--- title: SR 871. Rice, Dr. Valerie Montgomery; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr871 cite_as: SR 871, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr871 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr871.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr871/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73713 date: 2026-02-26 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr870.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr872.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr871.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 871 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-26 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Sonya Halpern - Randal Mangham - Tonya Anderson - Nan Orrock - Gail Davenport text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR871/2025 upstream_id: 2124753 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Morehouse School of Medicine - health equity - Georgia Senate resolution - medical education --- # SR 871. Rice, Dr. Valerie Montgomery; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 871 By: Senators Halpern of the 39th, Mangham of the 55th, Anderson of the 43rd, Orrock of the 36th and Davenport of the 17th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Morehouse School of Medicine, for her historic leadership, distinguished career in medicine and research, and extraordinary contributions to advancing health equity; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG, a Georgia native, serves as the sixth President and Chief Executive Officer of the Morehouse School of Medicine and is the first woman in history to lead the freestanding medical institution, bringing to her role a unique combination of excellence in patient care, medical research, organizational management, and public health policy; and WHEREAS, she earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Emory University School of Medicine and her fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Hutzel Hospital, later receiving honorary degrees from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Rush University; and WHEREAS, a renowned infertility specialist and researcher, Dr. Montgomery Rice previously served as Dean and Executive Vice President of the Morehouse School of Medicine beginning in 2011, and she has demonstrated transformational leadership by redesigning complex institutional infrastructures to meet evolving strategic environments and position organizations for sustainable success; and WHEREAS, prior to her tenure at the Morehouse School of Medicine, she held faculty and senior leadership positions at leading academic health centers, most notably serving as the founding director of the Center for Women's Health Research at Meharry Medical College, one of the nation's first research centers devoted to studying diseases that disproportionately impact women of color; and WHEREAS, she is a passionate advocate for health equity, expanding pipeline opportunities for academically diverse learners, diversifying the physician and scientific workforce, and advancing equitable access to quality health care and improved health outcomes; and WHEREAS, Dr. Montgomery Rice has extended her leadership through service on numerous national and corporate boards and advisory bodies, including her appointment to The President's Committee on the National Medal of Science, service on the Georgia Commission on Women, and membership in the National Academy of Medicine; and WHEREAS, her leadership and impact have been recognized through numerous prestigious honors, including the National Medical Association Scroll of Merit Award, recognition on STAT's STATUS List of influential leaders in health and science, the Horatio Alger Award, repeated recognition as one of Georgia Trend Magazine's "100 Most Influential Georgians," the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal, and many other national and statewide distinctions; and WHEREAS, she remains committed to faith, family, and community, sharing her life with her husband, Melvin Rice Jr., and their two children. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice for her groundbreaking leadership at the Morehouse School of Medicine and her enduring contributions to medicine, medical education, research, and the advancement of health equity in Georgia and across the nation. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution honors Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president and CEO of the Morehouse School of Medicine, for her leadership, medical career, and work on health equity. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial statement from the Georgia Senate honoring Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, the first woman to lead the Morehouse School of Medicine as its president and CEO. It recounts her education at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School, her medical training at Emory University and Hutzel Hospital, and her prior roles including dean at Morehouse and founding director of a women's health research center at Meharry Medical College. The resolution highlights her advocacy for health equity, her service on national boards including the National Academy of Medicine, and awards she has received. It closes by directing the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for her. The document creates no new law, funding, or requirement; it is a formal recognition passed by the Senate. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice for her leadership at the Morehouse School of Medicine and her career in medicine and research. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute an official copy of the resolution to Dr. Montgomery Rice. - Creates no statutory changes, funding, or legal obligations; it is a ceremonial statement of the Senate's position. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice and the Morehouse School of Medicine. It has no regulatory or financial effect on other Georgians, agencies, or institutions. ### Why it matters This is a symbolic honor rather than a policy change. It carries no legal effect on Georgians generally, but it formally records the Senate's recognition of Dr. Montgomery Rice's career and contributions to medicine and health equity in the official legislative record. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses detail Dr. Montgomery Rice's education, career history, and honors. - The first resolving clause has the Senate recognize and commend her for her leadership and contributions to medicine and health equity. - The second resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to her. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-26) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-26) - Sponsors: Sonya Halpern, Randal Mangham, Tonya Anderson, Nan Orrock, Gail Davenport - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73713 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr871.md?full=1