Dear Medical College of Georgia Friends,
MCG Class of 2026 has a 98% Match Rate – higher than the national average
Although our senior medical students won’t officially graduate until May, Match Day often feels like the true capstone of medical school. It’s the moment when years of hard work and determination truly come to fruition for our students, as they learn where they will continue their training in their chosen fields. This cherished, and fun, tradition certainly holds a special place in the life of this medical school. Last Friday, we held simultaneous celebrations for our students and their family and friends at our main campus in Augusta and at our Partnership Campus in Athens. It may have been in two different locations, but I assure you that everyone there had the same sense of pride in what these future physicians have achieved. For me personally, Match Day is a powerful reminder of why we do this work and of the bright future these new physicians will help shape.
As has long been our proud tradition, our students performed exceptionally well. MCG achieved a 98% match rate this year, again surpassing the national match rate of 93%. This success reflects the talent and dedication of our students and the unwavering commitment of our faculty and staff who are so committed to their success. This year’s Match was historic nationally as well. According to the National Resident Matching Program, the 2026 Match was the largest in its history, with more than 53,000 applicants registered and over 44,000 residency positions offered across more than 6,800 program tracks. To excel in a Match of this scale speaks volumes about the strength of our students and the reputation of MCG.
More students are staying in Georgia to train – including at MCG-affiliated residency programs
This year, we celebrated 269 seniors who will join residency programs across Georgia and across the country, including our fourth graduating class of PGY‑1 Pathway Peach State Scholars. Once this group completes their Georgia-based residency programs, they commit to serving rural Georgia through primary care. This year, 8 of the 12 Scholars matched into Wellstar MCG or MCG‑affiliated residency programs, continuing to strengthen the primary care pipeline for our state.
Across the full class, several highlights stand out:
- 82 students (31%) will complete their PGY‑1 year in Georgia, and 34 students (13%) will train at Wellstar MCG or MCG‑affiliated programs, including the Medical Partnership in Athens and Wellstar/Kennestone in Atlanta.
- 169 students (64%) matched into primary care fields, as defined by the Georgia Board for Healthcare Workforce, including Internal Medicine, OB/Gyn, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Psychiatry, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, and Med/Peds.
- Our seniors matched into 22 specialties across 34 states.
- 27% of the class will remain in Georgia for their second postgraduate year, a 7% increase from last year, underscoring our continued and growing contribution to the state’s physician workforce.
Also of note, every single one of our first‑year residency positions at Wellstar MCG Health and MCG were filled — a clear sign of the strength and reputation of our training programs. And all of these results speak to the dedication of our students, the commitment of our faculty and staff, and the shared mission of our medical school and teaching hospital to serve Georgia through excellence in medical education and training.
Dr. Yun Lei receives $2.8 million grant to better understand Alzheimer’s disease
This week’s momentum doesn’t stop with great Match results. Our faculty continue to make their mark through impactful research, including important new work from Dr. Yun Lei in our Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Lei recently secured a nearly $2.8 million National Institutes of Health R01 grant to investigate why certain neurons in the brain’s entorhinal cortex (that critical area of the brain that is a key in memory formation and information processing) are especially vulnerable in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Her team is exploring how changes in gene regulation — particularly involving the enzyme EZH2 — may accelerate neuronal aging and degeneration, with the goal of identifying new therapeutic targets.
There’s more. A new paper from her lab has also been accepted by Molecular Psychiatry. This study, conducted with Department Chair Dr. Xin‑Yun Lu, examines the role of another regulatory enzyme, HDAC9, in cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s. Their findings show that HDAC9 helps maintain memory and learning, and that boosting its levels in neurons can preserve cognitive function and even reduce Alzheimer’s‑related pathology in mouse models.
Did you know that the Alzheimer’s Association reports that without medical breakthroughs, like these discoveries could be, the number of seniors with Alzheimer’s will reach 13.8 million by 2050. We must find more ways to treat and prevent this devastating disease. Thank you both for this important work.
Dr. Lynn Hedrick tapped to serve on boards for Southeastern Immunology Symposium and GRA
I don’t have to remind any of you that MCG faculty are leaders in their fields — they lead here at home, and their expertise earns them important roles well beyond these walls. A great example is Dr. Catherine “Lynn” Hedrick, co‑director of the Immunology Center of Georgia and a Georgia Research Alliance Bradley Turner Eminent Scholar, who was recently appointed to two new and significant leadership positions: the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Immunology Symposium and the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Research Alliance.
Dr. Hedrick’s work helped us better understand how the immune system’s first responders – monocytes and neutrophils – drive heart disease and cancer, two leading causes of death in the United States. These new appointments reflect the influence of that scholarship.
In her role with the Southeastern Immunology Symposium — an annual meeting showcasing the latest in basic, translational, and clinical immunology — she will serve as Conference Chair in 2027, when Augusta University co‑hosts the event with the Medical University of South Carolina. IMMCG will also be well represented at the 2026 symposium this summer in Asheville, with several faculty slated to present. Her appointment to the GRA Board of Trustees places her among leaders who help shape the state’s research priorities. The GRA has been instrumental in strengthening collaboration across Georgia’s research universities – here being no exception – and in elevating the state to a top‑ten national ranking in research and development. Dr. Hedrick’s leadership is proof of the growing visibility of our immunology program and MCG’s role in advancing scientific discovery across Georgia and the Southeast.
Athens Alumni Reception welcomes nearly 100 MCG supporters
This past week also brought another chance to connect on the road with our alumni, at the always well‑attended — and growing — MCG Alumni Association Regional Reception in Athens. I’m thankful to everyone who was able to join us for a great evening featuring fantastic food and even greater fellowship. Dr. Vanessa Spearman‑McCarthy, ’05, our current MCGAA president, brought greetings, and it was wonderful to see her joined by her father, Dr. Ron Spearman, a 1974 MCG graduate and member of the MCG Foundation Board. Ian Mercier, CEO of the MCG Foundation, was also there, along with another board member, Dr. Anil Puri and his terrific family. We were also pleased to welcome members of the Georgia House Representatives Houston Gaines (R‑Athens) and Eric Gisler (D‑Watkinsville).
I am always grateful to Dr. Mark Ellison, ’82, and his wife, Betsy, who have graciously hosted this event at their home every other year in Athens since 1995 — what a great tradition they have created and continue to support. Our partners at Synovus Bank once again sponsored the reception, and we appreciated Jody Patton, Northeast Division CEO, and Robert Hardell, Senior Vice President, for joining us at this year’s reception. Robert’s son, Davis — a member of our Class of 2026 — was there as well and celebrated his recent Match to the OB/Gyn residency program at Prisma Health in Greenville. The night also brought the chance to visit with Dr. David Sailors, a 1988 graduate and vascular surgeon in Athens, who also serves as a team physician for UGA’s football program.
Several students from our Classes of 2027, 2028 and 2029 were there as well
It was also great to see Dr. William W. “Bill” Orr, Jr. and his wife, Vicki, along with Dr. Nina Herrington and Dr. Mixon Robinson, all from the Class of 1976, who will be celebrating their 50th this year. They all shared that they’re already looking forward to Alumni Weekend 2026. (You can register now at augusta.edu/alumniweekend.)
One of the true highlights of these visits, for me, is the opportunity to spend time with our students who call that campus home. Representing the Class of 2027 were Anna Caroline Paschall and Kenny Ume, who brought greetings from the Medical Partnership. I also enjoyed visiting with Class of 2028 students Darien Hey, Owen Kennedy, and Stephen Michaels. Stephen, a former Tufts football player, is pursuing orthopaedic surgery. And from the Class of 2029, it was wonderful to meet Ansleigh Abell and Olivia Gould — Olivia is president of her class, a proud Penn State alumna and Nittany Lion fan, and is interested in a future in trauma surgery.
Every day I am reminded what a privilege it is to see MCG’s impact across our state and far beyond — whether through educating the next generation of physicians, advancing research discoveries that will shape the future of health care, or witnessing the countless ways our alumni are strengthening the communities they serve. It is an honor to share in this work with all of you.
My best to you all,
David C. Hess, MD
Dean, Medical College of Georgia
Upcoming Events
April 17 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium
April 24-26 – Alumni Weekend, augusta.edu/alumniweekend.
May 7 – MCG Hooding Ceremony, 2 p.m., Bell Auditorium
