Dedication marks inaugural day of classes of MCG/UGA Medical Partnership

Forty aspiring physicians began their education in Athens August 9 as part of the inaugural class of the Medical College of Georgia/University of Georgia Medical Partnership.

“This was a pretty clear decision for me when you look at the per capita number of doctors (in Georgia),” said Governor Sonny Perdue, who gave the keynote address at a dedication ceremony to mark the historic partnership. “The fact is that we were importing medical talent not only from around the nation, but from around the world, to serve our citizens in Georgia. And while we love that people like to come to our state, we felt like we needed to grow more of our own.”

The inaugural class of the four-year medical education program consists of 40 MCG students who will study basic science and clinical skills in a program that mirrors the curriculum of the Augusta campus. Like other speakers at the dedication ceremony, University System of Georgia Chancellor Errol B. Davis Jr. praised Perdue and the General Assembly for supporting the expansion of public medical education in Georgia.

“It’s important to note that they did this in the midst of this economic downturn,” Davis said. “Their commitment expanding medical education and providing more doctors for the people of the state has not wavered.”

MCG President Dr. Ricardo Azziz and UGA President Michael F. Adams both emphasized how the partnership leverages the strengths of the state’s only public medical school and its largest and most comprehensive research university.

“Only through collaboration will we succeed in addressing the growing health needs of our state, our nation, and our world,” Azziz said. “Only through collaboration will we generate the cutting edge discoveries that will transform the way we care for our people.”

“It has taken a lot of people coming together to make this possible,” Adams said. “The development of a health sciences campus and the admission of the first class of medical students have been among the most important developments, I believe, in my time here at the university.”

MCG/UGA Medical Partnership student Justin Brooten of Atlanta addressed the audience at the dedication ceremony on behalf of students and noted that members of the inaugural class have studied in numerous fields, including biology, languages, economics and psychology, and have wide-ranging medical interests as well. “One word which characterizes our shared pursuit,” he said, “is passion – a passion to learn, a passion to care, and a passion to contribute.”

He added that the partnership will increase opportunities for students to engage in interdisciplinary studies and that the smaller class sizes in Athens will facilitate student/faculty interaction.

The partnership is part of an overall plan to increase the MCG School of Medicine's class size from 190 to 300 students by 2020 to help meet the need for physicians in a state that ranks in the top 10 in both population and population growth, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“There are counties in Georgia that don’t have any physicians at all, and those shortages need to be addressed,” said Dr. Douglas Miller, dean of the MCG School of Medicine and MCG senior vice president for health affairs. “A public university and a partnership such as this is ideally positioned to lead a response to health care disparities.”

The students will be educated in the Interim Medical Partnership Building, a historic building that was originally constructed in 1857 as the Athens Cotton and Wool Factory and has since been renovated to provide a state-of-the-art learning environment. In 2012, the partnership is scheduled to move to a 58-acre campus in Athens currently occupied by the Navy Supply Corps School. The new campus will be known as the UGA Health Sciences Campus and will house the UGA College of Public Health and other health-related programs.

“UGA will become a much stronger research university with the inclusion of medical education,” said UGA Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Jere Morehead, “and today’s dedication of the Interim Medical Partnership Building is a precursor of greater things that will come in improving health care for the people of Georgia.”

The first graduates of the partnership will graduate in 2014 and can begin practicing, depending on the chosen specialty, in 2017 after completion of postgraduate education. By 2020, the partnership is expected to educate 60 students per year in Athens, for a total of 240 students for the four-year program. In addition to helping educate more physicians, the MCG/UGA Medical Partnership opens up new possibilities for collaborative research into diseases that disproportionately affect Georgians, such as diabetes, obesity and stroke.

“We have been given the opportunity to influence the health of the state of Georgia,” Campus Dean Dr. Barbara Schuster said. “May we have the strength and presence of mind to seize this unique opportunity.”

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Emory Launches Mentoring for Careers in Health

Emory has launched a PreHealth Mentoring Office this fall, designed to provide support and guidance to undergraduates planning to go on to medical school or other advanced studies in the field of health.

“This office will play a strategic advisory role — helping students identify their strengths and interests and to develop their passions,” says Preetha Ram, assistant dean of science in the Office of Undergraduate Education. “By providing mentorship as early as possible in their college careers, we can help students achieve better than expected results.”

For 2009-10, the primary focus will be on second-year students. In addition to advising students, the goals include creating community among prehealth students and expanding their opportunities to do internships, research and study abroad programs, and to shadow physicians and other health professionals.

A new Web site, www.emory.edu/ prehealth, provides links to events and other information.

Ram is serving as director of the PreHealth Mentoring Office, with the support of Paul Fowler, executive director of the Career Center, and Peter Sederberg, special assistant to the Office of the Provost.

“This is a pure partnership between the College, the Career Center and the Provost’s office,” says Fowler. “There has been growing interest in how to serve the prehealth population of students, because there are so many students interested, and it’s getting increasingly competitive.”

More than 500 students in the class of 2013 have declared themselves as prehealth majors, including a range of medical fields. About 200 students within every Emory class plan to apply to medical school. In November of 2008, Emory College Dean Bobby Paul assigned a task force to find ways to help support the efforts of these students to get accepted into top-tier medical schools.

The first goal of the task force was to launch a composite letter of recommendation process. The composite letter provides a cover letter for multiple letters of recommendation, summing up the accomplishments of a student in a format geared specifically for medical school applications.

After the composite letter process got up and rolling last spring, the task force began focusing on development of a PreHealth Mentoring Office. A series of undergraduate dialogues organized by Senior Vice Provost Santa Ono “were instrumental in raising awareness of the need for advising for pre-med students,” Ram says, adding that the dialogues “convinced those present, including Provost Earl Lewis, Dean Paul and Vice President for Campus Life John Ford of the need for immediate action.”

President Jim Wagner also supported the drive to create the office, and plans moved forward, guided by the input of students, faculty and administrators, from the college and the medical school.

“I think the PreHealth Mentoring Office is a fantastic idea that will help a lot of students,” says Lauren Spiegel, a senior pre-med major in the Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology program. As a freshman, Spiegel became involved in a mentoring program known as INSPIRE (Interdisciplinary Science Program for Integrating Research into Education), and she was among the students who helped make the composite letter program and the PreHealth Mentoring Office a reality.

“I’m really pleased that our research and efforts are paying off and it’s getting under way,” Spiegel says. “I think it’s really important for students to vouch for what we want, and to get involved in making positive changes happen. It’s exciting to have these opportunities to make an impact at Emory.”

By Carol Clark

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

MCG and UGA move ahead with August 2010 opening of Athens campus

The Medical College of Georgia and the University of Georgia have received confirmation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the accrediting body for the country's medical schools, that their resource development is on track to matriculate 40 medical students at the Athens campus in August 2010.

A letter from the LCME reaffirmed MCG School of Medicine’s accreditation through the 2015-16 cycle when the LCME is scheduled to make its next accreditation visit. The letter also confirmed that resources for the MCG/UGA Medical Partnership are adequate in some areas and, as expected, requested updates in others as progress continues, school officials say.

Areas of LCME interest include sustained financial support for the expansion as well as faculty recruitment, facilities planning and academic advisement for students. School officials will provide the LCME with another update in August 2009.

The LCME’s letter follows a limited site visit to Athens and Augusta in April and the accrediting body’s June 2-4 meeting in Washington, D.C

“This confirmation by the LCME is the result we have been working so diligently these past months to obtain, and it is a testament to all involved that just 18 months after the Board of Regents approved a plan to expand medical education in Georgia, we have received this positive news,” says University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. “This strategic plan to increase the number of physicians in Georgia is of critical importance to our state and its citizens. We could not be at this point if not for the critical and strong support we have received from Governor Sonny Perdue and the members of the General Assembly. This support, expressed through funding in both Fiscal Year 2009 and Fiscal Year 2010, has been and continues to be essential, and we are appreciative of this support.”

“We are pleased with the report and look forward to updating the LCME about the continued progress of this exciting initiative that will have a lasting impact on the health of Georgians,” says Dr. Dan Rahn, MCG president and senior vice chancellor for health and medical programs for the University System of Georgia. “Countless hours, talent and support—particularly from Governor Perdue and our legislators—have gotten us to this point, but the work has just begun. Now we move forward with recruiting more students and educating more physicians for Georgia.”

“This action affirms the work currently underway to build the faculty, prepare the facilities, and shape the academic program for future medical students,” says UGA President Michael F. Adams. “We will be providing appropriate updates to the LCME as we move forward in our preparations. The MCG/UGA Medical Partnership builds on the strengths of two great Georgia institutions to address the critical need for more physicians in our state, and it positions both institutions to better do the kind of research that should lead to a healthier and more prosperous Georgia. We greatly appreciate the support of the Governor and Legislature which led us to this point.”

Later this month, the MCG School of Medicine will begin accepting applications for the first class of 40 students at the MCG/UGA Medical Partnership for the 2010 fall semester. The additional students will boost the medical school's class size to 230 students. UGA’s renovation of the Interim Medical Partnership Building, which sits on the banks of the North Oconee River in Athens, is scheduled to be completed this month.

The Athens campus, slated to grow to 60 students per class, is part of an overall plan to increase the MCG School of Medicine’s class size from 190 to 300 students by 2020 to help meet Georgia’s need for physicians. Georgia ranks ninth in the nation in both population and population growth, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and 44th in the number of physicians per capita, according to the American Medical Association.

The statewide plan also includes increasing the medical school class size in Augusta to 240, growth that will require larger facilities as the school’s home base. Simultaneous growth also is occurring at two clinical campuses for third- and fourth-year students: the Southwest Georgia Clinical Campus based at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany and the Southeast Georgia Clinical Campus based at St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System in Savannah.

Dr. Barbara Schuster, dean for the MCG/UGA Medical Partnership, said about 30 new faculty members are being recruited and about a dozen have been hired to date for the Athens campus. The majority of the initial hires will have a primary appointment at MCG and an adjunct appointment at UGA; faculty members with a primary appointment at UGA will have an adjunct appointment at MCG. Existing faculty at both institutions will help with teaching as well, Dr. Schuster says. Educators will be fine tuning the curriculum for the Athens campus during the next year.

The MCG School of Medicine Admissions Committee has increased from 18 to 25 members in the past two years to accommodate a larger class size and include representation from Athens, Savannah and Albany, says Dr. Geoffrey Young, associate dean for admissions. School officials anticipate applicant numbers will increase as well; applicants to the MCG School of Medicine have already increased steadily during the last few years, from 1,612 for the 180 slots available in fall 2004, to 2,102 for 190 slots in fall 2008.

Interviewed applicants will be asked their preference for the Augusta or Athens campus. Once applicants are accepted, a subcommittee of the Admissions Committee will make campus assignments with an eye toward a heterogeneous student body at both campuses, Dr. Young says.

The Medical College of Georgia is the state’s health sciences university and includes the Schools of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine and Nursing. MCG is a unit of the University System of Georgia and an equal opportunity institution. http://www.mcg.edu/

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia

Mini-Medical School Spring Semester Begins Feb. 24

Autoimmune disorders, colon cancer screening, pediatric malignancies, cardiovascular health and headaches are among the topics slated for the spring semester of the Medical College of Georgia Mini-Medical School that begins Feb. 24.

The lecture series, conducted by MCG faculty members, helps educate the public about medicine and health care as it gives them a taste of what medical students learn.

"It provides the general public with an opportunity to learn about medical topics and allows physicians to share knowledge in a comfortable environment," says Dr. Alan Roberts, associate professor of medicine and creator of the MCG Mini-Medical School. “This is what the patient-physician relationship and interaction is all about and adds to the concept of family-centered care, which is at the core of the MCG health care delivery system."

Classes are from 7-9 p.m. on six consecutive Tuesdays in the MCG School of Dentistry at the corner of 15th Street and Laney-Walker Boulevard. Participants can park at the StudentCenter lot across from the School of Dentistry. Tuition is $10 for high school students and $25 for college students with identification, $35 for MCG employees, $50 for individuals and $75 for families. Snacks, learning materials and a certificate of achievement are provided. The semester counts for 12 hours of continuing education credit.

The Tuesday, March 3 lectures, Women and Cardiovascular Health by School of Medicine Dean D. Douglas Miller, who was recently named one of the top four cardiologists for women in the South by Women's Health Magazine, and Sex, Hormones and Happiness by Dr. Murray A. Freedman, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the School of Medicine, are free to the public.

The MCG Mini-Medical School began in fall 2003; the first mini-medical school was developed by the National Institutes of Health, and more than 80 similar programs now exist nationwide.

MCG attendees have ranged in age from teens to senior citizens. Former participants are encouraged to attend.

Class dates, topics and educators:

Feb. 24: Scleroderma and Other Autoimmune Disorders, Dr. Walter J. Moore, chief of the Section of Rheumatology and senior associate dean for graduate medical education, School of Medicine; and Common Skin Problems, Dr. Daniel J. Sheehan, assistant professor of medicine and pathology, School of Medicine.

March 3: Women and Cardiovascular Health, Dr. D. Douglas Miller, dean; and Sex, Hormones and Happiness, Dr. Murray A. Freedman, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology, School of Medicine.

March 10: Physical Medicine – What Is It and What Is a Physical Medicine Doctor?, Dr. Pamela B. Salazar, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics, School of Medicine; and Learn All About Oral Surgery, Dr. Solon T. Kao, assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery, School of Dentistry.

March 17: Screening for Colon Cancer in 2009 – What Are the Options?, Dr. Sherman M. Chamberlain, associate professor of medicine, School of Medicine; and Lupus Nephritis, Dr. Michael P. Madaio, chair of the Department of Medicine, School of Medicine.

March 24: Pediatric Malignancies, Dr. Colleen H. McDonough, assistant professor of pediatrics, SchoolMedicine; and Breast Cancer, Dr. Thomas A. Samuel, assistant professor of medicine, School of Medicine.

March 31: I Have Such a Headache, Dr. J. Ned Pruitt, associate professor of neurology, School of Medicine; and Pathologists – The Doctors Behind the Scenes, Dr. Paul W. Biddinger, chief of the Section of Pathology, School of Medicine.

For more details, contact the Department of Continuing Education at 706-721-3967 or visit www.mcg.edu/ce/.

Amy Connell
MCG

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page