Dear Medical College of Georgia Friends,
New psychiatry residency slots funded by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
We’re all too familiar with the terrible statistics – Georgia, currently the 8th most populated state, ranks near the bottom – 40th – in the nation in active physicians per capita. As I’ve often said, although MCG has one of the top five largest medical school class sizes in the nation, we are a net exporter of medical students. That’s because we don’t have enough residency slots in the state to train these students once they graduate. It’s a multi-faceted problem that we are working to address – residency programs are essential but expensive, and a federal law implemented by Congress in 1997, ironically because of concerns about an oversupply of physicians, caps the number of Medicare-funded slots at eligible hospitals.
Some relief came in 2021, with the passing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act – a $2.3 trillion spending bill that was the largest spending bill ever passed by Congress at the time. It included the establishment of 1,000 additional Medicare-funded residency slots for eligible hospitals, to be phased in over five years. Each year since, MCG has been successful in receiving some of those, and last week we got word that we would receive additional positions for the third year in a row – this year in our Psychiatry Residency Program. We know how sorely these physicians are needed in Georgia – 90 of our 159 counties have no psychiatrist. I am thankful to Congress for recognizing this important need in medical education. I’m also incredibly grateful for the dream team of Dr. Natasha Savage, our senior associate dean for graduate medical education (who coincidentally went to medical school and completed her pathology residency here), and Natalie Reynolds, a GME wiz and manager of reimbursement for Wellstar MCG Health, for developing an amazing strategy to ensure we continue to receive these essential training positions.
City of Augusta commits $5 million to proposed new research building
More good news came last week when we learned that the Augusta Commission voted unanimously to commit $5 million to help build a new research building on our campus. I wanted to make it a point to thank our local leaders here and acknowledge the incredible work that you all are doing. I don’t think anyone among you would deny that while we have seen a lot of growth at MCG over the past decade, we are certainly at a deficit when it comes to research space. A new and modern facility is imperative if we want to continue to grow our research enterprise and move toward our goal of top 60 in National Institutes of Health funding. You know I love sports, so I particularly enjoyed Chancellor Sonny Perdue’s recent analogy during the Columbia County Chamber’s legislative breakfast that a new research building here compares to UGA Coach Kirby Smart needing a “five-star practice facility to recruit five-star players.” I couldn’t agree more. This new building, which is projected to cost $146.2 million, will certainly help us recruit “five-star” scientists to Augusta, helping improve health care through discovery, and boosting our local economy.
The Board of Regents had already voted to include design funding for the new building in their 2025-26 budget request and this commitment from our city, as well as the money we are raising through philanthropy, will only serve as greater leverage when we request funding from the Georgia Legislature. Much more to come, I’m sure.
IMMCG study reveals how immune system ‘brakes’ prevent self-attack
Speaking of the impact of research and why we need continued growth: Scientists in our Immunology Center of Georgia are laser focused on better understanding our immune system – how it protects us from invaders, but also how and why it sometimes overreacts and ends up attacking the body it’s meant to protect. To quote, IMMCG’s founding co-director, Dr. Klaus Ley, “The immune system is like the moat around a castle, defending against invaders like viruses and bacteria. But when it attacks the castle itself you get severe autoimmune diseases…”
In a new study recently published in Nature Immunology, Dr. Ley and Dr. Felix Nettersheim, who was a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Ley’s lab at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, have focused on two specific molecules, PD-1 and CD73, that act as brakes on self-reactive T cells — those immune cells that mistakenly target the body’s own tissues. They analyzed all the possible protein fragments that the immune system can recognize and respond to in an animal model and found that self-reactive T cells were not eliminated by the thymus, the organ that generates all T cells. Instead, they compared the molecules in self-reactive and foreign-reactive T cells and found that blocking PD-1 and CD73 unleashed a robust immune response to self, matching the intensity of the response to foreign invaders like viruses. Needless to say, their discovery could have major implications for autoimmune diseases and immunotherapy for cancer and heart disease by targeting these molecules and fine-tuning the immune response. Important and intriguing work.
Department of Family and Community Medicine approved for $1.9 million in PCORI funding
Here’s another great example of your inspiring work. A team from our Department of Family and Community Medicine, co-led by Dr. Christy J. Ledford, vice chair of research, and Dr. Samantha Jones, assistant professor, just received word that they have been approved for $1.9 million in funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to demonstrate the most effective way to engage underrepresented and vulnerable populations in clinical research. Their project, The “CO-creating Novel, Feasible, and Inclusive Research Methods” (CONFIRM) Study, challenges modern assumptions about research. As they have conducted research on the impact of stress on health in Augusta, Drs. Ledford and Jones say they have repeatedly encountered participants who see the importance of the overall topic and want to help people like them. But when potential volunteers hear about what exactly they must do as part of the study, they do not volunteer. As an example, when they’re in the community talking about Dr. Jones research on stressors and breast cancer, women are eager to help up until they are asked to come to research appointments at MCG. Women are particularly hesitant to volunteer when they hear about a blood draw.
The project team wants to change the paradigm by switching the traditional order of design and participant recruitment. This study will test if it is possible to increase research participation by creating methods in partnership with the participants themselves. By working with study volunteers to co-design study protocols, the team hopes to design studies that are more patient-centered and culturally sensitive, with participants as co-researchers who help design the study so that it’s directly relevant to them and their community. This is a great and important step in further ensuring health equity in clinical research. Congratulations.
Dr. Champa Woodham appointed as chair of the governor’s Commission on Maternal and Infant Health
The important work you all are doing is undoubtedly changing people’s lives. Take for example, Dr. Champa Woodham, who leads our newest fellowship program in maternal and fetal medicine. This three-year program, funded by the Georgia legislature, accepted its first fellow this year. The goal is to increase the number of physicians who can provide the best treatment and management of high-risk pregnancies, particularly to women in underserved areas. That will be key to decreasing Georgia’s maternal and fetal mortality rates, which are worse than some third-world countries. I’m happy to tell you as well that Dr. Woodham was recently appointed chair of Governor Brian Kemp’s Commission on Maternal and Infant Health. Commission members are charged with gathering opinions about Georgia’s perinatal care, weighing medical organizations’ recommendations, establishing “quality measures” and making policy suggestions. Thank you, Dr. Woodham for your service on behalf of Georgia’s women and infants.
Brunswick reception gives us a chance to honor Dr. Wayne Rentz
Part of what I enjoy so much about serving as dean is getting out on the road and visiting our campuses across the state. The week before Thanksgiving brought a great opportunity to do that when I was able to travel to Brunswick for a regional reception hosted by our Alumni Association. We had a great crowd of about 40 people, including Scott Raynes, CEO of our great teaching partner down that way, Southeast Georgia Health System. It was good to see Dr. Steve Chitty, a 1999 graduate and critical care/pulmonologist at SGHS, and his wife Kimberly, and to re-acquaint with other MCG grad-spouses, Dr. Diana Peterman, a surgeon, and Dr. Trace Deighan, an OB/Gyn, who studied at the Southeast Campus together and graduated in 2017. And I always enjoy seeing Dr. Jim Gowen, a now-retired OB/Gyn, who was always a favorite among our students, and now owns the stunning venue we used, Village Creek Landing, with his children.
We also took the opportunity to celebrate Dr. Wayne Rentz, a 1972 MCG alum and founding dean of the regional campus in Brunswick, who retired last month. It was great to be with Dr. Rentz and his wife Mary, as well as several students who are studying at that campus. They all spoke so kindly about the impact Dr. Rentz has had on their medical education. I’m sure there are many others who would say the same. Thank you, again, Dr. Rentz for your service to your medical school.
My best to you always,
David C. Hess, MD
Dean, Medical College of Georgia
Upcoming Events
January 17 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium
February 8 – Igniting the Dream of Medicine, J. Harold Harrison, MD Education Commons
February 21 – MCG State of the College Address, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium
March 18 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium
March 21 – MCG Match Day
April 18 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium
May 8 – MCG Hooding Ceremony, 2pm, TBD
