Dear Medical College of Georgia friends,

MCG Class of 2030 welcomed to Augusta and Savannah this week

This week, we welcomed the MCG Class of 2030 to our campuses in Augusta and Savannah. For me, the start of a new academic year always brings a special kind of energy, and a reminder of the privilege we have to educate the best future doctors for Georgia and beyond.

To continue to provide more physicians to Georgia, we increased first-year capacity to 254 students in Augusta and 50 in Savannah. These adjustments offset the 60 seats per class we lost as our Partnership Campus transitions to the UGA School of Medicine (although there will still be MCG students in Athens through 2029).

Interest in MCG continues to grow: We received 3,440 applications, and our Admissions Committee evaluated and interviewed more than 660 outstanding candidates. As always, this class reflects a tradition of excellence, with an overall GPA of 3.85 and an average MCAT of 513. The class includes 127 men and 173 women, and 300 are Georgia residents — 98 from underserved counties, an example of our commitment to educating physicians who understand the communities where they will one day serve.

This group has our first Assurance in Medicine cohort

We also welcomed students from two important pipeline programs that strengthen that commitment to access and opportunity. Our inaugural cohort from the Assurance in Medicine (AIM) Program — talented students from partner institutions near our regional campuses who come from underserved areas and have demonstrated both promise and purpose. And we saw continued momentum in our Early Assurance MS‑to‑MD Pathway, which offers select interviewed applicants the chance to build academic readiness through AU’s Master’s in Medical Physiology program before matriculating to MCG.

This year’s class — including 11 students from our Early Assurance via the Medical Masters Program and our first three AIM students — reflects both the strength of MCG’s academic reputation and the impact of these innovative admissions pathways.

Also among them is Madden Jones, USG-recognized student leader

Among the students joining the Class of 2030 is also Madden Jones, whose leadership at Augusta University has already strengthened the experience of thousands of incoming students. A recent honors graduate in cell and molecular biology, Madden spent four years improving the systems that support orientation and new‑student transitions — work that earned him the University System of Georgia’s Council of Academic Leaders in Student Affairs Star Student Leader Award, one of the USG’s highest recognitions for student leadership. Madden’s ability to build teams and elevate the student experience reflects the kind of mindset that is a hallmark of so many of our medical students and will certainly serve him well at MCG.

Welcome to the entire Class of 2030. We are grateful you chose MCG for your medical education and are so glad you are here.

Each incoming MCG freshman receives a stethoscope provided by generous donors

As we welcome these students as the newest members of the MCG family, we also have the chance to celebrate one of our most meaningful student traditions — presenting each first‑year student with an MCG‑branded stethoscope. I traveled to Savannah yesterday to take part in that event, and it is always so heartening watching them open their boxes for the first time.

Each stethoscope is made possible by a generous donor: an alum, a faculty member, or perhaps a family member who wanted to invest in one (or more) of our students. Many of the boxes include handwritten notes, offering encouragement, wisdom, or simply a reminder that someone believes in them. Those messages and these stethoscopes also connect our students to the generations of MCG physicians who came before them and reflect the confidence we all have in them and the excitement we all have for their futures.

It was great to have some of our donors join us yesterday – including Dr. David and Mrs. Denise Birnbaum, ’86, who traveled all the way from Nashville; Dr. Dan DeLoach, Class of 1974; Dr. Mark Ellison, Class of 1982; Dr. Hunter Faircloth, Class of 2015; Mrs. Roberta Kamine-Haysman – who along with her husband, 1971 graduate Dr. Melvin Haysman, endowed our Stethoscope Program; Dr. John Rowlett, Assoc. Dean at MCG Savannah; and our Alumni Association President and 2005 graduate, Dr. Vanessa Spearman-McCarthy. We were also joined by Dr. William Darden, president of the Georgia Medical Society – the nation’s first medical society, of which I am a proud lifetime member. He was on hand to formally induct our students as the society’s newest members.

I look forward to celebrating this milestone with our Augusta students on Aug. 6.

More updates to our Academic Affairs leadership

The long haul of Orientation Week — and truly the entire four years our students spend with us — would not be possible without the exceptional faculty and staff in our Office of Academic Affairs. Their commitment ensures that every student feels supported from day one and throughout their medical education, and I appreciate the work they do to make that possible.

I told you last week about some changes that were coming to that office soon – with the retirement of Vice Dean Mike Brands, and the appointment of Dr. Kelli Braun as our next vice dean. This week, I wanted to ensure that you were aware of some other changes that are taking place. Dr. Ashley Saucier will serve as our interim associate dean for Evaluation, Accreditation and Continuous Quality Improvement; and Dr. LaShon Sturgis will serve as our interim associate dean for Admissions.

Drs. Saucier and Sturgis are homegrown talents

Drs. Saucier and Sturgis are certainly no strangers to these writings or this medical school. Dr. Saucier was an integral part of our recent successful reaccreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. A 2011 graduate, family medicine physician, and an honored educator, she has also worked alongside her mentor, Dr. Joseph Hobbs, to expand the MCG educational experience to Federally Qualified Health Centers statewide.

Dr. Sturgis, who earned both her PhD in 2007 and her medical degree in 2014 at MCG, is an emergency medicine physician who has a clear passion for working with students. She and her team have helped transform academic advising for our students – ensuring they are getting the guidance and support they need and deserve.

Like so many of the members of the team that supports our students – these two are homegrown talents, and that is no accident. They certainly have a true understanding of the needs of our students and this medical school. I look forward to working with them to continue strengthening our academic mission.

In‑house risk assessment testing for severe preeclampsia is a gamechanger at Wellstar MCG Health

The strength of MCG has always come from its people, whose work shapes the lives of our students and the patients we serve. This is another powerful example of how: Our maternal‑fetal medicine team, led by section chief Dr. Padmashree “Champa” Woodham, helped Wellstar MCG Health become the first hospital in Georgia to offer in‑house risk assessment testing for severe preeclampsia. This is a critical advancement for a state where maternal mortality remains worse than that of many developing nations, with hypertensive disorders contributing significantly to pregnancy‑related deaths. We must continue finding ways to improve those outcomes.

Thanks to the support of state legislators, including State Rep. Darlene Taylor, this FDA‑approved test can now be run on‑site at our teaching hospital in about 30 minutes, giving physicians the ability to rapidly identify mothers at high risk and make immediate decisions about the care they need. For clinicians across Georgia — especially those serving rural communities — this is a transformative tool. It allows them to determine who needs urgent transfer for higher‑level care and who can safely remain close to home.

This is exactly what MCG and the people who make it do every day: use their expertise to improve the health and lives of the people of Georgia and beyond. I am confident that this work will save countless mothers and their babies.

My best to you all,

David C. Hess, MD

Dean, Medical College of Georgia

Upcoming Events

August 28 (New Date) – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium
September 18 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium
October 24 – MCG White Coat Ceremony, 2 p.m., Bell Auditorium