer of 1992, the first four students entered the Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences Program. The first students were enrolled in the Master of Public Health Program in 1995.
Beginning in August 1990, MSM assumed full responsibility for teaching third year students in Family Medicine, Surgery, and Psychiatry. MSM then assumed full responsibility for the third-year medicine clerkship in June 1991, and assumed responsibility for Obstetrics/Gynecology in 1993. The Pediatrics clerkship was taught by MSM for the first time in the fall of 1997.
Graduate Medical Education at Morehouse School of Medicine began in 1981 when the Family Medicine residency program received its initial accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Today, this program has 18 approved residency positions. In 1986, the Public Health and Preventive Medicine (PHPM) residency program received its initial accreditation. This two-year program offers residents the opportunity to integrate a practicum with academic work towards the Master of Public Health degree. The PHPM residency has 8 approved positions. The school’s third residency program, Psychiatry, was accredited in 1990 and received its inaugural class of residents in July 1991. Today the Psychiatry residency program has 20 approved positions. The school’s largest residency program is Internal Medicine with 85 approved positions. The Internal Medicine residency program was accredited in 1991. The General Surgery program was accredited in 1993, is a five-year residency program with 21 approved residency positions. In 1996, the Obstetrics and Gynecology residency program was accredited and currently has 20 approved positions. The Pediatrics residency program received its initial accreditation in 2000, welcomed its inaugural class in July 2001, and has 22 approved residency positions. The newest residency program at Morehouse is Neurology. The four-year program received its initial accreditation in 2022, the first class began in July 2023, and has 12 approved positions.
Along with the above-mentioned residency programs, Morehouse has four ACGME-accredited fellowship programs. In 2016, the Cardiovascular Disease fellowship program received its initial accreditation and has 9 approved fellowship positions. Soon after, in 2017, the Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) fellowship was accredited and has 6 approved positions. The third fellowship program, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, was accredited in 2019 and approved for 6 positions. Our newest fellowship program, Gastroenterology, received its initial accreditation in 2023 and expects to receive its inaugural class in July 2025. The Gastroenterology fellowship has 6 approved positions.
The Morehouse School of Medicine GME also sponsors 4 residency programs outside the state of Georgia through the partnership with CommonSpirit Health. The programs are Internal Medicine at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital and St Vincents’ Hospital at Hot springs. The two-Family Medicine Programs at California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles and Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz. In addition, Morehouse School of Medicine recently got approved for a Transitional Year residency program at Hot Springs St. Vincents’ Hospital. This brings the number of ACGME accredited programs sponsored by Morehouse School of Medicine to 17.
Beginning in Fall of 2025, Morehouse School of Medicine will begin graduate nursing education. The Doctor of Nursing Practice featuring innovative population foci in Leadership & Community Engagement, Nurse Midwifery and Family Nurse Practitioner will begin initial preaccreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) and Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Morehouse School of Medicine is the newest member of the Atlanta University Center. The Center is a consortium of four independent institutions that constitutes the largest predominantly black private educational complex in the world. Members of the Atlanta University Center are:
- Clark Atlanta University – a university established in 1988 by the merger of Atlanta University, an institution established in 1865 that became exclusively a graduate school in 1929, and Clark
- College, an undergraduate institution established in 1869
- Morehouse College - a liberal arts college for men established in 1867
- Morehouse School of Medicine – founded in 1975
- Spelman College - a liberal arts college for women established in 1881
Two additional institutions are no longer an official part of the Atlanta University Center that are still part of the fabric of the AUC experience due to their proximity to the consortium:
- The Interdenominational Theological Center – chartered in 1958 as a theological consortium formed by four independent seminaries
- Morris Brown College – founded in 1881
Accreditation
Accreditation is a process by which institutions and programs voluntarily undergo an extensive peer evaluation of their compliance with accepted standards for educational quality.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. The Commission’s mission is the enhancement of education quality throughout the region and the improvement of the effectiveness of institutions by ensuring that they meet standards established by the higher education community that address the needs of society and students. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among the diverse population institutions.
Morehouse School of Medicine is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award masters and doctorate degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Morehouse School of Medicine may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Being granted accreditation by SACSCOC means that Morehouse School of Medicine:
A. has a mission appropriate to higher education,
B. has resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that mission, and
C. maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers, and that indicate whether it is successful in achieving its stated objectives.
MSM is also accredited by specialized accrediting agencies for its health professions and graduate medical education programs. The accreditation status, approvals, and certifications of Morehouse School of Medicine are based upon the school’s status at the time of publishing of the Handbook. Accreditations, approvals and certifications are subject to review and modification from time to time.
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is an accrediting body for educational programs at schools of medicine in the United States and Canada. The LCME is sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association. The LCME has been delegated the authority to accredit U.S. medical schools by the U.S. Department of Education. MSM is also certified by the Department of Education of the State of Georgia to award the M.D. degree.
Morehouse School of Medicine is fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), a body of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). In the 2021 review by LCME, MSM received another period of eight years full of accreditation.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is an independent, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that sets and monitors voluntary professional educational standards essential in preparing physicians to deliver safe, high-quality medical care to all Americans. Graduate medical education (GME) refers to the period of education in a particular specialty (residency) or subspecialty (fellowship) following medical school; the ACGME oversees the accreditation of residency and fellowship programs in the US. Morehouse School of Medicine residency and fellowship programs are accredited by the ACGME.
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools of public health, and public health programs outside schools of public health.
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Morehouse School of Medicine. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2033. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-morehouse-school-of-medicine/.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program is in the preaccreditation phase for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). The nurse-midwifery program is being reviewed for preaccreditation status by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME), 2000 Duke Street, Suite 300, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; Tel: (703) 835-4565, theacme.org, support@theacme.org
MSM Leadership
Admission Objectives
In accord with the spirit of the founders of the Morehouse School of Medicine, the primary objective of the school is to recruit, select, enroll and educate able students from underrepresented and disadvantaged groups, who are dedicated to service, eliminating health disparities, and promoting healthy communities. More importantly, the school seeks individuals, who as graduates of our programs will have careers as primary care physicians, physician assistants, academicians, biomedical and clinical researchers, and leaders in health care policy and administration. These graduates will assure quality health care to all members of our society with particular attention to those areas that disproportionately affect minorities and the poor.
Medicine, including biomedical research and population health, is a rapidly developing field and the world in which the student is preparing to work is changing just as rapidly. The education that begins at Morehouse School of Medicine must serve to provide the student with a foundation for a lifelong course of learning. The School of Medicine seeks to provide an inclusive interprofessional environment wherein our students can develop the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and responsibilities required for meeting the healthcare needs of individuals and of society today and in the future.
Affiliates for Graduate Medical Education
A clinical institution's motivation for entering into affiliation agreements varies depending on local circumstances. However, the literature traditionally cites several core reasons for establishing Graduate Medical Education (GME) affiliations.
For hospitals, these objectives often include:
- Advancing patient care quality management,
- Fulfilling institutional and medical staff commitments to education,
- Enhancing public image and staff recruitment efforts, and
- Maintaining or increasing patient referrals.
For medical schools, motivations frequently involve:
- Securing sites for clinical training,
- Strengthening clinical and educational programs,
- Expanding graduate and undergraduate medical education roles,
- Enhancing research capabilities, and
- Supporting faculty recruitment.
Morehouse School of Medicine has established educational affiliation agreements with a diverse array of healthcare institutions to support medical student and residency education. These partnerships provide immense benefits to both the school and its affiliates.
The following institutions serve as major educational affiliates for MSM, listed in alphabetical order:
- Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Florida
- Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) Memorial Hospital, Chattanooga, TN
- Children’s Hospital of Atlanta – Scottish Rite
- Children’s Hospital of Atlanta Hughes Spalding Operating Corporation
- Georgia (Regional) State Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
- Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation
- Piedmont Columbus Regional
- Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital
- Ridgeview Institute - Smyrna
- VA Medical Center (Atlanta)
- Veterans Administration, Augusta, GA
- Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle
- Willowbrooke at Tanner, Villa Rica, GA
For detailed information about facilities, affiliates, and other resources, please refer to the Academic Catalog or the MSM website.
MSM Connect
MSM Connect is the web portal for students to access school resources such as Canvas and Banner in order to obtain grades, financial aid, account balances and other personal information using an MSM login and password. The portal may be accessed through the MSM home page at www.msm.edu, or msmconnect.msm.edu
Academic Calendars
Academic calendars are provided for all programs. The academic calendar has provided for certain holidays and vacation periods. While these are appropriate, there will be times when clinical responsibilities for MD, PA, and DNP students will supersede these schedules. It will be expected that students will exercise sound judgment to ensure that their obligations are always met.
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) reserves the right to revise information, requirements, regulations or financial charges at any time, without prior notice. When this is necessary, an effort will be made to notify persons who may be affected.
Academic calendars can be found in the respective sections for each academic program.