Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice
President and CEO
Morehouse School of Medicine
As the sixth president and chief executive officer of Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), Valerie Montgomery Rice is the first woman in history to lead the freestanding medical institution. Between 2014 and 2021, she served as the institution's dean and president. Her tenure began at Morehouse School of Medicine in 2011, when she was appointed dean and executive vice president.
Aside from her work at MSM, Dr. Montgomery Rice has served as a faculty member and leader at various health centers, including academic health centers. She founded the Center for Women's Health Research at Meharry Medical College, one of the nation's first centers dedicated to studying diseases that disproportionately affect women of color. A passionate advocate for health equity, Dr. Montgomery Rice is committed to enhancing pipeline opportunities for academically diverse learners, diversifying the physician and scientific workforce and fostering equity in health outcomes and access to health care.
In addition to serving on GRA's board, Dr. Montgomery Rice serves as an advisory board member of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Capital Financing Advisory Board; as a member of the board of directors for UnitedHealth Group, Wellpath, 23&Me, Nemours, Chartis Health Equity Advisory Board, CARE USA and Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation; and as a special advisor to the chairman, CEO and Board of Directors of GeoVax Labs, Inc. Among her efforts are the Danforth Dialogues podcast series "Leadership Lessons from the Frontlines of The Pandemic," which serves as a resource for faculty, staff, students and the wider academic and professional community.
Dr. Montgomery Rice was appointed to The President's Committee on the National Medal of Science by President Joe Biden in March 2022. Her memberships in the Horatio Alger Association and the National Academy of Medicine complement her distinguished career. She was also appointed in 2021 by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to serve on the Georgia Commission on Women, where she utilizes her expertise and knowledge to improve the lives of women and their families.
A number of accolades and honors have been bestowed upon Dr. Montgomery Rice over the years. The National Medical Association (NMA) bestowed its highest honor upon her, the Scroll of Merit Award (2023). Among STAT's 46 influential and important people in health, medicine, and science, Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice landed on the 2023 STATUS List in academia. Georgia Trend Magazine selected her as one of the "100 Most Influential Georgians" from 2016-2018, again in 2021 & 2022. She also received National Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award from National Medical Fellowships, Inc. (NMF, 2022) as well as the W. Montague Cobb Lifetime Achievement Award by the Cobb/NMA Health Institute.
A Georgia native, Dr. Montgomery Rice holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a medical degree from Harvard Medical School, an honorary degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree from Rush University and Emory University. These achievements demonstrate her lifetime commitment to education, service, and advancing health equity. Her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology was at Emory University School of Medicine, while her fellowship training was at Hutzel Hospital for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.
With her husband, Melvin Rice Jr., a fellow graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Dr. Montgomery Rice has two children: Jayne, a Harvard Medical School graduate and 4th year vascular surgery resident at University of Pennsylvania; and Melvin III, a Virtual Production artist specializing in real-time environments for film and commercial needs.
