ATLANTA, Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former U. S. Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA). Senator Specter was a consummate champion of justice and worked tirelessly throughout his career to reduce health and healthcare inequities. He also worked diligently to ensure that there were opportunities for individuals from minority communities and disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue a career in the health professions.

Morehouse School of Medicine President, John E. Maupin, Jr., D.D.S., said, "We very much appreciated Senator Specter's leadership in working with his Senate colleagues to support federal initiatives that enhanced health profession training opportunities for minority students and strengthened the research infrastructure of centers of emerging excellence like Morehouse School of Medicine. He will be sorely missed. The entire Morehouse School of Medicine family extends our deepest sympathy to his family."

During his time in the United States Senate, Specter played a key role in providing federal funding for Morehouse School of Medicine's National Center for Primary Care, a nationally renowned center advancing the value of primary care health services. As chairman of the Senate Health Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Specter was instrumental in bringing attention to identified shortfalls in the National Institute of Health's (NIH) efforts to investigate the causes and cures of ethnic based health disparities. His efforts led to the introduction and ultimate passage of legislation that created the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) at NIH.

About Morehouse School of MedicineMorehouse School of Medicine is one the nation's most widely recognized community-based medical schools. The institution's mission places special emphasis on primary care training; development of model community-based health services and the conduct of research and translation of discovery to benefit vulnerable populations and ultimately eliminate health inequities.

The School offers doctoral programs in medicine and biomedical research; and Master of Science degree programs in public health and clinical investigation. It also sponsors graduate training (residency) programs in family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, public health and preventive medicine, and general surgery.

Morehouse School of Medicine annually ranks as one of the top U.S. medical schools in the percentage of graduates practicing primary care specialties. The School ranks # 1 in the first-ever study of all U.S. medical schools in the area of social mission. Such recognition underscores the vital role that MSM plays in the nation's health care system.

Morehouse School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is also a member of the Atlanta University Center Consortium, the world's oldest and largest association of historically black colleges and universities. For more information about Morehouse School of Medicine, visit us online at http://www.msm.edu.

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Morehouse School of Medicine Mourns the Loss of Senator Arlen Specter