Dear Medical College of Georgia Friends,

MCG and Wellstar MCG Health first in Georgia to offer Hospital at Home program

It was almost one year ago to the day that I was able to share with you that our teaching hospital, Wellstar MCG Health, was the first hospital in Georgia to receive waiver approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement a Hospital at Home program here. Over many months Dr. Matt Lyon, director of our Center for Digital Health, and Lauren Hopkins, associate vice president for virtual care and community engagement at Wellstar MCG Health, as well as the entire health system leadership team, have worked to stand this program up so that patients who a physician determines (in-person) are eligible, can be treated at home, freeing up more space in our hospital so we can serve more patients, but also typically improving patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes.

We celebrated a win recently when 92-year-old Dr. Sergio Bustos, who actually served as faculty in the Dental College of Georgia for almost 30 years, became the first patient in the state to be treated through this game-changing program. Dr. Bustos had developed a bruise that just wouldn’t heal after a fall and after a trip to our ER, a physician prescribed him IV antibiotics that he received in the comfort of his own home. After his acute phase of treatment, a virtual care team followed Dr. Bustos for an additional 30 days – helping schedule follow-up appointments, delivering meds, arranging social support and providing quick access to a health care provider, should the need arise. He was officially discharged on Jan. 11.

Thank you and congratulations to all of you who worked hard to bring this program to our health system and improve the lives of those we are privileged to care for.

National Eye Institute funding here ranks among the best in the country

More good news this week came in the form of an update from the National Eye Institute. It’s no secret that vision research is a clear strength at MCG. The numbers tell the story. According to recent data, MCG has 25 current NEI-funded research projects, including the $3 million P30 project that provides critical infrastructure, and enables better communication between our scientists and their colleagues across the country, which also encourages more collaboration with other investigators. This funding is also an incredible tool to recruit more vision scientists. All told, our total NEI funding is $9.1 million and we rank 30th out of 100 other US institutions/universities that receive funding.

And I’m told that if we take a little bit of a deeper dive and look at current data in the NIH’s “new money portal,” which considers, as its name implies, new money that came in this year, we actually rank 22nd. No doubt these impressive numbers are due to the incredible vision researchers we are fortunate to count as our faculty, like those in the James and Jean Culver Vision Discovery Institute. Great work everyone.

First-year student Priyanka Menon selected to present at AHA International Stroke Conference

I have been privileged this week to be among my stroke colleagues at the American Heart Association’s annual International Stroke Conference. It’s always energizing to me to hear about the latest advances in stroke treatment and research. But a particular point of pride for me this year was knowing that the work of a couple of our own – MCG-educated neurologist, Dr. Jonathan Crowe, a 2019 graduate who is in practice in Virginia now, and MCG first-year student Priyanka Menon – was selected as the very first oral presentation at the session. Dr. Crowe tells me that Priyanka drew on her interests in public health and neurology and helped gather and analyze data that was an integral part of their project comparing stroke guideline-directed preventive care for Traditional Medicare beneficiaries and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. Thank you, Dr. Crowe, for your mentorship of students like Priyanka and thank you both for representing your medical school so well on an international stage.  

Third-year student Divya Lagisetti picked to illustrate cover(s) of the Journal of Urology

I am consistently impressed by the caliber of students we have here at MCG – and by what they are able to accomplish even with all the rigor that medical school entails. Here’s another great example. Third-year student Divya Lagisetti currently has her artwork displayed on the cover of the Journal of Urology. The hand painted watercolor illustrates recurrent bladder cancer. Divya taught herself watercolors in high school and has been painting with them – and exploring acrylics and digital illustration – ever since. With the help of Department of Urology chair, Dr. Martha Terris, she reached out to the journal last year about her art experience and they invited her to create artwork for the May 2024 issue. The next month, she was able to meet the journal’s publication team in person at the American Urological Association annual meeting and since then, they have continued to reach out and commission her to create illustrations for urology practice guidelines and now, a second cover. Divya says she is passionate about science communication and believes that illustrations and visuals are powerful tools for enhancing scientific understanding and patient education. On a personal note, she counts creating art as something that is a healing and very meaningful part of her life. Thank you, Divya, for sharing your talents with us and with the world.

Early matches prove successful; momentum is building for Match Day

Continuing with the theme of our amazing students, we have some early Match results that, once again, are a tribute not only to the excellent medical students we have here, but also to the talents and dedication of the faculty who teach and mentor them. As you know, the majority of residency training programs fill their slots through the National Resident Matching Program in March, but several subspecialties and the military participate in early Match programs. Back in December, we celebrated three of our seniors who have committed to service in our Armed Forces as they entered the Military Match. They earned spots in residency programs in a range of specialties like emergency medicine, family medicine and orthopaedic surgery. This week, we learned that nine students have matched with urology residency programs across the country, which represents the largest single school contribution to the 2025 urology match. Five more students, who were largely trained at our regional campuses, matched with ophthalmology training programs.

We will celebrate the accomplishments of these and the rest of our seniors at our Match Day festivities Friday, March 21, at SRP Park in North Augusta. It’s one of my favorite days with our students, so please make plans join us.

Dr. Mason Thompson, former dean for admissions, passed away Jan. 30

On a final and more somber note today, I wanted to share with you all the Jan. 30 passing of Dr. Mason Thompson, a 1973 MCG graduate, who served his medical school so well, from the time he joined our faculty until well into his retirement. Dr. Thompson will be remembered as a staunch advocate and mentor for students, who remembered fondly and certainly emulated the dedicated physicians who trained him while he was a student here.

He served as our associate dean of student affairs for nearly two decades and as our dean of admissions and president of our Faculty Senate. Among his many accomplishments while he was here on faculty were starting one of our most beloved traditions, the annual White Coat Ceremony; and founding the very first Research Assembly for our Department of Family and Community Medicine. In 2017, we rightly honored him with our Distinguished Alumnus for Loyalty Award.

Dr. Thompson will be missed, but his impact here will be remembered for many years to come. Our thoughts and prayers remain with his wife, Nancy, his son, Scott, and the rest of his family.

My best to you always,

David C. Hess, MD

Dean, Medical College of Georgia

Upcoming Events

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

May 29-31 – MCG Faculty Development Conference, more details to come