Dean's Welcome

For more than a century, Howard University College of Medicine has been providing students of high academic potential with a medical education of exceptional quality and thereby preparing future physicians and scientists to serve the underserved.

Hugh E. Mighty MD, MBA, FACOG

Message from the Dean

I am delighted to welcome you to the HUCM website.

The mission, goals and objectives, as well as the overall activity of administrators, faculty and staff in the College of Medicine support a dedicated effort to provide “Leadership for America–Leadership for the Global Community” in preparing students for compassionate patient care, excellence in research and scholarship, and socially conscious service.

For more than a century, Howard University College of Medicine has been providing students of high academic potential with a medical education of exceptional quality and thereby preparing future physicians and scientists to serve the underserved.

The College of Medicine first opened its doors as a medical department in 1868, just three years after the close of the Civil War. At that time, newly freed slaves of African origin were migrating to the nation’s capital in large numbers. The founders of the College recognized that the nearly overwhelming health care needs of this population and of other blacks throughout the country would be met best by training students to become highly competent, compassionate physicians who would deliver care in communities having a shortage of healthcare professionals. Due to this unique origin of Howard University as an institution, particular focus is on the education of disadvantaged students for careers in medicine.

Today, while the College offers excellent research and research training opportunities, the major emphasis remains on the following:

  1. Training individuals to deliver excellent health care services—locally, nationally, and internationally—and exceptional research into the causation and treatment of health disparities among ethnic and racial groups;

  2. Improving the health of the American and global communities through a wide variety of public health education programs and initiatives;

  3. Continued education of postgraduate physicians, other health care providers, and graduate students in the biomedical sciences.

  4. Selecting students from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds which contribute to a rich student body and learning experience.

Howard University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. The College of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Medical Association (AMA). The College was re-accredited in 2002 for the maximum period of seven years.

Hugh E. Mighty MD, MBA, FACOG
Dean and Vice President of Clinical Affairs