Dear Medical College of Georgia Friends,

MCG earns multiple honors at American Heart Association Hypertension Scientific Sessions

Last week in Baltimore, true to their usual great form, Medical College of Georgia researchers made an excellent showing at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions – largely considered a premier global event for cardiovascular science. Our scientists received numerous accolades, and what makes this achievement especially meaningful is that many of those honored were graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Their successes are certainly a reflection of the deep commitment our faculty have to mentorship and to shaping the next generation of leaders in biomedical research. These young investigators and their mentors are advancing science and carrying forward the proud 200-year legacy of MCG. (You know I love history lessons: Did you know that Dr. William Hamilton, MCG’s chair of physiology and pharmacology, invented the Hamilton Manometer in 1945, which enabled the first print recording ever made of blood pressure pulses in a human?)

Despite numerous advances in science since, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in Georgia and across the nation. The work being done by these emerging scholars will undoubtedly have impacts well beyond the lab.

Many awardees are young investigators, a testament to MCG faculty’s mentorship

The list of awards was prestigious and long and includes:

• A New Investigator Travel Award for Elizabeth Aboagye, a graduate student in Dr. Benard Ogola’s lab in the Vascular Biology Center;

• From Dr. Eric Belin de Chantemele’s VBC lab: graduate students Candee Barris (Hypertension New Investigator Travel Award), Ishara M.G. Menik (Hypertension Early Career Oral Award), and Beryl Khakina (Trainee Onsite Poster Award for a New Investigator); as well as former postdoc Dr. Thiago Bruder (now on faculty at the University of South Alabama), who received the Harry Goldblatt Award for a New Investigator;

• Elisabeth Mellott, a graduate student in Dr. Jessica Faulkner’s lab in the Department of Physiology, won an onsite poster award;

• Dr. Samual Walton, a postdoc in Dr. Justine Abais-Battad’s lab in Physiology, was an onsite Trainee Advisory Committee Poster Competition winner;

• And Dr. Daria Ilatovskaya, also from Physiology, was recognized with the Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease’s Mid-Career Achievement Award and Lecture

Congratulations on this international recognition of your success and thank you for making all of us so proud.

Dr. Danielle Mor and family pen children’s book to spark scientific curiosity

The discoveries made at the bench here are impressive – but time and again, I’m reminded by our faculty and our students that some of the most inspiring accomplishments happen beyond these walls. Here’s a prime example: one of our most prolific young investigators in the Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine is Dr. Danielle Mor. You may remember that just last year she was awarded $2.3 million in funding as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) High-Risk, High-Reward Research program to help better understand genetic regulators involved in Parkinson’s disease and determine the efficacy of novel treatments.

When she’s not trying to better understand and find better treatments for a disease that affects over 1 million people in the US alone, she’s finding other ways to help people and get interested in science and discovery – by becoming a children’s book author. Dr. Mor, along with her parents Dr. Eva Mor and Gabi Mor, are authors of A Story of Molecular Crime – An Amazing Journey in Emma’s Brain. The book, which aims to get children more interested in learning about the brain, follows Emma, a 12-year-old born and raised in Augusta, who gets an infection from a rusty nail and what happens when bacteria enter the blood and damage the neurons in her brain. With a cast of imaginative and engaging characters, the book makes complex science accessible and fun for kids and adults.

We’ll be hosting a book launch for Dr. Mor and her family on campus – stay tuned for more details soon. What a neat way to inspire curiosity and invest in the next generation.

Northwest campus mission trip demonstrates the impact of MCG across the world

Here’s yet another example of how MCG’s people are shaping lives – not just locally, or even in our state – but globally.

The last week of August, 10 students from our Northwest Campus in Rome, along with campus dean Dr. Paul Brock, served on a medical mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Accompanied by four volunteer faculty physicians – Drs. Billy Chacko, Heather Pryor, Shalini Reddy and Henaro Sabino, and Vicki Wiles, our clinical rotation coordinator there, the team traveled to five different locations over five days, ultimately serving 1,640 patients. This annual experience has been woven into the campus’ curriculum because, as Dr. Brock reminds us all, the message it sends to our students is an important one: every patient, regardless of their background or access to care, deserves the same compassion, dignity and treatment.

The impact on the communities they served was certainly profound. Patients received care they might otherwise never have access to – basic health screenings, treatment for chronic conditions, and the simple reassurance that someone was listening and willing to help. No doubt these communities and people had an impact on these volunteers too. This is just one more example of how the fabric of MCG is made up of not just great doctors, but compassionate leaders. Thank you all for your example.

Retired Col. Nelson So picked to lead new Columbia County hospital

Switching gears just bit but still staying with our “impact theme” this week – another way we’re expanding that is by improving access to care with the opening our new hospital in Columbia County – a 100-bed facility (the county’s first) that is slated to open next year. There was some exciting progress this week when Wellstar Health System named retired U.S. Army Colonel Nelson So as the hospital’s first chief operating officer. Col. So brings decades of leadership experience, including his role as deputy commander for administration at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center from August 2023 to September 2024. His deep ties to the Augusta area and his distinguished military service, including commanding roles at Joint Base Lewis McChord and Wiesbaden Army Health Clinic, make him uniquely qualified to lead this new facility. This new hospital will serve as a teaching site for our medical students, residents and faculty and certainly helps extend our academic mission of advancing medical education while improving access to care across the region. I look forward to working with Col. So.

Health Connect South brings opportunity to highlight how MCG/AU’s partnership with Wellstar is making positive impacts across the state

The Columbia County Hospital is just one example of how our partnership with Wellstar is transforming health care across Georgia. Together, we’re expanding access to care – especially through innovative telehealth and digital health initiatives – creating more training opportunities for students and residents, and helping ensure that more physicians choose to stay and serve in Georgia. We’re also advancing research collaborations that elevate both Augusta University and Wellstar’s national profiles.

I’m excited for an opportunity to discuss these efforts on a bigger stage, alongside AU President Russell Keen and Wellstar President & CEO Candice Saunders, at next week’s Health Connect South annual meeting in Atlanta.

My best to you always,

David C. Hess, MD

Dean, Medical College of Georgia

Upcoming Events

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

October 17 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium

November 13 – MCG Investiture Ceremony, 5 pm, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium

November 14 – Body Donor Memorial Service, 1 pm, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium