Dear Medical College of Georgia Friends,
Last week we celebrated President Keen and our amazing alumni
Last week was filled with meaningful celebrations as we honored the formal investiture of President Russell T. Keen. The week’s events highlighted Dr. Keen’s leadership and vision and culminated in a heartfelt Investiture Ceremony on Thursday. The program featured personal and sentimental touches like tributes from his former teachers and professional mentors. Dr. Keen has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to our medical school and a clear understanding of the impact and value of the research, education and clinical care done here. It was a privilege to celebrate this milestone alongside him, first lady Karen Keen, and their family.
Alumni Weekend brings a chance to reconnect with many alumni from 1955-2015
On Friday we switched gears to honor and celebrate with another group who certainly have a deep commitment to MCG – our alumni. This Alumni Weekend we celebrated the Classes of 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. The times I get to spend with our graduates and celebrate the ways they have all made this world a better place reaffirms how privileged I am to lead this medical school.
Some of the best memories from the weekend were honoring 12 members of the Class of 1975 with their 50th reunion medallions – a new tradition we started this year. The Class of 1985 had a great showing with 28 class members, including Drs. Kay and Steven Kitchen who led the charge in getting the group back together. Kay is an internist in Albany and Steven, you may remember, an OB/Gyn who retired as CMO of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in 2021, after he led the hospital and, really, the entire town through COVID. Their group also included Senator Ben Watson, an internist who specializes in geriatrics who has served as a state senator since 2014 and chairs Senate Health and Human Services Committee as well as the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Development. He has also been a steadfast supporter of his alma mater. I want to thank, too, Senator Watson’s wife, Bernice, who instructed me on the difference between men’s and women’s MCG polo shirts and then organized the distribution of the shirts to the Class of ‘85. And our own chair of the Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Valera Hudson, was also among this lively group.
Dr. Kim B. Yancey, ’78 is this year’s Distinguished Alumnus for Professional Achievement
The Friday night Awards Dinner brought the opportunity to honor some other MCG greats. Legends like Dr. Kim B. Yancey, a 1978 graduate and dermatologist, who is this year’s Distinguished Alumnus for Professional Achievement. I’d say that fits. After completing his residency training here, he went on to a postdoctoral fellowship in immunodermatology at the National Cancer Institute. His career has included service at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, where he was the only dermatologist on the full-time faculty, with responsibilities primarily related to investigative work. He also worked as a supervising physician at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Bethesda Naval Hospital, and the National Institutes of Health. He has also served as a senior investigator at the NCI, studying how skin cells attach to the epidermal basement membrane, a key structure that supports and separates skin layers. His research also explored what causes this attachment to break down in autoimmune and inherited blistering diseases. He’s served as chair at the Medical College of Wisconsin and in 2007 he joined UT Southwestern as chair, where he directed a department of over 25 dermatologists and where he still teaches, does research, and cares for patients and He had been continually funded by the NIH for over 25 years and continues to serve its National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, and Skin Diseases Board of Scientific Counselors.
Dr. Wayne Rentz, ’72, named Distinguished Alumnus for Loyalty
One of those names that’s just synonymous with MCG is Dr. Wayne Rentz, a 1972 graduate and this year’s Distinguished Alumnus for Loyalty, an honor that’s well-suited for him. It was great to be with him and his grandson Miles at the Awards Dinner.
Dr. Rentz is a well-respected general surgeon who treats every patient like family and has served the coastal Georgia community for over 35 years. He also was the founding dean at the Brunswick location of our Southeast Regional Campus, based at Southeast Georgia Health System, and mentored over 50 medical students during his time there. This dedicated leader also serves as president of the Fifth Medical District of the Medical Association of Georgia and as a clinical instructor at Emory University Medical School’s Physician Assistant Program. He also is a past president of the MCG Alumni Association.
Dr. Rentz retired from his campus dean post just last year. I hope he’s found more time to spend with his wife Mary and for his favorite hobbies. An avid photographer and fisherman, he tells us he finds joy in capturing the beauty of coastal Georgia and spending time on its rivers and bays. Thank you for all the time you spent with us, Dr. Rentz.
Dr. Khoi D. Nguyen is 2025 Outstanding Young Alumnus
Dr. Khoi D. Nguyen, a pediatric neurosurgeon who graduated from MCG in 2013 and has returned to serve on our faculty was honored as this year’s Outstanding Young Alumnus. He was there with his wife, To-Mydinh (a pharmacist he met during his time at MCG) and their two young sons. The ever-humble Dr. Nguyen was born in Vietnam and immigrated with his parents to Savannah at 5-years-old. He attended UGA before coming to us for medical school and neurosurgery training. He completed his fellowship training at Children’s Health Care of Atlanta. Not only is he a gifted brain surgeon, he also invests in the next generation, teaching our medical students and residents. He also is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
Congratulations to all of our award winners.
Dr. Vanessa Spearman-McCarthy, ’05, is new president of our Alumni Association
Another highlight of the weekend was the passing of the torch, or gavel, between now-former president of the Alumni Association, Dr. Price Corr (an Albany surgeon) and new president Dr. Vanessa Spearman-McCarthy a 2005 graduate and internist/psychiatrist. Dr. Spearman-McCarthy’s connection to MCG dates back to her childhood – maybe even before. Her father, Dr. Ronald Spearman, another MCG legend, graduated in 1974, taught here before going to practice at the VA, and still serves on our MCG Foundation Board. Her mother Barbara is a 1975 graduate of the Dental College of Georgia.
Dr. Spearman-McCarthy is our associate dean for student, community and alumni engagement – which is just another way to say she helps us identify future students who will be successful here; make sure that they remain successful while in medical school; and helps us keep in touch and keep track of their successes after they graduate. In addition to mentoring the next generation, she is the senior attending on the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service at Wellstar MCG Health and previously served as medical director for 13 years. This honored educator has been the recipient of the Roger Kathol Pioneering Spirit Award from the Association of Medicine and Psychiatry, the Leonard Tow Humanism Award, the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) INSPIRE Award, and the 2022 Association of Medicine and Psychiatry (AMP) President’s Award.
I know the Alumni Association is in capable and dedicated hands.
Alumni Weekend was capped off by our annual Emeritus Club Breakfast and Memorial Service
We were also joined last weekend by several other past Alumni Association Presidents: Drs. Dr. Betty Wray ’60; Sandra Freedman, ’68; Joe Hobbs, ’74; Mark Ellison, ’82; Joe Burch, ’85; and Anil Puri, ’05.
On Sunday, we wrapped up the weekend with the annual Emeritus Club Breakfast, led by another former Alumni Association President, Dr. Murray Freedman, ’67. Later, we gathered for a poignant tradition—the Memorial Service—honoring the 78 MCG alumni who have passed away over the last year. My good friend, the Rev. Jeff Flowers, led this touching tribute, reminding us of the profound and lasting influence our graduates have had on the world.
Alumni Weekend is always a wonderful celebration, but it takes a tremendous effort to bring it all together. I am incredibly grateful for the dedication and hard work of our assistant vice president for alumni engagement and annual giving, Wes Zamzow, along with his outstanding team: Alison Toney, director of alumni engagement, and Maddy Baker and Katie Chavous, our alumni engagement coordinators. They were there late every night and early every morning. Their commitment makes this event better and better every year.
Dr. Charlie Green steps back from leading the MCG Foundation Board
Last week, we had the honor of celebrating Dr. Charlie Green as he finishes his term as chair of our MCG Foundation’s Board of Directors, a position he has held since 2022. It was a wonderful opportunity to recognize his leadership and dedication to his medical school. Dr. Green grew up in Waynesboro and went to UGA before coming to medical school. A 1974 graduate, he has practiced internal medicine for over 50 years – first in a large private practice, but most recently at the VA Medical Center, caring for our nation’s veterans. He embodies the very essence of a primary care physician – dedication, compassion, and unwavering commitment to his patients. In fact, he helped pioneer better diabetes education and care across the community and state, instituting home glucose monitoring and the development of an insulin pump program. Dr. Green is the consummate physician.
Dr. Green’s dedication to MCG stretches far beyond his time on the Foundation Board. He served for many years on our Admissions Committee and mentored and educated countless future physicians. Dr. Green is stepping back but not stepping away. He will continue to serve as immediate past chair. Dr. Paul Turk, a 1984 graduate and Macon anesthesiologist, will serve as chair. Thank you for your years of service to MCG, Dr. Green. I wish the best in this next chapter for you and your wife, Margaret.
Drs. Meghan McGee-Lawrence, Eric Belin de Chantemele and Scott Barman named Regents’ Professors
Today, I also want to celebrate some of our outstanding faculty who have been named Regents’ Professors by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents—an honor recognizing distinguished scholarship and innovation. Congratulations to Drs. Scott Barman, Eric Belin de Chantemele, and Meghan McGee-Lawrence.
Dr. Barman serves as vice chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology as well as the assistant dean for admissions at MCG. His research, which focuses on vasomotor control of pulmonary circulation, has been continuously (extramurally and intramurally) funded for 36 years. He is an honored mentor and educator that has taught more than 30 medical and graduate school courses.
Dr. Belin de Chantemele, a physiologist in our Vascular Biology Center, is one of the most highly-NIH funded investigators at MCG. He is currently supported by four R01 grants as principal investigator, and is a project leader on a Program Project grant and co-investigator on a U01 grant. His work has earned him honors like the American Heart Association’s Established Investigator Award. But beyond his own accomplishments, he is invested in the success of others. In fact, two of his past trainees – Drs. Jessica Faulkner and Dr. Laszlo Kovacs – are now both well-funded MCG faculty.
Dr. Meghan McGee-Lawrence is a biomedical engineer and NIH-funded investigator who also serves as chair of our Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy. Her research is focused on bone and muscle mass, especially in the face of aging and disease. She is principal investigator on a multi-million dollar grant from the National Institute on Aging to study the crosstalk between bone, the adrenal glands, the muscle and fat in our bodies and how that changes as we age. She is also a co-investigator on a Program Project grant and contact PI on another multi-PI NIH grant. She is also a true collaborator and someone who places tremendous value on collaboration in science.
I could go on and on about these exceptional faculty and their achievements, but for now, just let me offer my congratulations to you all. Thank you for the work you do to advance science and to support this medical school.
Please join us next Thursday as we celebrate our Class of 2025
As we wrap up today, I wanted to take a moment to ask you to join us next Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Bell Auditorium for our Class of 2025’s Hooding Ceremony. We will celebrate nearly 250 of our amazing students, our newest alumni and our newest colleagues.
This year’s keynote speaker is also an alum with quite an inspiring story. Dr. Betsy Grunch is a 2007 graduate who practices neurosurgery at the Longstreet Clinic in Gainesville, Georgia. You may know her better as “ladyspinedoc” on social media, where she demystifies the complexities of neurosurgery while offering a candid look at her life as a mother, wife and friend. What you may not know is her journey to medicine is deeply personal. I’ll save most of that story for Dr. Grunch to tell us at Hooding, but here’s a short version: When Dr. Grunch was 13, her police officer mother was injured in the line of duty and became a quadriplegic. That fueled her desire to become a physician and after residency and fellowship, she joined the same practice that treated her mother. Her story is remarkable, and I’m sure her speech will be truly inspiring. Hope to see you there!
My best to you always,
David C. Hess, MD
Dean, Medical College of Georgia
Upcoming Events
May 8 – MCG Hooding Ceremony, 2pm, James Brown Arena
May 29-31 – MCG Faculty Development Conference, Jekyll Island
