Dear Medical College of Georgia friends,
Dr. David Munn appointed director of the Georgia Cancer Center
I want to begin this week with some good news for the Georgia Cancer Center. Dr. David Munn has agreed to serve as director on a permanent basis. This is an important step for the Cancer Center, and I believe that he brings the kind of steady, thoughtful leadership that will serve our faculty, staff, and patients well. As you all know, he has been in the interim role since March, and he has already worked toward strengthening our clinical trials processes, improving coordination across teams, and beginning the recruitment of new basic and translational scientists. That is a testament to his quiet but determined way of moving things forward.
Dr. Munn is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist, a Regents’ Professor, and co‑director of our Pediatric Immunotherapy Program. He is also an internationally respected physician‑scientist whose work helped reshape how we understand the relationship between cancer and the immune system. His early discovery — with Andrew Mellor, PhD — that tumors use the enzyme IDO to suppress the immune response led to the development of IDO inhibitors now in clinical trials around the world, including here at the Georgia Cancer Center. These therapies are giving new options to children with recurrent brain tumors, where options have historically been limited.
Dr. Munn’s leadership will help us continue our momentum toward NCI designation
One of the things I appreciate most about Dr. Munn is his deep sense of service. He is someone who always puts MCG’s mission and people first. He knows this place well, he cares about it deeply, and he has a clear vision for where the Cancer Center needs to go. Under his leadership, we are well positioned to continue building the research infrastructure and scientific depth needed to move toward NCI designation. That designation would expand access to advanced trials and therapies for patients across Georgia, including those in rural and underserved communities.
Dr. Munn is also one of our own. A 1984 graduate of MCG, he returned to Augusta in 1990 after training at Rainbow Babies’ and Children’s Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering and has been giving back to his medical school ever since. Please join me in congratulating him on this well‑earned appointment. I look forward to the work we will accomplish together.
Annual Faculty Senate Awards give us the opportunity to celebrate our amazing faculty
I am reminded often just how fortunate we are to have such remarkable faculty across this medical school, like Dr. Munn. That was certainly apparent last week as we gathered for our annual Faculty Senate Awards, where he was honored as this year’s Outstanding Faculty Award recipient — certainly a well‑deserved recognition.
The Awards Ceremony is always a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the many people who make MCG what it is. We always begin this ceremony with our Educator of the Year Awards, which are especially meaningful because they are chosen by our students as a way to recognize the faculty who have helped them grow into the physicians they are becoming.
This year’s Educator of the Year recipients and the classes who chose them are:
Class of 2026: Dr. Jack Ellis — Department of Medicine, Main Campus; and Dr. Kurt Horst — Department of Emergency Medicine, AU/UGA Medical Partnership
Class of 2027: Dr. Ellis — Main Campus; Dr. John Allen — Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, AU/UGA Medical Partnership; and Dr. Hunter Faircloth — Department of Emergency Medicine, MCG Savannah
Class of 2028: Dr. Nicole Winston — Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Main Campus; Dr. Melanie Wooten — Department of Pathology, AU/UGA Medical Partnership; and Dr. Folami Powell — Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MCG Savannah
Class of 2029: Dr. Olivia Wireman — Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Main Campus; Dr. Brett Syzmik — Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, AU/UGA Medical Partnership; and
Dr. Elapulli Prakash — Department of Physiology, MCG Savannah
Our students also chose to honor our Departments of Cellular Biology and Anatomy and Medicine for their basic science and clinical teaching, respectively.
Dr. Neal Weintraub receives Mentoring Excellence Award
I am so grateful and proud of the ways our faculty invest in the future of science and medicine. One way we recognize that dedication every year is with our Mentoring Excellence Award. This year it went to Dr. Neal Weintraub.
Dr. Weintraub, professor and chief of the Division of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine, is nothing short of an exceptional mentor. His trainees consistently report greater satisfaction, stronger retention, and reduced burnout — a clear reflection of the supportive culture he has built. He pairs high professional standards with genuine care for personal well‑being, creating an environment where students, physician‑scientists, and early‑career faculty feel valued and empowered to grow.
His impact extends well beyond day‑to‑day guidance. Trainees describe him as a steady, thoughtful advisor as they navigate academic and professional challenges, offering individualized career development support and encouragement. Many have gone on to secure competitive awards, advance impactful research programs, and assume leadership roles across the field, which is perhaps the strongest testament to his influence and commitment to the future of our profession. A well‑deserved honor. Congratulations, Dr. Weintraub.
Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Dr. Yong Park
We also took time to recognize a colleague whose decades of service, leadership, and dedication have made an extraordinary impact on our institution and on the field of pediatric neurology. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Yong Park.
Dr. Park has devoted more than three decades to advancing pediatric neurology at MCG and the Wellstar Galisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia. Since joining our faculty in 1991, he has become a regional leader in pediatric epilepsy and an internationally respected expert in child neurology. His impact on patient care andscientific discovery is remarkable. In 2015, Dr. Park led one of Georgia’s early landmark expanded‑access studies evaluating highly purified, plant‑derived CBD for children and young adults with severe, intractable epilepsy. The success of that work contributed to the FDA’s 2018 approval of Epidiolex for several rare and devastating epilepsy syndromes, which changed the lives of patients and families around the world.
Dr. Park has directed the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, led the Child Neurology section for a decade, and shaped countless trainees as Residency Program Director and as a mentor across multiple graduate programs. His contributions include 75 clinical trials, 80 peer‑reviewed publications, and more than 200 scientific presentations and abstracts. Like many of our faculty, he is a servant leader outside the walls of this medical school, dedicating himself to global medical mission work.
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe embodies the “Spirit of MCG”
This year’s Spirit of MCG Award, which recognizes someone whose service, leadership, and daily actions reflect the values that define our medical school, was presented to Dr. Ravindra Kolhe. Dr. Kolhe, professor and chair of the Department of Pathology and associate dean for Translational Research, has spent more than a decade strengthening MCG through his leadership, cross‑departmental collaboration, and commitment to our academic medical mission. As director of the Georgia Esoteric and Molecular Laboratory, he has built a comprehensive molecular diagnostics program that advances patient care, accelerates translational research, and supports clinical trials across multiple departments.
His leadership during the COVID‑19 pandemic, designing and deploying the region’s first SARS‑CoV‑2 test and scaling those operations to include more than 150,000 tests, was just one powerful example of his dedication to patient care, public health and this medical school. Even with an 80% clinical workload, he remains a devoted educator and mentor, guiding more than 25 trainees whose work has led to national presentations, publications, and successful fellowships. His contributions truly reflect the “Spirit of MCG.”
Dr. Ralf Lucas receives this year’s Institutional Service
This year’s Institutional Service Award was presented to Dr. Ralf Lucas, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and the Vascular Biology Center, who has made an extraordinary impact over the past two decades.
He has played a key role in strengthening graduate and postdoctoral training, supporting important institutional committees, and helping build a more rigorous and supportive research environment. His leadership of the VBC Graduate Program and the VBC Postdoctoral Evaluation Committee has helped position trainees for competitive funding success, including recent postdocs earning American Heart Association awards under his guidance. He has also served as chair of the Institutional Biosafety Committee, Graduate Research Day director, and on the Promotion & Tenure and Graduate Council. Dr. Lucas has also helped strengthen MCG’s national reputation through editorial board service, elected leadership in the European Respiratory Society, and major grant review responsibilities for the NIH and American Heart Association, including chairing multiple high‑impact AHA panels.
Dr. Dan‑Victor Giurgiutiu honored for his dedication to patients
This year’s Patient Care Award went to Dr. Dan‑Victor Giurgiutiu, an associate professor in the Department of Neurology and an interventional neurologist and co‑director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center. Dr. Giurgiutiu is known for his exceptional dedication to patient care, his leadership in strengthening stroke services, and the steady, compassionate presence he brings to both patients and colleagues. And that shows in every part of his work.
He is consistently one of the highest‑rated clinicians in the department, earning outstanding patient satisfaction scores and heartfelt testimonials from those he has treated, praising his thoroughness, compassion, and willingness to go above and beyond. Nursing staff and colleagues describe him as approachable, dependable, and dedicated to patient well‑being, often making himself available at any time to support both patients and the care team. His nominators also noted that his clinical excellence, community engagement, and exemplary mentorship have significantly elevated the quality of care for patients and strengthened the training we provide to our residents and fellows.
Distinguished Faculty Awards honor clinical and basic science teaching and research; and early career achievements
This year’s Distinguished Faculty Awards went to:
For Basic Science Teaching: Dr. Darren Browning, a standout educator whose clear, rigorous teaching and thoughtful curriculum design have strengthened graduate training across the biomedical sciences programs.
For Clinical Science Teaching: Dr. Julie Dahl‑Smith, an exceptional clinician‑educator whose decades of leadership in teaching, curriculum development, and mentorship have shaped generations of trainees.
For Basic Science Research: Dr. Muthusamy Thangaraju, an internationally recognized basic scientist whose well‑funded research program has advanced understanding of cancer chemoprevention, DNA methylation, tumor suppressor pathways, and metabolic regulation.
For Clinical Science Research: Dr. Laura Carbone, an outstanding physician‑scientist whose work has shaped national guidelines and improved care for patients with osteoporosis, fracture risk, and spinal cord injury.
As Outstanding Early Career Basic Science Faculty: Dr. David Wolff, a rising leader whose innovative work on GTP metabolism — a key cellular “on switch” that can drive cancer spread when dysregulated — has already earned national recognition, including an NCI K99/R00 award.
As Outstanding Early Career Clinical Science Faculty: Dr. Amany Keruakous, who has already established herself as a regional and national expert in multiple myeloma and cellular therapy, with an impressive clinical research portfolio and strong mentorship of fellows.
Dr. Drew Dill, from our Department of Emergency Medicine, named Resident of the Year
Each year we also recognize one of our trainees with the annual Walter J. Moore Outstanding Housestaff Award, which celebrates the accomplishments of our residents who are not just essential to our patient care and education missions, but who will shape the future of our medical school and our profession. This year’s winner was Dr. Drew Dill, the Academic Chief Resident in Emergency Medicine. His nominator wrote about how he has strengthened the program’s didactic curriculum, helped redesign it into a new 18‑month structure, and created innovative teaching tools such as the monthly “Didactics Month in Review” series and an interactive Emergency Medicine Jeopardy curriculum. They praised his calm, decisive performance in high‑acuity situations, shaped in part by his experience as a combat‑trained Army officer, and his ability to process complex information quickly and communicate clearly with multidisciplinary teams. He has also been a steady, approachable leader for his peers, a dedicated mentor, and a driving force behind the development of a Military Unique Curriculum for the many active‑duty residents in the program.
Other nominees for Resident of the Year were: Dr. Kaitlyn Blanchard from the Department of Dermatology; Dr. Harry Musson, a fellow in our Addiction Medicine Program; and Dr. Austin West, a fellow in the Cardiovascular Disease Training Program. Congratulations to you all.
Our Faculty Awards Ceremony reflects the work of many
As we close what I know has been a longer Dean’s Diary than usual, I want to say that I think it’s extremely important to recognize here the extraordinary people who make this medical school so special. Celebrating the hard work, creativity, and achievements of our faculty, staff, and trainees is an essential part of who we are at MCG.
I also want to extend my sincere thanks to the Faculty Senate, and especially the Faculty Recognition Committee, for their thoughtful review of the award nominations. And I want to express my appreciation to the staff of the Dean’s Office, particularly Crystal Hucksam, our Faculty Senate Coordinator; Leslie Bedenbaugh, Coordinator for Administrative Operations; and Tomika Jordan, Administrative Assistant, for their flawless planning and execution of this annual ceremony.
My best to you all,
David C. Hess, MD
Dean, Medical College of Georgia
Upcoming Events
June 26 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium
