Black History is American history…

Founded as a part of Morehouse College in 1975 during the tenure of college president Hugh M. Gloster, with Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. as dean, the School of Medicine at Morehouse College began as a two-year program in the basic sciences. The first students were admitted in 1978 and transferred to other medical schools for the clinical years of their training.

Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, is the only Black medical school founded in the United States during the 20th century. It is among one of the nation’s leading educators of primary care physicians and has been recognized as the top institution among U.S. medical schools for their social mission which emphasizes underserved urban and rural populations.

Dr. Louis Wade Sullivan, founding dean and president of Morehouse School of Medicine, is also noted as the serving as the Secretary of  the Dept. of Health & Human Services under the George H. W. Bush Administration, where he directed the creation of the Office of Minority Programs in the National Institutes of Health’s Office of the Director. 

The institution became independent from Morehouse College in 1981, with Sullivan as President, and was fully accredited to award M.D. degrees in 1985. Initially, third year clinical courses were taught by faculty from Emory University‘s School of Medicine, but since 1990, the school has taught them itself. In 1989, Sullivan was appointed United States Secretary of Health and Human Services by President George H.W. Bush. Sullivan served in that role for Bush’s entire term, until 1993, when he returned to MSM to begin his second tenure as president.^[2]

Sullivan remained president until 2002. He now holds the title of President Emeritus.

In May 2022, MSM had a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $45 million academic facility. The 52,300-square foot building is scheduled to be complete in early 2024. The building is named after longtime MSM board member and state lawmaker Calvin Smyre.