Dear Medical College of Georgia Friends,

We have our largest group ever of residents and fellows this year

I’d like to start out this week with a little history and a little trivia… and some good news. I told you last year that MCG started its first graduate medical education training program in 1888 when the faculty appointed the first honor student from each graduating class as house physician at what was then-called City Hospital. You’ll remember that this was a year before the nation’s first “official” GME program started at Johns Hopkins. Now for some trivia – do you know what MCG’s first official GME program was? And do you know what our newest program is? (SPOILERS BELOW)

The very first official residency program here was….in our Department of Pediatrics, which welcomed its first trainee in 1934. Nearly 90 years later, in 2023, we launched our newest GME program – our three-year fellowship in maternal and fetal medicine. We now have 50 GME programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (only a handful do not fall under that governance), and we have consistently trained around 585 residents and fellows each year. The great news this year is that after we welcome our newest trainees next week, we’ll have our largest group ever – with 611 residents and fellows across our medical school and health system. A lot of the increase is due to the incredible work of Dr. Natasha Savage, our extraordinary senior associate dean for graduate medical education (an MCG grad and former pathology trainee herself). She has been instrumental in securing additional residency slots under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, allowing us to expand programs in Psychiatry, OB/GYN, and Surgery. Additionally, with support from our great clinical partners at Wellstar, we’ve been able to invest in expanding our Pediatrics training program.

New collaborations in Thomasville expanding GME and UME opportunities in that corner of the state

Expansion of GME here is certainly a step in the right direction. But we must do more. As you all know, even though Georgia is the 8th most populous state, we still rank 40th in the nation in physicians per capita. A major factor is the shortage of residency slots, limiting the number of medical school graduates who can complete their training here. And while MCG boasts the 4th largest first-year class size in the country, we alone cannot fully bridge the gap. Addressing this challenge requires innovative solutions and strong partnerships across the state.

One way we’re tackling this issue is by collaborating with hospitals statewide to establish new training programs. Earlier this week, we had a fantastic visit to Thomasville, where we’re partnering with Archbold Medical Center and their three-year-old internal medicine residency program. There are also plans for a psychiatry residency soon. Archbold has been an outstanding educational partner in Southwest Georgia – in both GME and UME. In fact, when our newest group of 18 third-year students begins training at our Southwest Campus in January, six of them will be based there.

We were joined there by the House Health Appropriations Subcommittee, led by Thomasville native Rep. Darlene Taylor

Our visit was even more special because we were joined by the House Health Appropriations Subcommittee, led by Representative Darlene Taylor, a proud Thomasville native. If you attended our gathering in Jekyll last month, you may have met her or her husband, who were both deeply engaged and eager to explore ways MCG can collaborate with their hometown’s health care community. It was a meaningful discussion, and I was grateful to be joined by several current members of the Georgia General Assembly, including former Dean of the House Calvin Smyre, as well as Dr. Natasha Savage, our Southwest Campus leadership—Drs. Doug Patten and Koosh Desai; and from Archbold, Darcy Craven, the CEO; Dr. Raul Santos, a nephrologist and director of the internal medicine residency; Dr. Greg Patterson an MCG alum and general/vascular surgeon who teaches our students on their surgery clerkship; and Savannah McGowan, director of physician education and their coordinator for GME.

Southwest campus students Alyssa Findley and Paul Wang, as well as Augusta-based third-year Peach State Scholar, Nikul Parikh, who is from nearby Moultrie and is currently doing a one-week clinical immersion with the internal medicine residency program at Archbold.

I continue to be impressed and proud of how this medical school, our health system and our partners statewide are committed to shaping the future of medical education and strengthening the physician workforce across Georgia. And of course, no trip through Southwest Georgia would be complete without the long but scenic drive home, with a stop in Vienna at Ellis Brothers Pecans – a great cap to a productive visit.

First Assurance in Medicine cohort in on campus now

One of our most vital missions is ensuring that every Georgian – no matter where they live – has access to the best possible treatments and cures. A key part of achieving this is strengthening physician pipelines in communities like Thomasville.

Another way we’re addressing this challenge is through our new admissions pathway program, AIM (Assurance in Medicine). AIM provides educational and experiential support to qualified pre-health college students – Georgia residents from underserved areas and backgrounds – helping them successfully matriculate into MCG, and we hope one day return to those communities to practice. I’m proud to share that our first cohort of AIM students – six rising juniors and five rising seniors from six different universities – arrived on campus Monday. I had the pleasure of meeting all of them yesterday. They are from all over Georgia and attending Augusta University, Dalton State, College of Coastal Georgia, Columbus State, Georgia Southern and Albany State Over the next several weeks, they’ll immerse themselves in MCAT preparation, clinical exposure, mentoring, and service-learning projects. And even after they leave campus on July 18th, MCG will continue to provide them with longitudinal support throughout their undergraduate journey.

I must give a huge shoutout here to our admissions team, led by MCG alum Dr. Kelli Braun. As a native of underserved Liberty County, Dr. Braun brings a deep understanding of the challenges faced by exceptional students who might not otherwise have access to the resources needed to pursue medical school. Dr. Braun takes her job of matriculating the best possible students to MCG incredibly seriously and I must add, stood this entire program up in about six months.

Third-year student Archana Venkatesan selected to receive prestigious American Society of Hematology Award

There’s no doubt that MCG is home to some of the most exceptional medical students in the country – future physicians and physician-scientists who will go on to transform lives through patient care and groundbreaking research. Here’s just one example: Third-year student Archana Venkatesan, who was recently selected as one of only 30 medical students and residents nationwide to receive the prestigious 2025 Hematology Opportunities for the Next Generation of Research Scientists (HONORS) Award from the American Society of Hematology (ASH). This award supports promising medical students and residents with an interest in hematology who have not yet entered a hematology-related training program, providing $5,000 to advance their research. Archana’s work focuses on investigating access to health care – and how that impacts health outcomes. My congratulations, Archana. I know you will continue to represent MCG well on a national stage.

Drs. Champa Woodham and Paul Mann appointed to DPH’s Regional Perinatal System Advisory Committee

Speaking of representing MCG well, I wanted to let you know that two of our own were recently appointed as voting members of the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Regional Perinatal System Advisory Committee. Dr. Champa Woodham, director of our Maternal and Fetal Medicine Fellowship, and Dr. Paul Mann, chief of neonatology, will serve on this critical committee for the next four years, advising the DPH on the development and implementation of a statewide perinatal system. Their work will help ensure that every mother and baby in Georgia receives the highest quality maternal, fetal, neonatal, and infant care. This work is especially important as Georgia continues to grapple with alarmingly high maternal and infant mortality rates – among the worst in the nation and even worse than some third-world countries. The work of Drs. Woodham and Mann, and the entire committee, is undoubtedly improving outcomes for families across the state. Thank you both for your continued commitment to the health and well-being of Georgia’s mothers and children.

Dr. Brian Annex awarded $8.5 million from Leducq Foundation aimed at better treatments for peripheral artery disease

We started this week with some great news, so we should end with some as well. I’m excited to share that Dr. Brian Annex, our chair of the Department of Medicine, has received a highly prestigious $8.5 million grant from the Leducq Foundation for Cardiovascular Research to find better treatments for peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD is a common condition in which fatty deposits narrow or block arteries supplying blood to the legs, leading to pain, impaired mobility, and an increased risk of amputation. Current treatments like exercise, lifestyle changes, and medications often fall short, and previous clinical trials aimed at improving blood flow have largely failed.

 The newly funded ARTIST (Arteriogenesis in Translation) study will support Dr. Annex, a cardiologist by training, and an international network of researchers working to understand how small arteries form, with the hope of developing entirely new treatment approaches for PAD and similar diseases. Dr. Annex is leading the US research team, alongside investigators from places like Yale (his medical school alma mater), Boston University, and the University of Utah. The European team, led by Dr. Christiana Ruhrberg of University College London, includes researchers from University College Dublin and Oxford University. Over the next five years, the labs will use human samples, cell studies, and mouse models to explore why some individuals naturally develop effective blood vessel networks while others do not. Previous attempts to stimulate blood vessel growth in PAD patients using vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) failed, as the resulting vessels were weak and leaky – similar to those found in cancer. Now, researchers aim to direct specific cells to grow stronger, more mature vessels that can effectively deliver oxygen to affected muscles.

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) affects millions of people, particularly older adults, smokers, and those with diabetes and can have worse outcomes for some populations. PAD is a major problem in Georgia and the Southeastern US is the “amputation belt.” Thank you, Dr. Annex and team, for working to find better solutions for them. Their work will kick off in January.

My best to you always,

David C. Hess, MD

Dean, Medical College of Georgia

Upcoming Events

August 22 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium

September 19 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium

October 24 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium