Who We Are
The Satcher Institute for Health Equity at Morehouse School of Medicine brings together the centers built on Dr. David Satcher’s legacy to develop leaders, generate evidence, and shape policy so every community has a fair chance at a healthy life, in Atlanta and around the world.
Word from our founder
“We need leaders who first care enough.
We need leaders who learn enough.
We need leaders who do enough.
We need leaders who will persevere until the job is done.”
Dr. David Satcher, the 16th U.S. Surgeon General and former director of the CDC, founded the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine in 2006. In 2015 he and former U.S. Representative Patrick J. Kennedy launched the Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity, and in 2023 MSM established the David Satcher Global Health Equity Institute under founding director Dr. Barney S. Graham. In 2026 these centers came together as the Satcher Institute for Health Equity: one home for leadership, mental health, and global health work that shares a single origin.
Our Mission
We develop leaders in public health and medicine, produce the research and data that reveal and close gaps in health outcomes, and advance policies that expand access to quality care, from Georgia communities to low-resource settings worldwide.
Our Vision
To ensure that all people have access to quality health care and the opportunity to achieve optimal health outcomes.
Our Values
One institute, working through four centers and programs.
SIHE is the parent organization; each center below carries its own focus and its own color.
One institute, three ways of working
Develop people
We prepare the next generation of health leaders, researchers, and practitioners.
Build evidence
We produce research and open data that show where health outcomes differ and why.
The Satcher Institute for Health Equity is part of Morehouse School of Medicine, which has spent 50 years training physicians and health professionals to serve communities that are often underserved. Our work draws on MSM’s community-oriented approach, its attention to the conditions where people live and work, and faculty, students, and partners across the school.
Visit Morehouse School of Medicine →Meet the leaders, researchers, and staff carrying this work forward across all three centers.
Meet the TeamNative Land Acknowledgment
The Satcher Institute for Health Equity and the Morehouse School of Medicine respectfully acknowledge that our work is conducted on the ancestral lands of the Mvskoke (Muscogee) people, who have stewarded this land since time immemorial. We recognize the enduring relationship between the Mvskoke people and these lands and honor their past, present, and future contributions to this region. In acknowledging this history, we also commit to actions that support Indigenous communities, including advocating for health equity, fostering collaborations with Indigenous-led organizations, and ensuring that the voices of Native peoples are amplified in our work. We understand that true equity requires continuous learning and engagement, and we strive to align our efforts with the needs and aspirations of Indigenous communities.