LCME has UGA listed as an applicant school, which is the first step toward accreditation. It will probably be 2+ years before it opens.
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I think this is great news. Maybe it will put UGA on the radar a bit more for high schoolers. Although the 80% in-state mandate will always be a limitation, I guess.
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It is interesting that at a time of budget constraints and schools cutting programs or a time where we hear of staffing shortages in nursing programs - that such a large investment can be made.
Great news for the university.
This has been in the works for years, but there is currently no report of any plans to include a specific nursing program there that I have seen. Just a medical school to train doctors.
HOW ‘BOUT THEM DOCS?
Credit: Courtesy photo
For 200 years or so, Georgia’s only public medical school has resided in Augusta.
That’s likely to change, and sooner rather than later.
On Tuesday, the state’s Board of Regents OK’d a new medical school planned at the University of Georgia. It’s the most concrete step yet for a plan first publicly pitched by Gov. Brian Kemp earlier this year — one that could dramatically change the health care landscape for both students and patients across the state.
Why it matters: Giving in-state students another option for med school is great. But leaders say the bigger picture goal is to create a pipeline of doctors to help address the Peach State’s perpetual dearth of providers.
- Recently released federal data pointed to 36 Georgia counties with a “high need” for primary care physicians. That list included many rural communities as well as Clayton and Fulton counties. Athens-Clarke County, home to UGA, also made the list.
- A 2022 report from the Georgia Public Policy Foundation found that one in 10 Georgians live in a county with one or fewer physicians.
- According to UGA, one-third of Georgia’s existing doctors are nearing retirement.
The correlation tends to vary. But the hope is that more doctors training in Georgia eventually means more doctors staying in Georgia.
According to UGA President Jere Morehead: “The School of Medicine will significantly expand the pool of medical professionals in Georgia, attract more top-tier scientists and researchers to the state, and produce more physicians to serve underserved and rural Georgia communities.”
What’s next: Georgia lawmakers appear poised to approve $50 million in state funding to get things rolling. That’s about half what’s needed. UGA, its foundation and other donors would likely cover the rest. There’s the accreditation process to deal with, too.
- That said, officials hope to start enrolling students at Athens’ new medical school as soon as fall 2026. That’s possible, in part, because Medical College of Georgia already has a campus in Athens.
- UGA would take over those facilities, create an independent operation and expand, potentially doubling class sizes by 2033
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And the campus report, UGA to launch new School of Medicine - UGA Today
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Fortified by public and private support
In addition to funding from state government, strong private support will fortify efforts to create a School of Medicine at UGA. Donors have demonstrated robust support for UGA initiatives in recent years. In fiscal year 2023, UGA raised over $240 million in gifts and pledges from alumni, friends and foundation and industry partners. The university’s three-year rolling fundraising average is now a record $235 million per year, with annual contributions exceeding $200 million for the past six consecutive years.
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