Atlanta, GA – October 18, 2024 – National Medical Fellowships (NMF) will celebrate nearly 80 years of promoting health equity and bridging the health-wealth gap with a gala and awards ceremony honoring the organization’s deep history and recognizing the work of their outstanding supporters. The This Time, This Place gala will take place on October 25, 2024, at the Thompson Atlanta — Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia, with a speakeasy-inspired fundraiser experience featuring inspirational words, award presentations, entertainment, and more. 

NMF Board Members John A. Johnson, M.D., M.B.A, FACP (Chief Medical Officer of the Government Employees Health Association) and Pamela Miller, Esq. (President and Chief Executive Officer of Summit Global Strategies, Ltd.) will serve as emcees for the evening, leading attendees throughout the night’s festivities as NMF scholars, alumni, and friends gather to raise funding to help diversify the health care workforce.  Vice-Chair of NMF’s Board of Directors Cedric M. Bright, M.D., FACP (Former Associate Dean for Admissions, Professor of Internal Medicine, and Interim Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion of the Brody School of Medicine) will deliver remarks about NMF’s mission and history, while NMF Board Member Rakia Reynolds (Founder and Executive Officer of Skai Blue Media) will lead the in-person fundraising drive.  

The NMF Board of Directors and the Host Committee of NMF supporters are leading the event. Chief Medical Officer of the Government Employees Health Association John A. Johnson, M.D., M.B.A, FACP and NMF alumna and Morehouse School of Medicine President and CEO Valerie Montgomery Rice, M.D., FACOG, serve as co-chairs of the host committee. They are joined on the committee by Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and “Married to Medicine” Executive Producer and Co-Star Mariah HuQ and Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Odyssey Media Linda Spradley Dunn. Their unwavering support makes events like this possible and creates the opportunity to honor prominent individuals for their innovation, leadership, and dedication to health equity.  

A special segment of the program will celebrate Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice for her ten years as president of Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Montgomery Rice will deliver brief remarks about the importance of diversity in medicine.  

This year’s honorees include: NMF Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Dr. Louis Sullivan (former Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Founding Dean and President Emeritus of Morehouse School of Medicine) and Mrs. Eva Ginger Sullivan, Esq. (attorney, researcher, and civic leader); NMF Corporate Imagineer Award recipient Beatrice Dixon (Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder, Chief Innovation Officer of The Honey Pot Company); and NMF Excellence in Medical Education Award recipient Veronica Mallett, M.D., MMM (Chief Administrative Officer for the More in Common Alliance). 

“These dynamic leaders have broken down barriers and transformed systems to best serve members of marginalized communities. Their commitment to innovating, advocating, and educating is a powerful reminder of the progress we can make to address disparities in the health and wellness field,” says NMF President and CEO, Michellene Davis, Esq. “Their work creating more inclusive wellness experiences and diversifying the health care workforce is transformative and inspiring. True health equity is the foundation of a stronger, more just society, so we are honored to present them with these awards and shine a light on their contributions to our shared mission.” 

Also supporting this event are generous presenting sponsor Government Employees Health Association, entertainment sponsor Merck, silver sponsors Alliant Health Solutions, Johnson & Johnson, and the More in Common Alliance, and bronze sponsor Holland & Knight LLP.  

For nearly 80 years, NMF has worked to build a more diverse health care workforce and promote health equity by providing $50 million in scholarships to Black, Indigenous, Latine, and People of Color medical students. Its mission is to broaden the pathways to medical education for students from communities underrepresented in medicine, provide transformative leadership opportunities that help to diversify clinical research, and deliver programs and support to ensure the future success of medical students and current practitioners. With a network of over 32,000 alumni, NMF advocates for health equity and key issues that impact pressing health disparities. In recent years, NMF has revamped its scholarship programs, broadened its footprint to diversify clinical trials research, attracted increased funding from new partners, and provided thought leadership on global platforms. 

NMF is a health care workforce development organization devoted to providing financial support to academically gifted medical students and career development opportunities to transformative health care leaders while also celebrating the richness of their brilliance and their lived experiences. As it fulfills this mission, we grow closer to the possibility of having excellent, culturally conscious, and empathetic care accessible to all. 

For press credentials or interview requests, please contact Skai Blue Media at TeamNMF@skaibluemedia.com. 

About National Medical Fellowships 

National Medical Fellowships is a nonprofit organization that advances equitable health care workforce development so everyone has a fair and just opportunity to achieve their highest level of health regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status or geography. Founded in 1946, NMF seeks to eliminate health care disparities by increasing the number of diverse physicians and other health care professionals working to advance health equity. NMF has awarded over $50 million in scholarships and offers service-learning programs, mentorship opportunities and clinical research leadership training for chronically underrepresented students and practitioners of medicine, behavioral health and related health professions.