Dear Medical College of Georgia friends,
Board of Regents honors MCG alum and Children’s Hospital visionary Dr. Charlie Howell
Over the course of our nearly 200-year history, there are a few people I would classify as true MCG legends. Dr. Charlie Howell is one of them. You cannot tell the story of MCG’s past, present or future without talking about Dr. Howell and the impact he has had on our institution, our state and, most importantly, the lives of countless children and families. His influence extends far beyond his own extraordinary accomplishments. Dr. Howell is a proud 1973 graduate, one of the first students to complete medical school on an accelerated three-year track, a gifted pediatric surgeon who transformed care for children across Georgia, a trusted mentor to generations of physicians, and a tireless advocate for our youngest patients and their families.
Dr. Howell’s legacy is perhaps most visible in the places and people he helped shape. Without his vision, persistence and voice, we may never have established a dedicated children’s hospital in Augusta. He was a driving force behind the creation of what is now Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia, forever changing the landscape of pediatric care in our region and across the state. His commitment to children also took him far beyond Augusta, traveling to underserved communities throughout Georgia to bring specialized care closer to the patients who needed it most. And because he understood that caring for a child means caring for an entire family, he championed efforts such as relocating the Ronald McDonald House adjacent to the hospital so families could remain close to their children during treatment. (Side note: I always wondered how Dr. Howell could see so many patients in Albany and Valdosta. He then confided in me that his dear wife, Debbie did all the driving, allowing him to complete all the administrative work and patient follow up from the car while she drove. Behind every great man is an even greater woman.)
Even in retirement, Dr. Howell has continued to serve MCG
The University System of Georgia Foundation recently recognized Dr. Howell with the Regents’ Hall of Fame Alumni and Distinguished Friends Award. For those of us who know him and have seen firsthand his impact over decades, the recognition comes as no surprise. And his commitment to MCG did not end with his retirement from the faculty in 2018. Dr. Howell came back to serve his alma mater, helping strengthen and define our relationship with Wellstar and our clinical partners while remaining an invaluable ambassador for MCG. His commitment to this institution has never wavered.
Dr. Howell has shaped generations of students, residents and physicians through his example, mentorship and laser focus on putting patients first. Put simply, institutions are defined by people like Dr. Howell. His legacy is the children he cared for, the families he supported, the physicians he trained and the institutions he helped build. Congratulations, Dr. Howell, on this well-deserved recognition.
Dr. Monte Hunter honored for commitment to improving access to health care for area school athletes
Here’s another example of someone here whose impact extends far beyond our classrooms and clinics: Dr. Monte Hunter, chair of our Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Earlier this month, Dr. Hunter was honored at The HUB for Community Innovation’s Garden Gala in recognition of his leadership and longstanding commitment to improving the health of our community.
Dr. Hunter has long understood that improving health begins with trust and strong community partnerships. Years ago, he helped launch an innovative effort that empowered athletic trainers in Richmond County schools to serve as trusted connectors between students and the healthcare resources they need. What started as a sports medicine initiative evolved into the COACHS Program, a partnership among Augusta University, Wellstar MCG Health, the Richmond County School System and The HUB that helps students and families access healthcare, social services and other critical resources. For many young people, athletic trainers are among the most trusted adults in their lives, and the program leverages those relationships to improve health and well-being far beyond the athletic field.
The program has evolved and grown over the years and has received well-earned national attention. You may remember that in January, Dr. Christy Ledford and partners at The HUB won the NIH’s Build Up Trust Challenge, which is allowing the COACHS Program to expand to even more students and families. Thank you, Dr. Hunter, for your vision, leadership and commitment to serving others. Congratulations and well-deserved.
Dr. Jessica Faulkner and research team uncover new clues to preeclampsia
Some more great news on the research front this week: Dr. Jessica Faulkner and her team in the Departments of Physiology and OBGYN have made an important discovery that could advance our understanding of preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication and one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal illness and death, not just in our state, but worldwide.
In a study published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, they identified a previously unknown link between two biological factors long associated with preeclampsia. Their work shows that sFlt-1, a placental protein widely used to assess the risk and severity of the disease, can drive excess production of the hormone leptin in the placenta itself, which appears to play a key role in the blood vessel dysfunction that characterizes preeclampsia.
Using human placental tissue from our own teaching hospital, placental-specific cells and animal models, the team demonstrated that blocking leptin signaling reversed much of the vascular dysfunction associated with the disease. The findings provide the first direct evidence connecting these two major markers of preeclampsia and offer a new understanding of how placental dysfunction contributes to maternal cardiovascular complications. While additional studies are needed, the work points to leptin as a potential future therapeutic target for a condition that currently has limited treatment options beyond delivery.
Dr. Faulkner is more proof of the impact our graduates are making
Impressive work that has the potential to save countless mothers and their babies. Further proof of that impact, the paper was selected as one of only two featured articles in the journal’s September issue, a distinction that reflects the significance of the findings and the recognition they are receiving from leaders in the field. The study also highlights the collaborative spirit that is a hallmark of MCG, in this case with our Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program, led by Dr. Champa Woodham, who is a co-author on the paper. Dr. Faulkner serves as the fellowship program’s research director.
I also have to point out here that Dr. Faulkner is homegrown. An Augusta native (and graduate of Augusta Christian Schools), she earned her bachelor’s degree in biology here before completing her doctorate in medical pharmacology at the University of Mississippi. She then returned to MCG and Augusta University for a postdoctoral fellowship in the Vascular Biology Center and joined our faculty in 2021. Her latest accomplishment is just one more example of the extraordinary talent we cultivate here and the contributions our graduates and trainees are making to science and medicine.
Congresswoman Lucy McBath visited campus last week
One of the most rewarding parts of this role is the opportunity to share the extraordinary work being done by our faculty, like Dr. Faulkner, and the impact it is having on the health of Georgians. We had the opportunity to do just that during Congresswoman Lucy McBath’s visit to campus last week. We discussed MCG’s growing presence across the state, the innovative cancer and biomedical research being led by our faculty, and our efforts to equip the next generation of physicians with the skills needed to lead in areas such as telemedicine and digital health. I shared how these initiatives advance our mission of improving the health of our state by expanding access to care and helping ensure that patients, particularly those in rural and underserved communities, have access to the care they need. I am grateful to Congresswoman McBath for taking the time to visit and learn more about our work and to our Office of Government Relations for helping make the visit possible.
My best to you all,
David C. Hess, MD
Dean, Medical College of Georgia
Upcoming Events
September 18 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium
September 25 – MCG Research Day, 1-4 p.m., J. Harold Harrison, MD Education Commons Lobby
October 16 – MCG Faculty Senate Meeting, noon, Natalie and Lansing B. Lee Jr. Auditorium
October 24 – MCG White Coat Ceremony, 2 p.m., Bell Auditorium
