More in Common Alliance Appoints Northwest Regional Dean

Feb. 1, 2025

  
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) is excited to announce Gloria Richard-Davis, MD, MBA, NCMP, FACOG, has been appointed as the More in Common Alliance (MiCA) Northwest regional dean. As regional dean, Dr. Richard-Davis will oversee the current undergraduate medical training program and plans for program expansion including the creation of a Regional Medical Center in Seattle. 

“My career has centered on women's health and health care equity, and my path has been full circle as I return to the Pacific Northwest to fulfill my dream of bringing more underrepresented and vulnerable communities into the field of medicine, creating a more inclusive experience for patients across the Northwest,” shared Dr. Richard-Davis.” 

A partnership between The Morehouse School of Medicine and CommonSpirit Health, MiCA was created in 2022 to advance health equity by increasing the percentage of providers that have been historically underrepresented in medicine, across the United States. The current MiCA program includes an undergraduate training program for Morehouse School of Medicine third and fourth year medical students to participate in clinical clerkship rotations at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health hospitals and medical centers in the King, Pierce and Kitsap counties.

The long-term vision for the Northwest is to establish a regional medical campus in Seattle and Puget Sound to expand the current clinical rotations (internal medicine and general surgery) to include family medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, and obstetrics while also expanding the length of the rotations. Students currently participate in a hybrid program, alternating four-week rotations in Atlanta and Seattle. The goal is to soon have third and fourth year medical students doing their core clinical clerkships and elective rotation full-time in the Puget Sound area.

Dr. Richard-Davis also plans to launch education and outreach pathways in collaboration with several local higher-education institutions and non-profits in the area. MiCA’s overarching goal is to attract and support more underrepresented students in medicine and vulnerable communities from the Pacific Northwest to apply to, be accepted by, and matriculate at Morehouse School of Medicine and ultimately practice medicine in the Puget Sound area. A diverse health care workforce is essential for delivering efficient, high-quality care and improved patient outcomes.

Dr. Richard-Davis’ health care career spans more than 30 years. It started at Madigan Army Medical Center where she completed her OBGYN residency. She then practiced at both St. Joseph Medical Center and Tacoma General before leaving the area to further her training in reproductive endocrinology and fertility. Her academic medicine career is expansive with several appointments between Tulane University, Ochsner Clinic, Meharry Medical College, and University of Arkansas. Most recently, she served as an executive director for the division for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. 

“I consider the Northwest to be my second home,” Dr. Richard-Davis said. “I left with every intention to come back and I couldn’t be happier to be here and take on this pivotal role and help advance health care in our region.”  

About More in Common Alliance

In alignment with the mission, vision, and values of the Morehouse School of Medicine and CommonSpirit Health, the More in Common Alliance exists to create health equity by increasing the percentage of providers historically underrepresented in medicine, across the United States, and throughout our health care system.

About Virginia Mason Franciscan Health

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) is an integrated health system serving the Puget Sound region, including 10 hospitals and 300 care sites. Founded in 1891, VMFH embraces its long history of caring for the most vulnerable, especially the poor and underserved, and meeting the evolving health care needs of the vibrant, diverse communities it serves. VMFH is a proud home to the Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS, and the Benaroya Research Institute, an internationally recognized institution for autoimmune disease research. VMFH is part of CommonSpirit, one of the nation’s largest health systems, dedicated to advancing health for all people.