Georgia faces significant challenges in addressing the healthcare needs of its citizens. Our population, which presently ranks 8th in the nation at approximately 11 million, is rapidly growing, yet we continue to have only one public medical school to serve the state’s needs. That simply isn’t enough to meet demand. Georgia currently ranks 40th in the nation for the number of active patient care physicians per capita and 41st for the number of public medical students per capita. At the same time, our population is aging, as are our physicians, with about one-third nearing retirement age.
Why does Georgia need a new public medical school right now?
How will a new medical school help to keep doctors in Georgia?
Georgia needs to expand the pipeline of both medical education and graduate medical education, and the UGA School of Medicine will do both. Georgia does very well in retaining medical students who complete residency training in the state. An independent medical school at UGA will increase residency opportunities through new partnerships with area hospital systems and, therefore, increase the number of doctors retained in the state.
When will the medical school open?
UGA is in the process of laying the foundation to further develop the Health Sciences Campus. Currently, the UGA School of Medicine has applied for accreditation and has been recognized as having Applicant Status by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). However, UGA cannot advertise or recruit for an inaugural class of students until the LCME grants “Preliminary Accreditation Status.” We will inform the public via this website when changes in our accreditation status occur.
What happens to the AU/UGA Medical Partnership?
Once UGA officially welcomes the first class of School of Medicine students, the university will become an independent medical school. However, students in years 2-4 of medical school who are enrolled in the Medical Partnership at the time will remain students of the Medical College of Georgia at the Athens campus. The official Medical Partnership will end after the last class of Medical Partnership students graduates.
How will the creation of the UGA School of Medicine increase research productivity?
Over the past decade, as the state’s only land- and sea-grant institution, UGA’s robust research enterprise has grown by more than 50%, surpassing the half-billion dollar mark at $545.6 million in FY22. The latest figure for FY23 demonstrated continued growth to $570.9 million.
Funding from the National Institutes of Health is helping to drive this increase, with a 76% increase over the past decade. Today, UGA receives the highest amount of funding from the National Institutes of Health among public universities in the U.S. without a medical school. UGA’s Regenerative Bioscience Center, Center for Vaccines and Immunology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Cancer Center, Isakson Center for Neurological Disease Research, and the Cognitive Aging Research and Education Center (CARE) exemplify the type of multidisciplinary, biomedical research programs that have been established in recent years to address critical issues in human health.
The creation of an independent public medical school at the University of Georgia would position UGA as one of only 13 higher education institutions with full-scale One Health (plant, animal, and human) research operations on their campuses, with academic units in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and medicine all thriving in Athens. Thus, a UGA School of Medicine will build on and accelerate growth in biomedical research by attracting new scientists and researchers who can partner with existing programs and establish new ones to attract significant federal funding. More faculty conducting biomedical research and forging synergies with existing programs in animal health, biomedical engineering, pharmacy, and basic life sciences will lead to the development of large-scale research programs that attract significant federal funding and, ultimately, life-saving advances in medicine.
Where will the medical school be located and what kind of construction or renovation is needed?
A new $100M facility, funded by $50 million in state funds and $50 million in private resources, will be located on UGA’s Health Sciences Campus (HSC) on Prince Avenue. This 56-acre campus is presently the site of the Augusta University / UGA Medical Partnership.
Once the new building is online, it will provide the capacity to double the number of medical students currently trained through the Medical Partnership (60 per class). The facility will provide more biomedical research space as well as all the required space to support a fully independent medical education program: spaces for large and small group learning, a simulation suite with a clinical skills lab, a gross anatomy lab, a medical library, student lounge, standardized patient rooms, conference rooms of varying sizes, and faculty and administrative offices.
How will UGA address healthcare challenges in rural parts of Georgia?
UGA’s vast public service network already serves all 159 counties in the state. That same network can build connections with local healthcare providers, rural hospitals, and clinics to create a supportive ecosystem for healthcare professionals in underserved rural Georgia. These partnerships can offer ongoing professional development, mentorship, and opportunities for collaboration, helping physicians feel connected to and supported by their communities.
UGA also can create specialized programs and initiatives to prepare medical students for the unique challenges and opportunities of practicing in underserved and rural settings. By providing hands-on experience and mentorship opportunities in clinics and hospitals across the state, UGA can cultivate a strong interest in underserved and rural healthcare among its students.
How is the state’s investment of $50 million being used to establish a new medical school?
The $50M investment from the state will be matched with $50M in private resources to build a new medical education and research facility. The facility will allow the School of Medicine to expand its class size to train even more doctors for Georgia.
How can UGA help doctors trained in Georgia stay in Georgia?
Georgia ranks 16th in the nation for retaining physicians when students receive either their undergraduate medical education (UME) or graduate medical education (GME) in-state at just below 50%. However, that retention rate jumps to 73.1% when a student completes both UME and GME in Georgia. Georgia needs to expand the pipeline of both medical education and graduate medical education, and the UGA School of Medicine will do so.
Is there a high demand among undergraduates to enter medical school?
Yes. The University of Georgia is the ninth-highest producer of medical school applicants in the United States, according to the AAMC.
What happens to the Medical College of Georgia?
The Medical College of Georgia will continue to expand into new locations across the state. Together, the expansion of MCG and the creation of the UGA medical school will help to address the shortage of doctors in our state.