Dear Medical College of Georgia Friends,
Dr. Stephen Shiver named chair of our Department of Emergency Medicine
I’m excited to share some great news with you all today. Dr. Stephen Shiver has officially been named chair of our Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Shiver is truly one of our own, having earned his medical degree and completed his residency training right here at MCG before joining the faculty in 2005. He’s been with us ever since, dedicating his career to education, clinical excellence and leadership.
Many of you will remember his nine years as residency program director, a time when the program grew significantly and launched what has now become a 17-year partnership with the U.S. Army to train active-duty personnel in emergency medicine. He later moved into clinical operations, serving as medical director of the emergency department and then vice chair of clinical operations, before stepping into the interim chair role earlier this year.
Dr. Shiver is a proven leader who has dedicated much of his career to training the next generation
Running an emergency department is no small task. It is a place where patients often arrive on the worst day of their lives, and the challenge is to deliver the compassionate, high-quality care they deserve in a high-stakes environment. Yet it is also deeply rewarding work, and Dr. Shiver has shown time and again that he is committed to leading with empathy, efficiency and vision.
The “patient experience” scores in the Emergency Department (ED) have dramatically improved, a testimony to Dr. Shiver’s leadership and all the physicians, nurses and staff in the ED. For that and many other reasons, I’m glad to know that Dr. Shiver will continue guiding the department through an exciting period of growth and transition, including the Wellstar partnership and the opening of the new Columbia County hospital. His vision is clear: strengthen our foundation in education and research while ensuring that the Wellstar MCG Health Emergency Department delivers efficient, patient-centered, world-class care to patients across Georgia and beyond.
Ketul J. Patel joins Wellstar as new CEO
In more exciting news, Ketul J. Patel has officially joined the Wellstar Health System as president and chief executive officer. He comes to Wellstar with an impressive track record, including serving as CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and president of the Pacific Northwest Region of CommonSpirit Health, where he oversaw 12 hospitals, more than 300 patient care locations, and a team of 20,000, including over 5,600 providers.
During the pandemic, he led the merger of CHI Franciscan and Virginia Mason Health System to form Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, now one of Washington’s largest health care providers – certainly no small feat. Under his leadership, the system earned all ‘A’ Leapfrog Patient Safety Grades – the only health system in Washington to do so – and launched the VMFH Care Network to extend expertise and partnerships across five states. He also had executive oversight of Benaroya Research Institute, internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research, and Bailey-Boushay House, the nation’s first program designed to meet the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Patel this week. A Johnstown, Pennsylvania native and fellow Johns Hopkins alum, he impressed me with his excitement about this new role and his experience merging health systems – an effort that resonates, particularly with our own two-year-old partnership with Wellstar. He understands the value of academic medical centers and “gets us.” The future is very bright for Wellstar MCG Health under his leadership. He also had lunch this week with our clinical chairs, who were all very upbeat after the meeting. We are all excited about the opportunities ahead and look forward to continuing our work together to improve the lives of people in Georgia and beyond.
Temporal Bone Lab named for MCG Alumnus, Dr. James T. Lowe Jr.
No doubt that Mr. Patel’s leadership will help shape the future of health care in Georgia. Closer to home, the generosity of our alumni continues to shape the training of future physicians here at MCG. We had the opportunity to recently celebrate the dedication of the Dr. James T. Lowe, Jr. Temporal Bone Lab in our Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. The temporal bone, though small, plays an oversized role in our daily lives, housing the middle ear and ear canal, transmitting sound and anchoring the muscles that allow us to chew and smile. For otolaryngologists, it represents one of the most technically demanding areas of surgery, requiring years of study and practice. Thanks to the generosity of Dr. James E. Bush (’69), who named the lab in honor of his childhood friend and MCG classmate Dr. Lowe, our residents now have a state-of-the-art space to master this anatomy before ever actually operating on a patient.
Dr. Lowe, a Macon otolaryngologist, tragically died in a plane crash in 1983, but his legacy now lives on in a lab that will train generations of surgeons. At the dedication, Lowe’s daughter, Sarah, spoke movingly about how her father’s passion for medicine is honored through this gift, and Dr. Bush reminded us that his philanthropy was a way of thanking MCG for the opportunity to build a meaningful career. This lab is more than a training space. It is a testament to the mark our alumni leave on the world and the power of their generosity in shaping the future of medical education. Philanthropy is one of the most powerful tools we have to ensure that the next generation of physicians is trained in the very best way possible to carry forward the tradition of excellence that defines MCG.
Annual Body Donor Memorial Service offers time to reflect on those who have given our students the ultimate gift
While we’re talking about recent and meaningful events, last week was our annual memorial service for our body donors, where we honored the families of 72 individuals who made the selfless decision to donate their bodies to science. As I shared with those gathered, there is no substitute for what these donors have given. No textbook, no lecture, no digital model can replicate the experience of learning directly from the human body. Their gift is not only to our students, but to every patient those students will care for one day. Students shared their perspectives with families about how profoundly the donors have shaped their education, and about 35 of them helped make the service special by reading names, offering musical selections, and serving as ushers. It was a powerful reminder that for many of our students, these donors are their very first teachers in medicine and that their legacy will live on.
For me, one of the most poignant moments of the ceremony was looking out into the audience and seeing the first row filled with the family of Dr. Roy Witherington, Class of 1953. Dr. Witherington was a towering presence at MCG, serving for many years as our chief of urology, shaping generations of physicians through his leadership and teaching, and supporting this medical school as a generous donor. His impact on MCG was profound in life, and yet he chose to give one final, extraordinary gift in death: donating his body to our Anatomical Donation Program so that he could continue teaching our students even after his passing. What a legacy he has left.
Local AHA Board, with many from our MCG/AU community, recognized as the gold standard
Like Dr. Witherington, and all our body donors, the desire to serve others and make their lives better truly defines this place. Inside and outside our walls, our faculty, staff, alumni, and friends live lives defined by service. A wonderful example is the work of several members of our MCG/AU community who serve on the CSRA American Heart Association Board: Dr. Chris Ledford from our Department of Family and Community Medicine; Dr. Yanbin Dong from our Georgia Prevention Institute; Dr. Ralph Turner, president of Wellstar MCG Health; and Debbie Layman, AU Foundation Board member, generous supporter, and proud 1978 graduate of our College of Nursing.
These leaders give tirelessly of their time, talent, and resources to improve cardiovascular health in our community through fundraising, education and advocacy. This year, the group was recognized as a Gold Standard Board, one of the highest honors a local board can achieve. Together they helped raise more than $1.4 million to support lifesaving work. Contributions like these remind us of the strength of our community partnerships. This recognition is a testament to their dedication, and its impact is felt right here on our campus. MCG consistently ranks as number one in Georgia for American Heart Association research funding.
Get your submissions in by December 1 for the 2026 IAMSE Conference being hosted in Augusta
I wanted to take the opportunity today to remind you about another way to showcase the impact of the work we do here. The 30th Annual International Association of Medical Science Educators Conference, hosted right here in Augusta, June 6–9, 2026, is the perfect venue to share MCG’s excellence with colleagues from around the world. Since the conference is being held in our own city, I hope to see a strong showing from our faculty and students. I encourage you to submit proposals for poster and oral presentations so that our innovative contributions are well represented. Submission guidelines and here. The deadline is December 1.
A note of thanks
As we close today, I want to pause and thank each of you for all that you do to make MCG such a remarkable place. What makes this medical school special is not just the 200-year history or the buildings, but the people who bring their talent and dedication here every single day. It is truly an honor to serve beside you, and to watch how you impact our students, our patients and our community.
Next week, I hope you will take some time with your loved ones to rest, recharge and enjoy being together. The work we do is demanding, and stepping away for a moment is just as important as the time we spend here. Please know that I am thankful every day for the privilege of leading this medical school, and even more thankful for the colleagues and friends who make it so meaningful.
My best to you always,
David C. Hess, MD
Dean, Medical College of Georgia
Upcoming Events
January 16 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium
