Six ‘Discovery Institutes’ Link MCG’s Translational Research Portfolio

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2 News at a Glance

16 Looking Back

20 Student Spotlight

22 Faculty Focus

26 Viewpoints

APublicationoftheMedicalCollegeofGeorgiaSchoolofMedicine

EDICINEGeorgia

MMEDICAL COLLEGE OF

F A L L 2 0 0 8 V O L . 1 N O . 1

Medical College of Georgia Medicineis produced bi-annually by MCG Division of University Advancement with financial support by the School of Medicine.

MCG PresidentDaniel W. Rahn, M.D.

School of Medicine DeanD. Douglas Miller, M.D., C.M.

Vice President for External AffairsR. Bryan Ginn Jr.

Director of Strategic CommunicationsCaryl Cain Brown

EditorDamon Cline

DesignP.J. Hayes Design

PhotographersPhil Jones, Wesley Hobbs

WritersToni BakerDamon ClineAmy ConnellSharron Walls

©2008 The Medical College of Georgia

is the heath sciences university for the

University System of Georgia.

Medical College of Georgia Medicine welcomes submissions to the Viewpoints column. Typed essays (approximately 750 words) on health care issues should be submitted to:Damon Cline, EditorMedical College of Georgia, FI-2025Augusta, GA 30912dcline@mcg.edu706-721-4706 phone800-328-6057 fax

MatthewRudyClass president also an advocate on a national level.

The Team ApproachDiscovery Institutes

School of Medicine createsmultidisciplinary model to

speed translational research

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m c g . e d u / s o m / g e o r g i a m e d i c i n e

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D.DouglasMiller,M.D.,C.M.

Drs.DarrellG.Kirchand D.DouglasMiller

The Ellisons

helaunchofthenewbi-annualMedical College of Georgia Medicinemagazineoffersanexcitingopportunitytobringouralums,peerinstitutionsandstakeholders“underthetent”onthemanyhappeningsattheMCGSchoolofMedicine. Youmightask,“Inaneraofelectroniccommunication,whykillallthosetrees?”Well,tobefair,thegreatmajorityofU.S.andCanadianmedicalschoolsregularlypublishamagazine–Ireceiveseveralsuchglossypaperoeuvresd’arteachmonth,celebratingthepeopleandprojectsthatdefinetheseuniquemedicalschools. Althoughweallsharethecentralmissionofpreparingstudentsforcareersinmedicine,thesemedicalschoolsareeachproductsoflonghistories,greatcharactersandnumerousaccomplishmentsthattellanimportantstory.Todate,thatstoryhasgoneuntoldfromanMCGSchoolofMedicineperspective.Medical College of Georgia Medicinegivesuslicensetodelveintopresent-dayaccomplishmentsandfuturechallenges,alllinkedtotheremarkable180-yearhistoryofMCG’sfoundingschool. TheAssociationofAmericanMedicalCollegesisthecentralrepositoryforinformationonmedicaleducationandmedicalschoolsinNorthAmerica.Ourschool,knownsimplyas“Georgia”totheAAMC,regularlysubmitsdatasothatwecancompareourselvestoourpublic-andprivate-sectorpeers.Fromclasstofacultydemographics,fromstudentscorestostudentdebt,fromsourcesofrevenuetophilanthropicactivity…theAAMCseesandknowsallaboutitsmembers.Butallthatdata,thatobjectivityandcomparability,reallyisn’tthewholestory.Itisthebones,butnotthesinewandfibernorthegutsandbrainsofamedicalschool. Forthatsideofourstory,younowhaveanequallydefinitivebutmuchmorecolorfulsource–Medical College of Georgia Medicine. Soasyouturntheseglossypages,scanningthegraphicsandsmilingatthemanyphotogenicfaces,wehopeyouwillfeeltherichnessofwhatisgoingondailyatourmanymedicaleducationcampusesandtechnology-infusedclassrooms,andwhatisbeingtranslatedfromourmodernresearchlabbenchesintomulti-disciplinaryclinicsacrossthestateofGeorgia.Hopefully,youwillalsowanttolendyoursupporttoouroutstandingfacultyintheireffortstoturnoutthebestdoctorsanywhere,andourtalentedstudentsintheirsearchforrewardingpersonallivesandprofessionalcareersinmedicine. Itisgreattobethedeanofthisexceptionalanduniquemedicalschool.Thereareplentyofstoriestotell,andlotsofgreatmaterialsfortheglossypagesstillonthedrawingboardforourspring2009Medical College of Georgia Medicineissue.Telluswhatyouthink–wewantyourideasandreactions. Andasever,ourgoalremainsthesame–to“Change,InnovateandEducate.”Thanksforyoursupport.

Positive ReceptionResearcher examines the effects of drug on retinal health

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Dr.LeilaDenmarkAlumna now world’s 65th oldest person.

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30 Generations of Giving

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Georgia Medicine captures MCG spirit, innovation

From the Dean D. Douglas Miller, M.D., C.M.

News at a Glance

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to design a new School of Medicine education commons building for the Augusta campus.

Ohio medical school administrator named MCG Athens dean

Dr. Barbara L. Schuster assumed her duties as dean of the Medical College of

Georgia/University of Georgia Medical Partnership Campus in Athens on Nov. 1.

The internist and seasoned medical

educator was previously chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine in Ohio.

“We are happy to have Dr. Schuster, a proven and passionate educator, physician and administrator, lead this innovative campus that will leverage the significant strengths of Georgia’s health sciences university and the state’s flagship institution of higher education,” said Dr. Daniel W. Rahn, MCG president and senior vice chancellor for health and medical programs for the University System of Georgia.

Dr. Schuster’s selection follows a national search that began in the spring. Recruiting is under way for 14 additional positions for the Athens campus, including chairs of basic and clinical sciences and an initial cohort of faculty, said School of Medicine Dean D. Douglas Miller.

The School of Medicine plans to enroll its first students at the Athens campus in fall 2010 as part of the University System of Georgia’s plan to increase its class size by 60 percent to a total enrollment of 1,200 by 2020 to help meet Georgia’s need for physicians.

“Dr. Schuster is exactly the right person to lead this critical initiative to help address the shortage of physicians in Georgia,” said University of Georgia President Michael F. Adams.

Dr. Schuster, who just completed a year as a Robert G. Petersdorf Scholar-in-Residence at the Association of American Medical Colleges, said she is excited about her new responsibilities.

“I think this is a great opportunity and good for the state of Georgia,” Dr. Schuster said. “No partnership exists like this. It’s a wonderful way to think about expansion for other states.”

Athens campus ready for students in 2010

MCG’s School of Medicine is taking a leadership role to meet Georgia’s future physician needs through an aggressive plan to increase its number of medical students 60 percent by 2020. A major component of the plan, developing a four-year campus in Athens through a partnership with the University of Georgia, is on track to enroll its first class of 40 medical students in fall 2010.

The University System of Georgia Board of Regents-endorsed plan also recommends simultaneous expansion at MCG’s home campus in Augusta as well as its clinical campuses in Albany and Savannah.

“The platform for our expansion is two things: maintaining academic program excellence and accreditation,” Dean D. Douglas Miller said. “We have an academically outstanding program, thanks to the efforts of our faculty and the quality of our students. We have high applicant interest, 2,162 applications for 190 spots, and student pass rates often above national averages on board exams.”

Georgia’s governor and legislature earlier this year approved about $13 million for the expansion plan, including $3 million

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MCG School of Medicine officials tour the former O’Malley’s building, which is being renovated into a medical teaching facility at the University of Georgia.

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New medical education facilities planned

The recent acquisition of a 15-acre parcel adjacent to the MCG campus will expand the university’s footprint by 20 percent and provide the School of Medicine with an education building and shared space with the MCG School of Dentistry.

School officials are consulting with architects to design a facility that will consolidate administrative offices and create new lecture halls and simulation classrooms.

The building will sit on part of a parcel formerly occupied by the Gilbert Manor public housing complex. The property, owned by the Augusta Housing Authority, was acquired through a $10 million allocation from the Augusta Commission to the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.

Other campus expansion projects include the $2.5 million acquisition of 3.8-acres by the MCG Real Estate Corp. (now known as the Georgia Health Sciences University Foundation), to be developed into new student housing.

An artist’s rendering of new School of Medicine facilities proposed at MCG.

School receives LCME accreditation

The School of Medicine has received full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the accrediting body for the country’s medical schools.

The LCME also said plans for the Athens campus were well-conceived. “Under the most rigorous accreditation standards ever imposed, 133 standards by which we are judged, [our] performance was viewed by the accrediting body as outstanding in almost all respects,” Dr. Miller said. The report cited strengths including Dr. Miller’s vision and leadership and the effectiveness of education administrators and faculty. The dean will provide a status report to LCME by May 2010 on areas including financial aid, debt counseling, self-directed learning, patient exposures and faculty and student diversity. While the 18-month self-study and January site visit by LCME focused on the Augusta campus, the accreditation helps pave the way for the school’s statewide expansion, said Dr. Ruth-Marie Fincher, vice dean for academic affairs for the School of Medicine and coordinator of the self-study.

“This shows our educational foundation, resources and commitment are sound and sufficient to support an expanded program,” she said.

MCG creates new foundation

MCG’s new foundation is seeking U.S. Internal Revenue Service approval for 501(c)(3) charitable organization status to begin accepting tax- deductible contributions.

The MCG Real Estate Corp. Board of Directors voted Aug. 14 to change its name and reconstitute its bylaws allowing it to serve as the new institutionally related foundation.The new organization, the Georgia Health Sciences University Foundation Inc., will serve as the entity charged to manage, invest and steward charitable gifts to the university and to MCG Health, Inc., the not-for-profit corporation that manages the clinical operations of MCG.

Trustee board officers are Clayton P. Boardman, president of Augusta Capital, LLC, chair; Monty Osteen, a retired banking executive from Augusta, treasurer; and Robert C. Osborne, executive vice president of Georgia Bank and Trust of Augusta, secretary.

Other members include Bill Bowes, MCG vice president for finance; Dr. William P. Brooks, a 1967 School of Medicine alumnus; Phil Jacobs, retired president of BellSouth Communities Technology; Dr. Samuel B. Kellett, chair and president of SBK Capital, LLC and MCG’s sole honorary doctorate recipient; Elizabeth C. Ogie, director of Synovus Financial Corp.; Dr. Dan Rahn, president of MCG; Dr. Louvenia A. Rainge, a 1990 School of Dentistry alumna; Don Snell, president and CEO of MCG Health, Inc.; and Dr. Betty B. Wray, a 1960 School of Medicine alumna. Bryan Ginn, MCG vice president for university advancement, will serve as an ex officio, non-voting trustee.

TEAMApproach

School of Medicine creates

multidisciplinary model

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BY DAMON CLINE

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6The Discovery Institutes

Approach ThecollaborationbetweentheM.D.,Dr.DavidMunn,andthePh.D.,Dr.AndrewMellor,resultedinthediscoverythatafetusexpressestheenzymeindoleamine2.3-dioxygenase,orIDO,whichhelpsprotectitfromrejectionbythemother.Thisteamlaterprovedthatcancerandsomeviruses,includingHIV,alsoexpressIDOtoshort-circuitthebody’simmunesystem. Now,afteradecadeofexperiments,discoveryoftheIDOmechanismismovingfrombenchtobedsideattheH.LeeMoffittCancerCenterandResearchInstituteinTampa,Fla.,wherecancerpatientsparticipatinginanearlyclinicaltrialarereceivinganIDOinhibitoralongwithchemotherapy.Futurestudiescouldleadtonewmethodsoftreatingchronicinfectionsandreducingorgantransplantrejection. AsimportantasIDOisforthefieldofimmunotherapy,thelandmarkdiscoverythatexplainedthelong-standingimmunologicalparadoxmightneverhaveoccurrediftheclinicalresearcherandthebasicscientistworkedindependently. ButDr.Mellor,aGeorgiaResearchAllianceEminentScholaranddirectoroftheMCGImmunotherapyCenter,hasbeencollaboratingwithDr.Munn,directoroftheCancerImmunotherapyProgramattheMCGCancerCenter,sinceDr.Mellor’sarrivalatMCGin1995. “OnedayDavidwassummarizingwhathehadbeenlearningaboutIDOandIheardhimsay,‘It’sexpressedintheplacenta.’Whenhesaidthat,itclickedinmybrain,”Dr.Mellorsaid.“Iwonderedifthishassomethingtodowiththeparadox,andthat’s

wheretheexperimentscamefrom.Itwasamagicmoment.” MCG’sSchoolofMedicineaimstocreatemoreofthose“magicmoments”throughtherecentlylaunchedDiscoveryInstitutesinitiative,amultimillion-dollarprogramtospeedtheprocessofturningresearchbreakthroughsintomedicaltreatments. “Futureprogressinpatientcarecanoccuronlybyconnectingrobustbasicsciencetorigorousclinicaltrials,”saidSchoolofMedicineDeanD.DouglasMiller,whowastheimpetusbehindtheinitiative.“OurnewDiscoveryInstituteswillpurposefullyplaceourpeopleintocloserprogrammaticproximity,therebyenhancingthelikelihoodoffuture‘magicmoments’thatwilltranslateintobetterhealth.” Therearesixinstitutesinall.Eachwilloperateunderaformalstructureencouragingresearchersandclinicianstocollaborateontranslationalresearch.FivearealignedwiththeSchoolofMedicine’sthematicresearchprioritiestoaddressspecifichealthissuesfacingGeorgians:Brain&Behavior,Diabetes&Obesity,Immunology,VisionScienceandCardiovascular.Thesixth,theEducationDiscoveryInstitute,willusethesameresearch-focused,multidisciplinaryapproachtoimprovemedicaleducation. TheMCGCancerCenter,thoughnotformallyapartoftheDiscoveryInstitutesinitiative,fillstheroleofa“CancerDiscoveryInstitute”becauseitfollowsthemultidisciplinary,translational-focusedclinicalresearchmodelusedbytheNationalInstitutesofHealth’sNationalCancerInstitutes.

a mother’s immune system from attacking the fetus?WHAT KEEPS

That paradox, first articulated in 1953 by Nobel Laureate scientist Sir Peter Medawar,

was explained in part in 1998 by an MCG School of Medicine team headed by a pediatric

hematologist/oncologist and an immunogenetics researcher.

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Crucial for future funding

CreationoftheSchoolofMedicine’sDiscoveryInstitutesdovetailswiththeNationalInstitutesofHealth’smuch-publicizedRoadmapforMedicalResearch,thefederalgovernment’svisionforamoreefficientandproductivewaytoapplylaboratoryknowledgetothediagnosisandtreatmentofdisease.Theplanwillshift$2.1billioninresearchfundingduringthenextfiveyearstomedicalcentersinvolvedintranslationalresearchthroughtheNIH’sClinicalandTranslationalScienceAwards(CTSA)initiative.In2012,whentheCTSAprogramisfullyimplemented,approximately60academicmedicalcentersandclustersofcenterswillbeconnectedtoanannualbudgetof$500million. MCG’s2007partnershipwiththeMedicalUniversityofSouthCarolinaandtheUniversityofSouthCarolinahascreatedtheSoutheasternClinicalandTranslationalResearchInstitute(SECTR),aregionalcoalitionseekingCTSAstatus.CoalitionpartnerswereeachawardedanNIHplanninggrantin2006,buttheirCTSAgrantapplicationwasnotfunded.PilotstudiesamongSECTRinstitutionsareongoing. MCG’sSchoolofMedicineiscurrentlyreceivingmorethan$46millionunderNIH’sexistingresearchfundingmechanism.Theschool’sgrowthinNIHfundingduringthepastdecade,acumulative119percent,isnearlydoubletheoverallgrowthofNIHextramuralfundingduringthesameperiod.(see graphic below)ThenewDiscoveryInstituteswillbuildonthissuccesstohelppositiontheschoolforadditionalresearchsupportasfederalfundingshiftstotranslationalscienceduringthenextdecade. EvenifMCGisnotnamedaCTSAprogramsite,Dr.MillercontendsthattheDiscoveryInstituteswill“emulateaCTSA-likeenvironmentforMCGscientists.”

Dr.R.ClintonWebb,chairofMCG’sDepartmentofPhysiologyandco-developeroftheCardiovascularDiscoveryInstitute,saidtheinitiativewillprovideanincentivetoscientistswhohavebeenworkingundertheNIH’sinvestigator-initiatedRO1grantprogramtopartnerwithtranslationalscienceteamstoreceiveothertypesoffunding,suchasProgramProjectgrants.“WhoeverisgettingRO1fundingneedstorecognizethatbigscience,translationalscience,iswhereweregoing,”saidDr.Webb,whoisoneoftworesearchersatMCGoverseeinganNIHProgramProjectgrant.Growingtheschool’sportfoliooflarge-scaleresearchprojectsiscrucialtofutureresearchsuccess.ConsiderthatlastyearMCG’s82RO1awardsnetted$24.5million,whiletheprogramprojectgrantrenewalawardedthisyeartoGeorgiaPreventionInstituteDirectorDr.GregoryHarshfieldbroughtin$10.6million.Dr.Webb’sgrantis$11million.WhileRO1-typefundingisnotgoingaway(itstillcomprises90percentofallNIHawards),scientistshavefounditmoredifficulttoobtainRO1grantsinrecentyearsasthenumberofapplicantsrisewhiletheNIHbudgetremainsflat.TheRO1processwillbecomeevenmorestringentasthe

‘98-’99 ‘99-’00 ‘00-’01 ‘01-’02 ‘02-’03 ‘03-’04 ‘04-’05 ‘05-’06

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Cumulative Growth in Total Cost Awards in Research PortfoliosNIH Extramural vs. MCG School of Medicine

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NIHgivesmorecredencetoapplicationsaffiliatedwithatranslationalscienceprogram. “WithinNIH,wearereachingouttoallthestaffwhocontroloradministerextramuralresearchinitiativestomakesurethereisnowanunderstandingofthepotentialadvantagesandcostefficienciesinresearchthatCTSA-typeinstitutionscanoffer,”saidDr.IrisObrams,actingdeputydirectoroftheDivisionofClinicalResearchResources,theunitoftheNIH’sNationalCenterforResearchResourcesinchargeoftheCTSAprogram. Dr.ObramssaidothermedicalschoolsarecreatingtranslationalscienceprogramssimilartoMCG’sDiscoveryInstitutes. “Therearemanymoreinstitutions…thataremovinginthewaythatyouaretobridgethatgapbetweenbasicscienceandclinicalscience,”shesaid.“Inmanyways,it’sbecominganationalgoal.” Dr.IrenaTartakovsky,theclinicalresearchprogrammanagerfortheAssociationofAmericanMedicalCollege’sDivisionofBiomedicalandHealthSciencesResearch,saidtranslationalresearchisnotanewconceptformanymedicalschools.Severalinstitutions,mostnotablyVanderbiltUniversity,DukeUniversityandtheUniversityofRochester,havewell-establishedinterdisciplinaryresearchprograms,shesaid. “Theinitiativesmightnothavebeennamedas‘translational’perse,buttheywereinplace,”shesaid.

Brain and Behavior What makes a memory?Though it is believed brain

cells change the way they connect with each other when we learn

and remember things, no one has unlocked the secrets of genes crucial to

controlling the brain’s most basic function.But Dr. Joe Z. Tsien is getting close.The co-director of the Medical College

of Georgia’s Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute will help lead a diverse team of clinicians and scientists charged with translating groundbreaking research in neurogenetics into therapeutics that could help those with Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia and stroke.

“The best way to tackle these big questions is an integrated approach,” said Dr. Tsien, the Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Cognitive and Systems Neurobiology. “It’s no longer just a one-lab one-person kind of approach.”

Dr. Tsien, whose genetically engineered “smart” mouse, Doogie, landed him on the cover of Time magazine in 1999, sat down recently to talk about the potential of the BBDI.

Q: Of all the Discovery Institutes, yours may have the most uncharted territory.

A: (Dr. Tsien) There’s certainly a lot of fascination and unanswered big questions in the field. We’re very fortunate to be in this field and are very excited about trying to address those fundamental questions. I believe having (Co-Director and Chair of Neurology) David Hess, Peter Buckley (Chair of Psychiatry), Alleyne Cargill (Chair of Neurosurgery), and other leading clinical scientists working together within the new institute, we can cover a pretty broad range of fundamental questions, yet stay focused.

Q: What are some of those areas of focus?

A: We are very interested in understanding some basic phenomena, such as learning memory, but we are also tackling diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, and stroke. We want to focus on developing new technologies that have broad implications for the investigation of disease processes.

Q: What has you most excited about the BBDI ?

A: We’re very excited to bring a lot of various talents to MCG and work toward a common goal. We’re currently trying to recruit maybe a dozen new neuroscientists to the campus, which is a very significant expansion.

Q: As a top researcher in your field, explain why multidisciplinary collaboration is important.

A: Think about the complexity of the questions. Think about, say, the number of genes in our genome — 30,000, right? Well, it’s not like one gene produces all the effects. It’s really a complex network. How are you going to address those questions? There are so many different levels you can study — the molecular level, the cellular level, the system level, the behavioral level. It’s very complex; that’s why we need all the experts and try to employ various technologies as we can.

Drs. David Hess and Joe Z. Tsien

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Vision Science

In 2001, Dr. Julian J. Nussbaum was curious to know whether researchers at MCG were interested in collaborating with physicians.

So the newly appointed chair of the Department of Ophthalmology put out a call to the vision scientists to meet with him one evening after work. Their overwhelming response to the invitation told him everything he needed to know.

“Everybody came. You never know who’s going to show up when you send out an invitation like that, but there was such an interest in collaborating and getting together,” he said.

That spirit hasn’t waned since. Collaboration should only improve as Dr. Nussbaum, an interim

co-director of the newly created Vision Science Discovery Institute, leads the organization with co-director Dr. Sylvia B. Smith, a professor of cellular biology and anatomy.

They say the Discovery Insitute concept will bring formal structure to an already highly interactive group of vision scientists and clinicians.

“My experience has been that vision scientists are highly collaborative,” she said. “It’s a very collegial group.” We hope to recruit physician-scientists to our team to enhance translational research here at MCG.

They sat down recently to talk about their team’s multidisciplinary approach to fighting blindness, the second most-feared medical condition after cancer.

Q: What are the research focus areas?

A: (Dr. Smith) Initially, the general areas of research emphasis would include infection and inflammation, ocular vascular disease and neuroprotection. The specific clinical areas of emphasis for study are consistent with stated research priorities of the NEI as outlined in the National Plan for Eye and Vision Research. They would include diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in working-age Americans, and glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness.(Dr. Nussbaum) And then we have age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60. We are also studying herpetic diseases of the eye, one of the leading causes of corneal blindness worldwide.(Dr. Smith) Not even children are spared because of retinopathy of prematurity, which occurs in babies of low birth weight. Those are some of the major focus areas and fortunately at MCG we have people who are working in all of these areas.

Q: I’m assuming diabetic retinopathy is of particular concern given the prevalence of diabetes in the South?

A: (Dr. Nussbaum) We have a “diabetes belt” that actually comes through Georgia.(Dr. Smith) We have several researchers who are studying diabetic retinopathy. Scientists are approaching the problem from several viewpoints, as a vascular disease as well as a neuronal degenerative disease. I actually spoke to another colleague recently who would like to join our group who has used the pig model, which is a marvelous model. The pig eye is very similar to human eye.

Q: With 14 scientists already on staff, it seems there’s real potential for discovery.

A: (Dr. Smith) Not every medical school has an eye research group. They are not as prevalent as, say, cardiovascular research centers. I think we have an opportunity, with as many interested vision scientists as we have on campus, to engage in collaborative research that will benefit the citizens of Georgia and beyond.

Drs. Julian J. Nussbaum and Sylvia B. Smith

Translational and transformational

TheDiscoveryInstituteinitiativehasthepotentialtoraiseMCG’sstatureasatranslationalresearchpowerhouse.Theschool,whichisalreadyinthetop10forannualsponsoredresearchexpendituresamongmedicalschoolswherefull-timefacultynumberfewerthan500,standstogainevenmorefundingsimplybyinvolvingmoreclinicalfacultyinresearchprojects. MCG’sbasicsciencedepartments,forexample,received$22.1millionindirectresearchsponsorships,whichistheequivalentof$312,154perfacultymember–thesecond-highestamongitspeerinstitutions.Itsclinicaldepartments,however,broughtin$10.5million,orlessthan$24,000perfacultymember–rankingMCGNo.21amongitspeers.Iftheclinicalrankingweretoreachparitywiththebasicscienceranking,theresultwouldbea$39.3millionincreaseinannualfunding. “Youcanseethereisagap,”Dr.Millersaid.“PartoftheDiscoveryInstituteconceptistoclosethatgapbyattractingclinicianscientiststothebasicscienceinthosedisciplines.” MCGresearchershavelonghadacollaborativespirit.InadditiontoDrs.MunnandMellor’sadvancesinimmunology,forexample,Dr.DavidHess,aneurologist,andDr.CesarioV.Borlongan,aneuroscientist,haveblazednewtrailsinstrokeresearchbyoperatingoutsideofwhatDr.Millerreferstoasthehistorical“silos”ofacademicmedicalcenters. TheDiscoveryInstitutes’structureeschewstheseautonomoussilostocreateamorehorizontalorganizationallinkage.Eachinstitutewillbeheadedbytwoco-directors,oneM.D.andonePh.D.(see box on 9) Theco-directorswilljointlyoverseeateamwhosemembersincludeclinicians,clinicalinvestigators,basicscientistsandresearchstaff.Translationalscienceinfrastructureprovidesessentialcorecapabilities-suchasresearch

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Immuno (IDI) Co-directors: Andrew L. Mellor, Ph.D, and David H. Munn, M.D. (interim) Researchfocus:Chronicinflammatorydisease,vaccinology,immunetolerancemechanisms,autoimmunity

Cardiovascular (CVDI) Co-directors: Stephen M. Black, Ph.D and Gaston Kapuku, M.D.Researchfocus:Atherosclerosis,hypertensionandresultingcardiovascularconditions

Education (EDI) Co-directors: Peggy J. Wagner, Ph.D, and Ruth-Marie Fincher, M.D.Researchfocus:Establishingbestpracticesformedicaleducation

Each institute will be co-directed by a basic scientist (Ph.D) and a clinician (M.D.)

Discovery Institutes at a GlanceBrain & Behavior (BBDI) Co-directors: Joseph Z. Tsien, Ph.D, and David Hess, M.D. (interim)Researchfocus:Stroke,schizophrenia,Alzheimer’s

Vision Science (VSDI) Co-directors: Sylvia B. Smith, Ph.D, and Julian J. Nussbaum, M.D. (interim)Researchfocus:Diabeticretinopathy,glaucoma,maculardegeneration,retinopathyofprematurity

Diabetes & Obesity (DODI) Co-directors: David Stepp, Ph.D, and Yanbin Dong, M.D.Researchfocus:Biologicalandbehavioraltriggersofyouthobesityanddiabetes

training,datacoordinationandoutcomesassessment-willenhancetheinteroperabilityoftheacademicdepartments,centersandinstitutes.Theco-directors,alongwiththeirkeyinternalandexternaladvisorygroups,willanalyzetheDiscoveryInstitutes’performancetoguideeffectivetranslationofthefindings. Fortunately,MCGislesssilo-orientedthanmanyofitspeerinstitutions. “That’sabigpositiveforarelativelysmallacademicmedicalcenter,”saidDr.Miller,whowasnamedSchoolofMedicinedeanin2006.“WhatIsawwhenIcameherewastherewasnotenoughgravitationalforcebetweenbasicandclinicalresearchuniverses.Therewasnotenoughinfrastructuretolinkthemtogether.TheDiscoveryInstitutesareaproactiveinterventiontobringpeopleandprogramscloseenoughtofeeleachother’sgravitationalfieldandappreciatethereasontobecloser.We’retryingtoshowpeopleasideofthescientificplanetthatthey’veneverseen.”

Committed to discovery

Theinstitutesarereceiving$5.7millioninannualrecurringfundingfromtheUniversitySystemofGeorgiabecausetheconceptisalignedwiththesystem’sstrategicgoalofresearchandeconomicdevelopmentthroughtechnologytransfer.MCGPresidentDanielW.Rahnisfullysupportiveaswell. “Advancingthebreadthanddepthofthisinstitutionhasbeenoneofmyhighestpriorities,”hesaid.“TheDiscoveryInstitutesreallygiveusasignificantopportunitytoimproveourresearch.” TheinfusionoffundingfromthestatewillhelptheDiscoveryInstituteskeypersonnelovercometwohistoricalbarrierstotranslationalscience:timeandmoney. “Thereistremendouspressureonbasicscientiststokeeptheirscienceprogramfunded,andthattakestimeawayfrominteractingwithclinicians,”Dr.Millersaid.“Thecliniciansareundertremendouspressuretotakecareofpatientsandgenerateclinicalrevenue.Thetimethatusedtobeavailabletointeractwithscientistsorreadscientificjournalsisdiminishing.Theproblemthatexistsisoneoflimitedinteraction.Everythingworksbetterwhenyouhavescientistswhoareincontactwithcliniciansonaregularbasis.”

“The Discovery Institutes are a proactive

intervention to bring people and programs

close enough to feel each other’s

gravitational field and appreciate the

reason to be closer. We’re trying to show

people a side of the scientific planet

that they’ve never seen.”

DR. D. DOUGLAS MILLER , Dean

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Dr. David Stepp and Dr. Yanbin Dong are tasked with leading the Medical College of Georgia’s efforts to fight what many believe is the greatest health threat to the Western world: obesity.

“We’re living large, in more ways than one,” said Dr. Stepp, an associate professor in the Department of Physiology at MCG’s Vascular Biology Center.

He and Dr. Dong, a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at MCG’s Georgia Prevention Institute, have been named co-directors of the Diabetes & Obesity Discovery Institute, which aims to unlock some of the biological and behavioral markers of obesity and diabetes – two

conditions that often lead to a host of other adult diseases.Strengthening collaboration between basic scientists and clinicians may create interventional

therapies that go a step beyond traditional treatment options, which so far have been unable to keep up with the growing epidemic.

“The effort put into reducing weight in obese individuals has been enormous, but the returns have not been optimal,” Dr. Dong points out. “We acknowledge it’s difficult to lose weight once you get big, but there are things that can be done to improve or maintain your cardiovascular health and your pancreatic function.”

The team will draw on biomarker data from the GPI and other clinical resources to run genetic tests in mice in the pursuit of identifying new mechanisms of disease and new pathways for intervention.

The co-directors recently sat down to talk about their multidisciplinary team, which will focus on the causes and complications of type 1 and 2 diabetes and the non-diabetic causes and complications of obesity.

Q: Give some insight into your team-building strategy.

A: (Dr. Stepp) What we want to do is identify young investigators in their early stages that still have that hunger and energy and partner them with established scientists. The mentoring will be targeted to transition them from a clinician to a clinician scientist. We want people who can create synergy. We’re looking to make sparks into flames A: (Dr. Dong) We’re hoping there will be an educational component at this institute where we can expose young residents and fellows to research. Some fellows who are interested but don’t know where to start.

Q: You’re also trying to get more community exposure for diabetes and obesity outside the laboratory, right?

A: (Dr. Dong) We are interested in supporting community research activities such as a neighborhood-based exercise intervention program, a church-based program or a school-based program.

Q: Between the GPI, VBC and other centers at MCG, there’s plenty of work already devoted to diabetes and obesity. Why do we need a Discovery Institute?

A: (Dr. Stepp) There is state-of-the-art research here on cutting-edge therapies that isn’t effectively communicated because there is no avenue to communicate. Ten years from now what we’d like to see is human data, clinical trials and basic science all culled from collaborative MCG resources. Right now we have two or three pieces of an eight-piece puzzle.”

Drs. Yanbin Dong and David Stepp

Q&ADiabetes and Obesity

MedicalschoolfacultywillbeaskedwhichDiscoveryInstitutebestsuitstheirresearchinterests.MembershipinaDiscoveryInstitutewon’timpactMCG’sexistingdepartments,centersandinstitutes.Fundingwillbebuiltintoeachinstitute’sbudgettorecruitessentialfacultyandstaffandcreatetranslationalcoresandtrainingprograms. InorganizingtheDiscoveryInstitutes,Dr.Millerreliedinpartonthe2000reportoftheMCGBiomedicalResearchCouncil,whichidentifiedtheinstitution’stopstrengthsinmedicalresearch. ConventionalwisdommightsuggestthatorganizingtheDiscoveryInstitutesalongbroadareasoffocuswoulddiluteresourcesandmakemedicalbreakthroughsmorescattershot.ButDr.Munn,whowillco-directthenewImmunoDiscoveryInstitutealongwithDr.Mellor,saidmultipleresearcherswithnarrowfieldsoffocusarerequiredtosolvebig-picturehealthproblems. “Clinically,theworldisdividedintooncologyandinfectiousdiseaseandautoimmunityandallthesevarioussyndromes.Butintermsofbasicscience,thesamemechanismsoftenhavearoleindifferentdiseases;that’swhytheseDiscoveryInstitutesneedtobethemedaroundmechanismsandnotaroundtraditionaldepartmental-ordisease-relatedentities,”saidDr.Munn,whoalsodirectstheCancerImmunotherapyProgramattheMCGMedicalCenter. WhatmakestheDiscoveryInstitutesuniqueamongtranslationalinitiativesaroundthecountryarethenumberoffacultyinvolvedintheplanningprocess,morethan100,nearlyone-quarteroftheschool’sfull-timefaculty,Dr.Millersaid. Alloftheinstituteswillbeoperationalinfiscal2009,startingwiththeBBDI,co-directedbyDr.JosephTsien,abrainscientistrecentlyrecruitedfromBostonUniversitywhostudieslearningandmemory,andDr.Hess,apracticingneurologistandstrokeresearcherwhochairstheDepartmentofNeurology.

10 Fa l l 0 8

Immuno

No one needs to tell Drs. David H. Munn and

Andrew L. Mellor the importance of collaborative research -- they’ve been

doing it for nearly 13 years.The result of applying Dr. Munn’s clinical

cancer research to genetically manipulated mice in Dr. Mellor’s laboratory led to the groundbreaking discovery of the role indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase, an enzyme known as IDO, plays in fetal survival.

“It wasn’t until Andy brought his sophisticated tools to campus in 1995 that that we found the presence of this IDO mechanism,” said Dr. Munn, a professor of pediatric hematology/oncology.

Their discovery that the immunosuppressant IDO enzyme is also expressed by tumors is a classic example of an “outside the box” scientific approach that could one day help doctors fight cancer.

“To get to the answer in cancer, you need to understand how cancers take over and grow,” said Dr. Mellor, an immunologist and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar.

As co-directors of the Immuno Discovery Institute, their team will focus on new therapies for cancer, organ-transplant rejection and infectious and autoimmune diseases.

Q: You were doing translational science long before it became a buzzword. Describe the thought process that existed early in your partnership.

A: (Dr. Mellor) When I came in 1995 and talked to David, we spoke the same language of immunology. At the time, no one else was doing that here.(Dr. Munn) I was very enthusiastic about recruiting Andy because of the potential for collaboration. We found the questions arising out of the human studies could best be answered in a mouse model and, as it turned out, could be quickest answered in a mouse model of pregnancy, even though neither of us has a major focus on reproductive immunology. So this was inherently multidisciplinary from the start.

Q: The fact that inroads have been made into cancer by researching pregnancy certainly seems cross-disciplinary.

A: (Dr. Munn) There are shared mechanisms. In both cases the immune system lets something alone that you wouldn’t think it would let alone. Why does it let the fetus alone? Why does it let the tumor alone? Why doesn’t it attack? Pregnancy is also an example of a perfect organ transplant. You don’t need to suppress the mother’s immune system. The fetus is allowed to implant and vascularize without all the immunosuppressants that you have to give after a heart transplant or a kidney transplant. The transplanters would love to know the trick the fetus uses for creating that spontaneous acceptance.

Q: It seems as though you’re looking at many diseases through the same lens.

A: (Dr. Mellor) If you have the vision that stays true to the mechanism, it is perfectly rational and logical that studying those mechanisms can give you potential impact in a huge range. The best thing to do is focus on the underlying theme that relates to many diseases, not to one specific aspect of a particular disease. The better bang for your buck is if you try to thematically unite the science that underlies multiple diseases. For me, that’s what the Discovery Institutes are all about.

Drs. David H. Munn and Andrew L. Mellor

“Clinically, the world is divided into

oncology and infectious disease and

autoimmunity and all these various

syndromes. But in terms of basic science,

the same mechanisms often have a role

in different diseases; that’s why these

Discovery Institutes need to be themed

around mechanisms and not around

traditional departmental- or disease-

related entities.”

Q&A

Aswiththeotherinstitutes,theBBDIgroupwillfocusonthecommonpathwaysthatmultiplediseasesshare.Forexample,Dr.Tsien’sresearchofsynapticplasticityandothermechanismsthatcontrollearningandmemorycouldhavetherapeuticpotential. “SomeoftheworkinbasiccognitioncouldreallyprovidealotofinsightsintoAlzheimer’sandwouldevenhaveimplicationsonstrokeorheadinjury,”Dr.Hesssaid.“There’ssomuchmergingandcross-fertilizationbetweenthemall.”

”

“

DR. DAVID H. MUNN

G E O R G I A M e d i c i n e 11

continued on 12

CardiovascularWhile most health

care professionals in the country focus on better treatments for ischemic heart disease, congestive heart disease, hypertension and cardiomyopathies, the Medical College of Georgia’s Cardiovascular Discovery Institute seeks answers that may unlock the root cause of those ailments and many others.

“The reality is that many people come to a hospital because of cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Gaston K. Kapuku, co-director of the Cardiovascular Discovery Institute and researcher at the school’s Georgia Prevention Institute. “If all of the effort that has been put into curing the disease were put into prevention, I think we could put an end to the

epidemic that is cardiovascular disease.”He and co-director Dr. Stephen M. Black, a cell and molecular physiologist in the MCG Vascular

Biology Center, will lead what could be the school’s most diverse multidisciplinary team of basic scientists and clinicians as they investigate the mechanisms behind hypertension and other conditions that cause a host of health problems, such as diabetic retinopathy and coronary artery disease.

“We’re going to cast a wide net,” Dr. Black said. “We want to be all-inclusive, maybe even encouraging people who hadn’t even thought of working with cardiovascular disease.”

The two sat down recently to talk about what will likely be the institute with the largest footprint at MCG.

Q: The potential for collaboration appears to be very high because so many diseases have a vascular component.

A: (Dr. Black) One of the things we’re hoping to do is leverage some of the money we have into cross-institute collaborations. The cardiovascular aspects of stroke, for example, would have us interact with the Brain & Behavior Discovery Institute, and obviously with the Diabetes & Obesity Discovery Institute because of the endothelial and cardiovascular aspects associated with that.

A: (Dr. Kapuku) When you talk about cardiovascular you also include the kidneys because of their role in regulating blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

A: (Dr. Black) What we’re basically saying is, if your grant can be funded at heart, lung and blood, as far as we’re concerned it’s cardiovascular. The only caveat is you have to have multiple people working together, preferably M.D.s and Ph.D.s.

Q: Are you excited about the increased collaboration between basic scientists and clinicians?

A: (Dr. Black) Yes, because the clinicians can help keep you grounded. We think differently. We think hypothesis, mechanistic, and with clinicians the focus is ‘how is this going to help make that person better?’ What the NIH wants is basic science that is tied to a clinical program. If we as basic scientists are going to survive in that environment, we need to be tied to that clinical component.

A: (Dr. Kapuku) From a clinical perspective, we want the patient to be the focus of all of this activity, but we also want the physician to know about the science to advance patient care. Otherwise, it would just be more of the same, like distributing some more pills.

Q&A

Drs. Gaston K. Kapuku and Stephen M. Black

Dr.HesspointssaiditcouldtakeyearsfortheDiscoveryInstitutestofulfilltheirmissiontoadvancethepracticeofmedicine.Henotes,forexample,thatpharmaceuticalcompaniesoftenspend10-15yearsdevelopinganewdrug.However,hesaid,withouttheDiscoveryInstitutes,thereisachancetheknowledgewouldnevermakeittothebedside. “Ithasbeenhardtogetbasicsciencefindingstranslatedtopatients,”Dr.Hesssaid.“That’soneofthereasonswe’reexcitedto

12 Fa l l 0 8

EducationThough it lacks the research profile of

the five science-based Discovery Institutes, the Educational Discovery Institute is just as crucial – if not more – to moving medical knowledge

from bench to bedside.As institute co-director Dr. Ruth-Marie Fincher explains

it, good teachers create good doctors and, in turn, healthier communities.

Dr. Fincher, the vice dean for academic affairs at MCG School of Medicine, and Dr. Peggy J. Wagner, a professor and associate director of the School of Medicine Center for Educational Excellence, will research ways to improve medical education at all levels.

The directors hope to expand the educational research alliance between Georgia’s four medical schools to institutions in neighboring states.

“I think the development of the EDI is a remarkable opportunity for us to have an impact on medical education and medical education research nationally.”

Dr. Fincher recently shared her views on the fledgling initiative:

Q: You’re focusing on the very processes that create tomorrow’s clinicians, but also its educators and researchers as well.

A: (Dr. Fincher) You’re absolutely right on target. We strive to help faculty be better teachers, whatever their current level is. The next step is becoming a scholarly teacher. If you’re a scholarly teacher, you learn from and apply best educational practices and knowledge. The next step would be to engage in educational scholarship; that is, activity that is reviewed by peers and publicly disseminated via publication or other means

Q: Has anything like this been done before?

A: The University of Virginia is developing a medical education research institute. That is the closest I have seen to what we’re doing. This is so extraordinary because it really puts us in a position where we certainly hope we can make substantial contributions to help move medical education forward.

Q: It seems the EDI is the Discovery Institute with the broadest scope.

A: It is no doubt the broadest and it also addresses the domain that is least studied.

Q: Why is that?

A: We tend to teach the way we were taught. We need to be as methodical about assessing the impact of our teaching strategies as we are about the effectiveness of a new drug. We need to realize that education is open to peer review, just as any form of research is open to peer review.

Q: What kind of advancements do you hope the EDI will bring about?

A: I think we could get into areas that haven’t been previously studied. For example, we have nearly a unique opportunity nationally as an academic medical center with an extensive community-based education network to study those two settings in terms of quality and outcomes. I think the work we do could be a model for other medical schools that want to develop extensive community-based teaching sites.

Dr. Peggy J. Wagner

Dr. Ruth-Marie Fincher

Q&A

betakingateamapproach.Youhavetobeacollaboratornow;youcan’tdoeverythingyourself.” Dr.Milleragrees.Hesaiddoctorscannolongersitbackandwaitforthelaboratorytoproducethenextmedicaladvancement,andscientistscannolongerexpecttofindthenextbreakthroughwithouthelpfromclinicians.ThepathtofuturediscoverieswillresembletheroadtakenbyDrs.MellorandMunn. “Theeraoftranslationisuponus,”Dr.Millersaid.

G E O R G I A M e d i c i n e 13

A Positive Reception

Receptor activation protects retina from diabetes destruction

BY TONI BAKER

Dr. Sylvia Smith, a retinal cell biologist in the MCG School of Medicine, said diabetic mice treated with this “(+)” form of pentazocine appears to avert eye damage by binding with sigma receptors in retinal cells. “The effects of this drug on retinal health are phenomenal,” and Dr. Smith, who is a co-director of the school’s Vision Science Discovery Institute. The findings of the National Eye Institute-funded study, published in the September issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, suggest such compounds that bind with the sigma receptors in the eye may be good treatments for the top two causes of vision loss: diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. This cell protection role could help explain the resilience of the retina to function for years despite stresses such as light and high blood sugar. With diabetic retinopathy, nerve cell damage and death is gradual. The condition spurs new blood vessel growth in an apparent attempt to increase blood and

Dr. Sylvia Smith watches as Dr. Ying Dun prepares to load samples onto an agarose gel as part of their studies of the sigma receptor expression in retinal cells.

Diabetes can make the beautifully stratified retina look like over-fried bacon.

This damage, which can lead to blindness, appears to be prevented by a

drug known for its pain-relieving power and ability to stimulate memory,

Medical College of Georgia researchers have found.

oxygen to dying cells, but instead, the vessel proliferation results in further vision loss. Dr. Smith’s lab found cellular stress increased pentazocine’s binding with sigma receptors but the drug did not impact insulin levels. “It does not solve that problem of elevated glucose in diabetes. The findings suggest, however, that neuronal death can be reduced, even if glucose levels are high,” she said. Despite the fact that their roles and what activates them are unknowns, sigma receptors have become a hot topic because of their potential in diseases from Alzheimer’s to depression. There were 2,700 papers published on the topic as of early September. Dr. Smith’s study of sigma receptors’ potential to protect against diabetes-related blindness is pioneering. Her lab is collaborating with other MCG investigators to generate a genetic knockout of sigma receptor to better understand the receptor’s role and whether regular treatment with the drug has a similar dramatic impact in other models of retinal degeneration. “We need to know if we just hit it lucky with the (diabetic) mouse or do we have something that could be of widespread benefit,” she said.

N O R M A L

D I A B E T I C

T R E A T E D

G E O R G I A M e d i c i n e 15

PHIL

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Looking BackRenowned alumna now among world’s oldest people

As of this writing, 78 people in the world are 110 years old or older. Gerontology researchers call them “supercentarians.” The lone medical doctor in this small fraternity can be found on most days sitting on a sofa in the living room of her daughter’s bungalow in the Five Points section of Athens, Ga. This woman – the world’s 65th-oldest person – is also the oldest living physician. She is the oldest person to practice medicine. She is the oldest living graduate of the Medical College of Georgia.

Dr. Denmark and the Class of 1928

16 Fa l l 0 8

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& AR

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BY DAMON CLINE

TherenownedpediatricianandMCG’sthirdfemalegraduateremainsoneoftheinstitution’smostcherishedalumni. “She’saremarkablelady,”saidDr.LoisEllison,MCG’shistorian-in-residence.“Shehasjustmeantagreatdealtothemedicalcollege.IjustwishIcouldsaythewordsandhavethembeasmeaningfulastheyshouldbe.” Eightyyearsafterearninghermedicaldegree,MCGstillhasaspecialplaceinDr.Denmark’sheart. “Ineverhadabaddayinmylifethere,”shesaidwithastrongandsteadyvoiceduringarecentinterview.“That’sawonderfulschool.Youcouldn’tgotoabetterschoolthantheMedicalCollegeofGeorgia.” Longbeforeshehelpeddevelopthewhoopingcoughvaccine,longbeforesheearnedthetitleof“America’smostexperiencedpediatrician,”shewasasimplefarmgirlinruralGeorgiaatthedawnofthe20thcentury.Looking

BornFeb.1,1898,inthesmalltownofPortal,Ga.,nearStatesboro,shewasthethirdofElerbeeandAliceDaughtry’s12children.ThatyearWilliamMcKinleyJr.,aCivilWarveteran,waspresidentofthe45statesthatcomprisedtheUnitedStates.APennsylvaniamanpurchasedthefirstAmerican-madeautomobile.PierreandMarieCuriediscoveredradium.TheWrightBrotherswerestillmakingbicycles. Dr.Denmarkshowedaninterestinhealingearlyinlife. “Allherlifeshesaidshewantedtomendthings,tofixthings,”saiddaughterMaryHutcherson,77.“Ifananimalgotsickonthefarm,oriftheflowerswerewilted,shewouldwanttofixthem.” Womendoctorswereextremelyrareatthetime,andDr.Denmarkwenttoworkteachinghighschoolchemistry,physicsandbiologyaftercompletingundergraduatestudiesatTiftCollegeandMercerUniversity.BythetimesheappliedtoMCGatage26,

She is, of course, Dr. Leila Denmark.

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theinstitutioncouldclaimonlytwofemalegraduates. Shewasinitiallypassedoverforadmissionanddidn’tevenreceivearejectionletter.However,theadmissionscommitteereconsideredthedecisionafterthediminutiveyetstubbornfarmgirlpaidmembersapersonalvisitandwonthemoverwithherdetermination. “Theyweretryingtodenyherandshesaid,‘Iwillnotbedenied,Iwanttodothis,’”saidgrandsonDr.JamesD.Hutcherson,aprimarycarephysicianpracticinginsuburbanDenveranda1991SchoolofMedicinegraduate. Otherthanthatepisode,Dr.Denmarkhasnothingbutfondrecollectionsoftheschool.ShewalkedtocampuseverydayfromtheMcDowellStreethomeshesharedwithhersecondcousin.ShewastheonlyfemalestudentintheSchoolofMedicineatthattime,butsheremembersherfellowstudentswereperfectgentlemen. “Theboysweresogoodtome,”shesaid.“Therewasneveranicergroupofyoungmenthanthatbunch.” Sherecallsthatonlyonestudentownedacar,andthatallofthemworeacoatandtieeveryday,regardlessoftheweather.SherecalledoneparticularlyswelteringdaywhenDr.RichardV.Lamar,headoftheDepartmentofPathologyandBacteriology,askedifthemencoulddressdownforclass. “OnedayitwassohotthatDr.Lamarsaidtome,‘MissDaughtry,wouldyoumindiftheboysjustslippedofftheircoats?’”shesaid.“Isaiditwasfine.” Shemarriedherlongtimesweetheart,JohnE.Denmark,threedaysaftergraduatingin1928.Thebankerandthedoctorsharedaloveofgolfbutdifferedoncamping,oneofherfavoritepastimes. “Mr.Denmarkwasn’tsofondofthetentbusiness,”shesaidofherhusband,whoeventuallyretiredfromtheFederalReserveBankofAtlanta.“HealwayssaidhecampedbetterintheWaldorfAstoria.” ThecouplesettledinAtlanta,wheresheinternedatGradyMemorialHospitalbefore

becomingthefirststaffphysicianatEglestonChildren’sHospital.ShetrainedinpediatricsatChildren’sHospitalinPhiladelphiabeforereturningtoAtlantatostartaprivatepracticeoutofherhomein1931.Whensheretiredin2001atage103,shewastheoldestpracticingphysicianinthenation. Shecontinuedtoliveindependentlylongafterherhusbanddiedin1990.Sheworkedinhergarden,preparedherownmealsandmadeherownclothesuntiladvancingmaculardegenerationforcedhertomoveinwithherdaughteratage106.Dr.Denmarkcanseeonlyobjectsdirectlyinfrontofherface.Shekeepsalargealarmclockclosetoherside. “Motherjustlikestoknowwhattimeitis,”herdaughterpointsout.“It’sjustoneofthoselittlethings.” Formostofhercareer,Dr.Denmark’spracticewassuccessfulenoughtoaffordhertheabilitytoprovideasubstantialamountofcharitycare,includingvolunteeringonedayaweekfor56yearsatAtlanta’sCentralPresbyterianClinicfortheindigent. “Itwasinterestingtohearhertalkabouthowmedicineusedtobepracticedinthiscountry,”saidMGCSchoolofMedicineDeanD.DouglasMiller,whometDr.DenmarkduringarecenttriptoAthens.“Shewasmostlyinanerawhenhousecallsweremadeandpeoplepaidforserviceswithgoodssometimesinsteadofmoney.” Evenatthelocationofherfinalpractice–a125-year-oldfarmhouseinForsythCounty–herbillforanofficevisitwasjust$10.Duringhersevendecadesasapediatrician,Dr.Denmarkdispensedherwordsofwisdomtoanestimated250,000patientsandtheirparents.Shecodifiedthedown-to-earthadviceinher1971book,Every Child Should Have a Chance,inwhichsheadvocatesputtingchildrenonaschedulefromdayone,resistingtheurgetopickaninfantupeverytimehecriesandeschewingdaycarecenters–whichshebelievesdepriveschildrenofparentalguidanceandsubjectsthemtoillnesses. “Thestandardsoflifehavereallychanged,”Dr.Denmarksaid.“Someofit’sforthebest,someofit’sfortheworse.” Herprinciplesmaybeconsideredold-fashioned,buttheyresonatewithlegionsofdiscipleswhocallthemselvesDenmarkers.Oneofthem,MadiaBowman,hastakenallbuttheyoungestofher11childrentoDr.Denmarkduringthepastthreedecades. TheCumming,Ga.,residentsaidthedoctor’sviewshavestoodthetestoftime.“Pediatricsissomewhattrendy.Onedecadetheysayonethingandthenexttheyrecommendsomethingelse,”saidMs.Bowman,whoin1998publishedDr. Denmark Said It!,anadaptationofDr.Denmark’searlierbook.“Herrecommendationswerejustverypracticalandmadesensetome.” Moreimportant,Ms.Bowmanadded,isDr.Denmark’sphilosophythatmothersshouldn’tleavehometoentertheworkforce. “Ithinkshereallybuiltmothersupandhelpedthemrealizehowcriticalmotheringis,”shesaid.“Sometimesmomsgettheimpressionthatstayinghomeandrearingchildrenisa

secondaryoccupation.Shestillbelievesmotheringisthemostimportantoccupationyoucanhave.” Dr.Denmarkwasneverswayedbythepopularopinionsofhermedicalpeers,either.Inthe1930sand’40s,forexample,sheabhorredtheimmobilizationtherapymostdoctorsprescribedforpoliopatients. “Theywouldtakeapoliopatientandputtheminacast,”shesaid.“Itook

“The boys were so good to me. There was never a nicer group of young men than that bunch.”

Dr. Denmark, on her fellow classmates

Dr. Daniel W. Rahn (left) and Dr. D. Douglas Miller visit with Dr. Denmark

18 Fa l l 0 8

Dr. Leila D. DenmarkBorn: Feb. 1, 1898, Bulloch County, Ga.

Family: Husband John Eustace Denmark (1899-1990)

Daughter Mary Hutcherson

Grandchildren Steven and James Hutcherson

Great-grandchildren Jacob and Hayden HutchersonEducation: First District Agricultural and

Bessie Tift College, 1922, Mercer University, 1924Medical College of Georgia, 1928

Mechanical School (now Georgia Southern University), 1918

themoutofallthatandfedthemthreemealsadayandmadethemusetheirbodies.Ifoundthatmostpatientswouldcomeoutallright.” Dr.Hutchersonpointsouthisgrandmother“coulddothingsthatwereoutsideofthebox”becauseshepracticedinalesslitigiousera.Inherlateryears,hesaid,shewasoftendismissiveofmanynewmedicaltreatmentsandtechnologies.“Shekneweverythingthatwasgoingon,allthenewfancystuff,”hesaid.“Soitwasn’tthatshewasoutdated;shejustdidn’tfindmostofittobe

particularlyhelpful.” Dr.Denmarksaidsheisproudofallthechildrenshehaspersonallyhealedthroughouttheyears,butisequallyproudforhelpingcountlessothersshenevermetbyhelpingdevelopavaccineforpertussis,therespiratoryinfectionknownaswhoopingcough.Sheincludedherdaughterinthevaccine’sclinicaltestsconductedinthe1930sthroughapartnershipwithEliLillyandCo.andEmoryUniversity. “Vaccinesarethebestthingevercreatedinmedicine;theyhavesavedmorelivesthananythingelse,”shesaid.“There’ssomuchmoretolearn,somuchouttheretofindout.Justthinkwhatwe’veaccomplishedinthesefewyearsI’velived.It’stremendous.” Shecreditsherlongevitynottomedicalsciencebuttothehealthylivingregimensheespousedasapediatrician:nosmoking,noalcohol,threeprotein-filledmealsadayandnosnacking.Shedrinksonlyhotwaterandavoidssugar.Sheevenrefusedtoeatthecakeather100thbirthdaypartybecauseitwastoosweet. ThenumberofyearsLeilaAliceDaughtryDenmarkhasremainingasa“supercentarian”isanyone’sguess.Asidefromage-relatedtroublewithvision,hearingandmobility,sheisinperfecthealth. Andwhenshesaysshehasnoregretsaboutanythingduringher110years,onerealizessheisnotonlyhealthyofmindandbody,butofspiritaswell. “NobodyhasbeenblessedmorethanIhave.”

Employment: Teaching assistant, 1921-1922, Tift CollegeHigh school teacher, Acworth, Ga., 1922-23; Claxton, Ga., 1923-24 Henrietta Egleston Hospital for Children, Atlanta, 1928-30Children’s Hospital, Philadelphia, 1930Private practice pediatrics, Atlanta and Forsyth County, Ga., 1931-2001

Awards and Recognitions (partial list): Fisher Award, outstanding research in diagnosis, treatment and immunization of whooping cough, 1935Atlanta’s Woman of the Year, 1953Distinguished Service Citation, Tift College, 1970Distinguished Alumni Award, Georgia Southern University, 1978Distinguished Alumni Award, Mercer University, 1980Medal of Honor, Daughters of American Revolution Joseph Habersham chapter, 1983Distinguished Alumni Award, Medical College of Georgia, 1987Honorary Doctorate, Emory University, 2000

G E O R G I A M e d i c i n e 19

On a Saturday night, Matthew

Rudy prepares a gourmet meal for

classmates Charlie and Becky – porcini

mushroom and scallop pasta with alfredo

sauce, one of his favorite dishes.

Cooking usually comes as a welcomed

diversion from his hectic life as a 24-year-old

junior medical student. This time, it’s an entree

to complement the trio’s discussion about a

patient with thrombotic thrombocytopenic

purpura, a rare disorder of the body’s

coagulation system.

“We had to present a case of an interesting

patient we’d seen and share with the group

what we learned and what we’d do differently,”

he says, “So to get ready for our presentation, I

cooked, and we had fun.”

Considering he routinely whips up

gourmet meals for his friends and even runs at

least a mile a day, you might imagine Matthew

has lots of free time. You’d be wrong.

And the native Virginian wouldn’t have it any other way. One of his biggest tasks is representing 70,000 medical students at all 126 U.S. allopathic medical schools as chair-elect of the Organization of Student Representatives of the Association of American Medical Colleges. He meets with AAMC officials several times a year to discuss health issues and concerns of students. He was encouraged to run for the position by the previous chair after attending an AAMC regional meeting. “I was active in participating at the regional meetings, talking about policies and things we’ve done at MCG. So he pulled me aside after the meeting and said, ‘Matt, we have elections for the chair elect position coming up, and I think you should run,’” Matthew says. His interest in organized medicine began as early as undergraduate school when he was pursuing biochemistry and molecular biology degrees at the University of Georgia and served as president of the school’s Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Medical Honor Society.

Student Spotlight

wanted Activist Student to Advocate for Profession Nationally

“It was a chance for me to see what organized medicine was,” he says. “It’s interesting to me; it’s a way for me to be aware of issues and to make other students aware of those issues.” Issues such as medical school debt and malpractice lawsuits discourage students from choosing medical careers, but if those concerns are voiced to the AAMC, then changes can be made, Matthew says. “I want to be able to serve as a catalyst to help change those and be an advocate for fellow medical students, fellow doctors and ultimately for patients because everything comes back to them,” he says. As he ardently fights to make students aware of issues, he says no one has the perfect solution. “It’s easy to say our health care system is broken, but pointing out the problems is much less difficult than actually doing something about them,” he says. “Providing quality patient care that is easily accessible and affordable needs to be our focus, but to do this we have some difficult decisions to make.”

20 Fa l l 0 8

BY AMY CONNELL

REPRESENTATIVE AT HEARTIn addition to his role with the AAMC, Matthew

also is president of the Class of 2010, Southeastern

Regional Representative for the American College

of Physicians, president of the MCG Internal

Medicine Group, active volunteer at the MCG

Homeless and Women’s Clinics, and a member

of the American Medical Association, Medical

Association of Georgia, American College of

Physicians and Richmond County Medical Society.

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS: Matthew doesn’t have his heart set on a specialty, but he has an interest in urology. “It’s still a little early in my third year. I really like urology, I could see myself there, but I don’t want to put blinders on too early and miss something else I had no idea I really liked.” One thing he is sure of is that he wants to stay in academics.

BOOKWORM: Freakonomics:ARogueEconomistExplorestheHiddenSideofEverything by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. “This is a fascinating book that has something for everyone. It looks at why things work the way they do. A lot of it is parallel with what we do in medicine and just understanding the foundation – not just knowing that something works, but knowing how it works and why.”

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE: “I go to see Broadway shows when I can,” he says. “That’s my vice. Wicked is coming to the Fox (Theatre in Atlanta) in October, the day after my surgery shelf (exam), so I’m definitely going to try and see that.”

COMPUTER NERD: At the age of 14, Matthew became an entrepreneur and started a computer repair business. “Computers came naturally to me, but I think it’s because I grew up as computers developed, so I didn’t have a lot go back and learn,” he says.

RESPONSIBILITY AT A YOUNG AGE: With the money he earned repairing computers, Matthew bought a house his first year of medical school when he was 22.

GREAT HEIGHTS: Matthew is 6’6”, only two inches shorter than a standard doorframe. “I try not to stand out too much,” he says. When told not to slouch to make himself appear shorter, he replies, “No, never. There’s a balance.”

G E O R G I A M e d i c i n e 21

PHIL

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Faculty Focus

Well

22 Fa l l 0 8

Dean stays active in the clinic and the lab

Dr. D. Douglas Miller, dean of the MCG School of Medicine, discusses the results of Greg Hendley’s cardiac stress test during his rounds at the MCG Cardiovascular Center.

RoundedMany things compete for Dr. D. Douglas Miller’s attention.

As dean of MCG’s School of Medicine, he oversees 20

department chairs, 420 residents, 461 full-time faculty

and nearly 750 students. Then there is oversight of the five

translational science initiatives he has championed to keep

tens of millions of federal research dollars flowing to the

campus. He’s also under the gun to develop a medical school

campus in Athens by 2010 through a partnership with the

University of Georgia.

Andthere’sthewife,twokids,twopuppiesand–whenhecanfindthetime–classicalguitarlessons. ButonthisparticularTuesdayafternoon,ashewalksintoanexaminingroomatMCG’sCardiovascularCenter,Dr.Millerisacardiologistwhoseattentionisfocusedononething–hispatient. “Sohowhaveyoubeenfeelingthelastfewmonths?”heasksGregHendley,44.“Gettingaroundfine?” “Yes,fine,”saidMr.Hendley,asouthGeorgiaresidentwhosecholesterollevelshavespikedsinceundergoingakidney-pancreastransplant. “Noevidenceofanychestpain?”Dr.Millerfollowsup. ThoughMr.Hendleysayshegenerallyfeelswell,hislateststresstestrevealedapotentiallyseriousbloodflowproblem,forwhichhereceivedacoronarystent.After20minutesofexamination,Dr.Millerscheduleshimtoreturnforanuclearcardiologystresstesttofollowupontheproblem.TheyshakehandsandDr.MillerleavestheroomwhileMr.Hendleybuttonshisshirt,unawarehehasjustbeenseenbynotonlyoneofthenation’stopcardiologists,butthedeanofGeorgia’sstatemedicalschool. Indeed,fewphysicianscontinuepracticingduingadeanship.However,thosewhohaveknownandworkedwithDr.Millerhimsayhewouldn’thaveitanyotherway. “He’saterrificclinician,andhe’salwaysfoundtimetodoclinicalworkwhilemovingupthroughmanagement,”saidDr.CoyFitch,chairemeritusandprofessorofinternalmedicineatSaintLouisUniversity,whereDr.MillerservedasadepartmentchairbeforecomingtoMCGasdeanin2006.“Ithinkthatsetsagoodexample.”

G E O R G I A M e d i c i n e 23

WES

LEY

HOBB

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BY DAMON CLINE

continued on 24

r.Millersaidhedoesn’twanttoletacademicadministrationcompletelyovertakehisworkasaclinicianandresearcher.“ThereasonIgotintomedicinewastobethebestdoctorIcouldbe,butthethingthatmademewanttostayinacademicmedicineisthatyoucanmultitaskatalltimes,”hesaid.

“Ifyou’reonclinicalrounds,you’reeducatingandtakingcareofpeopleandthinkinguparesearchprotocoltodealwithacondition.Youdon’thavethatdynamicrangeofthingsgoingonatatypicalprivatemedicalpractice.” The54-year-oldnativeCanadianwas51whenhewasnameddeanofMCG’sSchoolofMedicineinearly2006,makinghimoneoftheyoungestmedicalcollegedeansintheU.S.,afeatheattributestothehelpofseveralkeymentorsduringhiscareerinacademicmedicine.Dr.Millerdoesn’tcomefromafamilyofdoctors;hisfatherworkedasanexecutivevicepresidentforCharlesE.Frosst&Co.,aCanadianpharmaceuticalfirmlateracquiredbyMerck&Co.HewasborninthetownofBrockville,Ontario,butmovedwithhisfamilytoasuburbofMontrealshortlythereafter. Dr.Millersaidhegrewupdoing“allthingsCanadian”suchasplayinghockey.Hebecameinterestedinmedicineafterbefriendingthefatherofoneofhisschoolfriends,Dr.TomHale,aleadingcardiologistatMontrealGeneralHospitalwhowasalsoontheadmissionscommitteeatMcGillUniversity,whichiswhereDr.MillerattendedmedicalschoolafterabriefstintataCollèged’enseignementgénéraletprofessionnel,atypeofcommunitycollegeuniquetoQuebecknownasCEGEPs. DuringsummersheworkedatMontrealGeneralHospitalasanorderly,doingmenialworkonthewardswhileminglingwiththestaffcardiologists. “Theygotmeevenmoreinterestedincardiology,”Dr.Millersaid. Hegraduatedmedicalschoolin1978andmarriedhishighschool

sweetheartHeatherLynnOrrlaterthatyear.ThecouplemovedtoLondon,OntarioforDr.Miller’sinternshipataregionalmedicalcenterbeforemovingbacktoMontrealtofinishhisresidencyanddoayearoftraininginresearchcardiologyattheMontrealHeartInstitute,practicingmedicinesolelyinFrench.“ItwasinterestingbecauseIneverhadtoworkinFrenchbeforeorseepatientsinFrenchorordermymealsinFrench,”saidDr.Miller,whoisstillfluentinthelanguage. MontrealalsomarkedDr.Miller’sfirstforayintoresearch.HehadnoticedinLondonthatsomeofhispatientswithmigraineheadachesalsohadRaynaud’sphenomena,abloodcirculationdisorderinthefingers,orPrinzmetal’sangina,aconditionwherecontractingcoronaryarteriesresultincardiacchestpain.Hedecidedtoinvestigatewhethervesselspasmsintheheadthatcausemigraineshadanyrelationtothetwovasospasticconditionsthatcausedpaininotherpartsofthebody.Hispaperbasedonthecasestudy,whichwaspublishedintheNew England Journal of Medicinein1981,wasco-authoredbyDr.DavidWaters,then-researchdirectorattheMontrealHeartInstitute. “Davejusttorturedme–hewasaverystricteditor,”saidDr.Miller,whodrewontheexperiencewhileeditingatextbookoncardiacimagingthatwaseventuallypublishedbyMcGraw-HillCo.Dr.Millerhassincehadscoresofmanuscripts,abstractsandeditorialspublishedontopicsrangingfromadvancedcardiovascularimagingtotheeffectgenderhasoncardiovasculartreatmentandoutcomes. ThosewhohaveworkedonprojectswithDr.Millersayhisskillsgobeyondtechnicalwriting. “Dougisathoughtleader,”saidDr.LesleeJ.Shaw,aresearchscientistwhohascollaboratedwithDr.Millerformorethanadecade.“Heisvisionary,big-picturekindofguy.That’saveryhelpfulskillinresearchandinacademia.He’salwayshadgoodacumenforseeingthewholebodyofevidence.” Dr.Shaw,whoworkedwithDr.MilleratSaintLouisUniversity,isaprofessorofmedicineatEmoryUniversity,whichiswhereDr.Millerarrivedin1982toacceptacardiologyfellowship.ItwastheMillers’firsttimelivingintheU.S.,anditwasthefirsttimeEmoryacceptedacardiologyfellowwithoutaninterview.Emory’sthen-chiefofmedicineandcardiology,Dr.J.WillisHurst,selectedDr.MillersolelybecauseDr.Watersvouchedforhiminaverybriefletterofrecommendation. “Ilearnedearlyinmycareerhowtojudgelettersof

recommendations,”saidDr.Hurst,a1944graduateoftheMCGSchoolofMedicine.“ThemosttellingletterscamefrompeopleIknewwhowereskilledatselectingtraineeswhohaddemonstratedapassionforlearning,couldthink,couldcommunicate,andwerekind.Suchletterswereusuallyshort.”BasedonDr.Hurst’sadvicein1984,Dr.MillerpursuedafellowshipincardiacimagingatHarvardUniversitySchoolofMedicinebeforeacceptingaposition(hisfirst“realjob,”hesaysjokingly)in1986asaprofessorincardiologyandradiologyattheUniversityofTexasHealthSciencesCenterinSanAntonio,wherehespentthenextfiveyears.ItwasduringthispointinhiscareerthatheandHeather

D

“The reason I got into medicine was to be the best doctor I could be, but the thing that made me want to stay in academic medicine is that you can multitask at all times.”D r . D o u g M i l l e r

24 Fa l l 0 8

Title: Dean, MCG School of MedicineBorn: Aug. 29, 1954, Brockville, Ontario, CanadaFamily: Wife Heather, daughter Caroline, 22; son Brendan, 20

Education:l McGill University, M.D., C.M. (Medicine), F.R.C.P.c (Medicine); Montreal l Emory University, F.A.C.C. (Cardiology); Atlantal Harvard University, Research Fellowship; Boston l Saint Louis University, Master of Business Administration (International Business); St. Louis

Academic appointments:l University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, 1986-91l Saint Louis University, 1991-2006l Medical College of Georgia, 2006-present

Clinical staff appointments:l Audie L. Murphy VA Medical Center, San Antonio (Coronary Care Director), 1989-1991l University of Texas Health Sciences Center (Nuclear Cardiac Imaging Research director), 1990-1991l St. Louis VA Medical Center (Acting Chief of Staff), 1997-1998l Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center (Medical Director of Nuclear Cardiology/Cardiac Stress Lab), 1991-2006l Saint Louis University (Acting Director of Cancer Center), 2000-2002

Trivia:l He was delivered by the same doctor as news anchorman Peter Jennings, a fellow Ontario native. Jennings, who died in 2005 at age 67, got his start in broadcasting working for a radio station in Dr. Miller’s hometown of Brockville, Ontario.

l He is an avid runner, logging several miles a week. He ran in five marathons during his 20s and 30s, including the New York and Boston marathons. His personal best time was in Montreal at 3 hours, 14 minutes. “I ran the second half of that marathon faster than the first half, which is pretty unusual.”

l He was the on-call cardiologist in St. Louis for Pope John Paul II and Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. “You don’t get anything for it by the way,” he said jokingly. “I suppose I could have asked (the Secret Service) to send me a certificate, but I resisted.”

l He plans to take classical guitar lessons. June Newton, a flute teacher and wife of MCG Vice President for Legal Affairs Andrew Newton, has referred him to an instructor. “I play a little bit and it’s something I sort of amuse myself with,” he said.

D. DOUGL AS MILLER at a Glance

startedtheirfamily.DaughterCaroline,22,acostumedirectorinthefilmindustry,wasborninMassachusetts;son,Brendan,20,asophomorestudyingbusinessatAugustaStateUniversity,wasborninTexas. ThenextchapterintheirlivesbeganinwhenDr.Miller,whohadbeenconsideringmovingbacktoCanadatoworkattheMontrealHeartInstitutes,wasinvitedtogivealectureatSaintLouisUniversity’sSchoolofMedicinebyitsheadofcardiology,Dr.BernardChaitman,whomDr.MillerhadworkedwithinMontreal. “Chaitmansaid,‘Whydon’tyoutakealookaroundhere,’”Dr.Millerrecalled.“Therestishistory.” Dr.Millerrosethroughtheacademicranks,fromanassociateprofessorin1991tochairmanoftheDepartmentofInternalMedicinein2000atage45. “Hewasobviouslyambitious,”saidDr.Fitch,whohelpedgroomhimfortheposition.“Hisleadershiprolebecameobviousearlyon.Ididn’tknowwherehewasgoingtogo,butIknewhewasgoingtobeadeansomewhere.” Hardworkaside,the25thdeanoftheMCGSchoolofMedicineacknowledgeshewouldn’tbewhereheistodaywithouttheguidanceofhispeersandmentors. “AlotofithastodowithbeingpositionedbypeoplewhowerebetterinformedthanIwastoinfluencegoodcareerdecisions.“I’mveryluckytohaveworkedwithverybrightpeoplewhoareasinterestedinmyadvancementastheirownsuccess,”Dr.Millersaid,addingthathehasmadethosephilosophiespreceptsofhisownleadership.“Everybodydeservestobesupported,butwhenyouseesomeonewhoishighlytalentedorhighlymotivated,thosepeoplecansometimesadvancemuchmorequicklythanifyouhadn’ttriedtopushthem.” AsforthepeoplewhohelpedgetDr.Millerhere,theyareproudoftheaccomplishment. “Iampleasedheisthedeanofmyalmamater,”Dr.Hurstsaid.

G E O R G I A M e d i c i n e 25

MIL

LER

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WE ALSO KNOWthatchildrenwithsicklecelldiseasecanhaveapainlessandrelativelyinexpensivetestthatidentifiesuniquebloodflowpatternsinthebrainindicatingwhethertheyalsoareatriskforstroke,andthatregularbloodtransfusionscanreducethatrisk.

TheseremarkablescientificadvancescanbetracedtoresearchconductedbyU.S.medicalschools,inthesecasestheMedicalCollegeofGeorgia,withsupportfromtheNationalInstitutesofHealth.Overthepast30years,ournation’sinvestmentinmedicalresearchthroughtheNIHhasamountedtoabout$44perAmericanperyear.Yetthereturnonthisinvestmenthasbeentrulyspectacular.Lifeexpectancyhasincreased,deathsfromheartdisease,cancerandstrokearedeclining,andnewtreatmentshavevirtuallyeliminatedtransmissionoftheHIVvirusfrommothertochild.

NIH funding vital to School of Medicine growth

Dr. Kirch

Dean and chief clinical officer,MCG School of Medicine

EVERY DAY we hear about how scientific research improves and saves lives. Because of research, Helen Whitehead of Swainsboro, Ga., became the first person in the nation to receive an intravenous antibiotic called minocycline, not for an infection, but as a novel treatment for stroke. The drug appears to be a powerful adjunct treatment for a clot-buster protein known as tPA, the only FDA-approved drug therapy for strokes. Animal studies have shown the drug reduces stroke damage by up to 40 percent, but studies with volunteers, such as Mrs. Whitehead, are still needed. Because of research, we know that just three months of daily, vigorous physical activity in overweight children improves their thinking and reduces their diabetes risk.

Former dean, MCG School of Medicine; current president and CEO, Association of American Medical Colleges

Dr. Miller

Viewpoints

D r s . D a r r e l l G . K i r c h a n d D . D o u g l a s M i l l e r

26 Fa l l 0 8

Between1998and2003,thefederalgovernmentdoubledtheNIHbudget.Thiswasaneededboostformedicalscience.MCGandmanyschoolsthrivedinthisenvironment,withrecordincreasesinfundingofscientificpursuits.MCGdevelopedsciencefacultywhoseleading-edgeresearcheffortswererewardedwithNIHgrants,andwhoseabilitytoeducatethenextgenerationofscientistsandphysicianswaslaudedbystudentsdaysbeforeMCGgraduationinMay.

FEDERAL SUPPORTfortheNIHhasbeennearlyflatforthepastfiveyearsandhasnotkeptpacewithincreasingbiomedicalresearchcosts.Thisyearpromisestobenodifferent.TheBushadministration’s2009NIHbudgetproposalholdsfundingflatatthecurrentlevelof$29.5billion.TheAssociationofAmericanMedicalCollegeshascalculatedthatthepurchasingpowerofthe2009administrationproposalis$3.6billionlessthanin2003.

AtMCGandthenation’sotherresearch-intensivemedicalschools,theimpactofthiseconomiccontractioninfederaldollarshasareal-worldeffectonscientists,theirprogramsandultimatelyallofus.ManystrongresearchproposalsthatwouldhavebeenapprovedforfundingbyNIHreviewersinyearspastmustnowbefunded,ifpossiblebythemedicalschool,ortheymustbeshutdown.TherealsoisapowerfuleconomicaftershockthatfollowstheinitialimpactoffeweravailablefederalresearchdollarsbeinginfusedthroughtheNIH—thelossofhigh-technologyresearchjobsandfacultytootheruniversitiesoutsideofGeorgiaandevenoutsideournation,ortotheprivatebiomedicalsciencesector.

MOST IMPORTANTLY,itcostsusknowledgethatenablesustolivehealthierandlongerlives.

FortunatelyforGeorgia’sresearchuniversities,theGeorgiaResearchAlliance,anationallyrenownedpublic-privatepartnership,hashelpedkeepGeorgiaandMCGcompetitivefornewresearch

faculty.TheallianceisanenginefornovelsciencethathasledtointellectualpropertythathelpsimprovethehealthofGeorgians,andtheeconomyofAugustaandthestate.

ExpandingresearchcapacityatMCG—requiringaninvestmentinrecruitmentofnewresearchfacultyandconstructionofnewbuildings—willimproveproductivityandtheimpactthesciencehasonourlives.Italsowillgrowtheannualvalueofcommercializationofresearchfindingsfrom$25millionin2008to$180millionby2020inAugustaalone,accordingtoconsultantshiredbyMCG.

THE SAMEreportalsoindicatesthat,statewide,theannualvalueofcommercializingresearchdiscoveriesfromexpansionofmedicalresearchatMCGcouldincreasetenfold,reachinginexcessof$360millionperyear,inclusiveoftherecommendedresearchpartnershipwiththeUniversityofGeorgia,oneofMCG’sexpansion

partners.ExpansionplannersalsoassertthatresearchfundingawardedannuallytobothMCGandUGAbytheNIHwillincrease15percentmorethanwouldbeprojectedifeachuniversityworkedalonetosecureNIHgrantsandcontracts.Sothereisapositivereturnonresearchprogramsynergyandscientificcollaboration.AdditionalfederaldollarsflowintotheAugustaarea,enablingagrowingcadreofscientiststomakemorediscoveriesthatimprovelives.Thatpositiveimpactiscompoundedbythefactthatmanyofthesediscoverieswillleadtocommercialventuresthatbringstillmorescienceandprestigetothecommunity.

Lookingforward,wewillcontinuetofacechallengesinexpandingournation’smedicalknowledge,andtheresearchcapacityatinstitutionssuchastheMedicalCollegeofGeorgia.ThesechallengescanbeaddressedonlyifwemakeasustainedinvestmentintheNationalInstitutesofHealth.ThehealthofAugusta,Georgiaandthenationdependonit.

The Bush administration’s 2009 NIH budget proposal holds funding flat at the current level of $29.5 billion. The Association of American Medical Colleges has calculated that the purchasing power of the 2009 administration proposal is $3.6 billion less than in 2003.

G E O R G I A M e d i c i n e 27

ThefirstEllisontostepintoaMedicalCollegeofGeorgiaclassroomdidsoin1939.ThelatestjustjoinedtheClassof2012.Intheinterveningyears,the

Ellisonshavesunktheirrootsandtheirloyaltyintotheuniversityasperhapsnootherfamilyhas. RobertGordonEllisonreceivedhismedicaldegreeinMarch1943andbeganhisinternshipatUniversityHospital,thenMCG’steachinghospitalandoriginallylocatedoncampus.Thatfall,whentheschool’sfreshmanclasswasbroughtintowitnessaspinaltaphewasperforming,ayoungwoman,LoisTaylor,caughthiseye.Hecaughthersaswell,andthetwoweremarriedin1945.Itwasthe

beginningofalegacy. Therewasonehiccupearlyon;Lois’medicaleducationwasinterruptedbyacaseoftuberculosisshecontractedjustbeforetheendofherjunioryear.Afterthreeyearsofrecuperation,shegraduatedin1950. Robert,or“Bob”ashewasmorecommonlyknown,joinedtheMCGfacultyin1947andLoisin1951.Theystartedafamilyin1953andwouldhavefivechildren,allboys,by1959.Thethreeoldestseemeddestinedtobecomedoctors.“Wehadawonderfultime.TheboyssawhowhappyBobandIwereinourwork,”saysLois.“Wewouldcomedownfrequentlyafterchurchtocheckonourpatients.We’dbringaballsotheycouldplayoutinthehallwayandtheygotaccustomedtothehospital.TheyallwantedtoattendtheMedicalCollegeofGeorgia.” TheyreceivedtheirmedicaldegreesfromMCGoneaftertheother,in1980,’81and’82.RobertJr.isnowavascularsurgeonin

Jacksonville,Fla.,GregoryageneralandvascularsurgeoninAugustaandMarkaurologistinAthens,Ga.,withaclinicalappointmenttotheMCGSchoolofMedicine. Gregory’swife,Martha,isanMCGSchoolofNursinggraduate,classof’81.Andnowtheirson,Gregory“Taylor”Jr.,istacklinghisfirstanatomyclasses,becomingthethirdgenerationofEllisonstudentsatMCG,69yearsafterhisgrandfather. “Itfeelsgood.It’sexcitingandfunfollowinginyourfamily’sfootsteps,”22-year-oldTaylorsays.“WeliveddownthestreetfrommygrandparentswhenIwasgrowingup.Wewouldgooverthere

P I L L A R S

Ellison family history at MCG spans nearly seven decades

The Ellisons

Bob Sr. and Lois Ellison

The extended Ellison family, including School of Medicine freshman Taylor (far left)

“Bob and I felt very strongly our commitment to the university, always. We’re just a family that loves the medical college.” LOISELLISON

28 Fa l l 0 8

ELLI

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BY SHARRON WALLS

Standing: Jim, John, Mark, Greg, Bob; Seated: Lois and Bob Sr. in 1985

everySundayfordinnerandwehaveafamilybeachtripeveryyear.Whenthegrown-upsgottogethertheycouldtalkaboutmedicineforever.Wekidswouldhavetositthereandlistentoalotofdoctortalk,anditgotmyinterest.Idon’teverrememberwantingtodoanythingelse.” Taylor’sgrandparentsareaninstitutionatMCG.Robertbecameworld-renownedincardiothoracicsurgerywhilestayingtruetohisalmamater.Hediedin2006.Lois,whospecializedinpulmonology,roseinacademiatobecomeprovostoftheuniversity.Today,at85,shecomestoworkeverydayasMCG’smedicalhistorian-in-residence,capturing,restoringanddocumentingMCG’spastforfuturegenerations. HavinghisgrandmothernearbyisaplusforTaylor.“Itraisesmycomfortleveltohaveherhere,”hesays.“She’sagoodpersontotalktoaboutthings.” Thefamily’sattachmenttotheuniversitygoesbeyondteachingandreceivingdegrees.Theyquietlysupportnumerousfundsandencourageotherstogive. “BobandIfeltverystronglyourcommitmenttotheuniversity,always,”Loissays.“We’rejustafamilythatlovesthemedicalcollege.” Inaddition,Lois,RobertJr.,GregandMarkEllisonarelifetimemembersoftheSchoolofMedicineAlumniAssociation.LoisandMarkhavebothservedaspresidentoftheassociation,theonlyparentandchildtohavedoneso. “Ican’timagineMCGwithoutanEllisononcampus,”saysTonyDuva,associatevicepresidentforgiftplanningandseniordirectorofdevelopmentfortheSchoolofMedicine.“TheyhavebeenpartoftheMCGfamilyforover60yearsasfaculty,students,residents,philanthropists,supporters,teachers,cliniciansandresearchers.Thefamily’sdedicationtoMCGisrepresentedinthebreadthoftheirphilanthropicsupport,thecontributionsthey’vemadetomedicineandtherolestheyhaveplayedinMCGhistory.TheEllisonfamilytrulyembodiesthetraditions,visionandspiritofMCG.”

Legacy of GivingFunds supported by the Ellison Family:

q Robert Ellison, M.D. Distinguished Chair in Cardiothoracic Surgery

q Lois Taylor Ellison, M.D. Scholarship Endowment

q Edgar Pund Distinguished Chair

q Old Medical College Renovation Fund

q Class of 1982 Scholarship Fund

q Children’s Medical College

q Sydenstricker Lecture Fund

q Moretz/Mansberger Chair

q Rinker Society

Jim, Mark, John, Bob Jr., Greg in 1959

G E O R G I A M e d i c i n e 29

Like those historic buildings, the Medical College of Georgia was built on a strong foundation. Our foundation is made up of more than concrete and steel; rather, it is the support of dedicated alumni who are the bedrock of our institution. As time passes, we have become more

reliant on the support of those who made MCG what it is today: Georgia’s

Health Sciences University. State funding and federal grants dwindle every year,

so we strive to find other avenues to

ensure our students are provided the best educational

experience possible and to guarantee that our faculty members receive

the funding necessary to continue their

groundbreaking research. Our new Discovery

Institutes support the national mandate for greater translational

research in academic medicine and offer

you a unique opportunity to be involved. Generations of private philanthropy have already helped MCG to advance our mission to discover, disseminate and apply knowledge to improve health and reduce the burden of illness in society. As we enter this exciting new era of academic collaboration, we look to you to help us build for the future. You can support our Discovery Institutes by creating new research endowments ($100,000 is the recommended start-up amount) or contributing to an existing research fund. Your tax-deductible gifts to research endowments may be made with cash, appreciated securities, real estate, or a combination of cash and investments, and naming opportunities are available. You may also choose to include one of our Discovery Institutes in your estate plans. If you have a desire to support groundbreaking research in a specific disease (such as Alzheimer’s or heart disease), our Discovery Institutes offer you a fantastic opportunity to invest directly in research being done right here! If you are interested in supporting our Discovery Institutes or any of the School of Medicine’s philanthropic priorities, I would be happy to discuss these tremendous giving opportunities with you.

Part of my job requires me to travel around the great state of Georgia

and its surrounding areas. I am often awestruck when I visit historic

towns and see the well-preserved buildings of the old “Main Streets.”

I often find myself asking how these buildings have survived through

years of inclement weather, industrialization and development.

The answer is simple: they were built on a solid foundation.

Anthony Duva,Associate Vice President for Gift Planning, Senior Director of Development

For more information

on making a gift to the

MCG School of Medicine,

contact Mr. Duva at

1-800-869-1113,

706-721-1939 or

aduva@mcg.edu

Thank you for your continued support of the MCG School of Medicine.

Generations of Giving

30 Fa l l 0 8

Did you know...?A new law lets you allocate a portion of your IRA to charity without incurring an income-taxable distribution. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 allows donors 70 1/2 years old or older to distribute up to $100,000 from their traditional or Roth IRAs to a public charity tax free. The act also allows the distribution to count toward the IRA owner’s mandatory withdrawal amount.

1960sDr. David N. Harvey 65 Dr. Harvey is health director for Georgia’s NorthCentral Health District, overseeing the health district’s operational plans. He has been a pediatrician since 1969 with Cornerstone Medical Associates, formerly Pediatric Associates, in Warner Robins, Ga. He is a former chair of the Phoenix Behavioral Center, Hodac and the Houston County Board of Health, where he has been a board member since 1972.

1970sDr. Keith Parmer 72 Dr. Parmer, a Floyd Primary Care family medicine physician in Rome, Ga., is included in the 2008-09 edition of the Cambridge Who’s Who Registry of executives, professionals and entrepreneurs. A Floyd physician for 15 years, he is board-certified in family medicine.

Dr. James Potts 73Dr. Potts retired in December after 30 years with Shelby, N.C. Surgical Associates, then signed on as hospice medical director for Hospice Cleveland County. His first wife of 19 years, Anne Gilbert, died in 1988 after a long battle with cancer. He has been married to Fern Douglass for 20 years. He attends Christ Covenant Church and has three children and four grandchildren. He enjoys yard work, hunting, fishing, golf and cooking.

Dr. Christopher Cates 82Dr. Cates, an interventional cardiologist and director of vascular intervention at Emory University in Atlanta, has been elected secretary of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention. He is also director of the Emory Angiographic Simulation Training Center and holds a heart clinic each Monday in the small Georgia towns of Hiawassee and Blairsville.

Dr. WillieNell Bryant-Pitts 83Dr. Pitts received the second Annual Dennis Bean Quality Service Award for Area I at the 2007 Developmental Disabilities Service Division Fall Conference. The award honors excellence, creativity and commitment in supporting those with development disabilities. She is director of medical services at the Northern Oklahoma Resource Center and is a board-certified pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Her husband, the Rev. Cornelius Pitts, is the pastor of Zoe Bible Church in Enid.

Dr. Michael V. Smith 83Dr. Smith, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Emory Crawford Long Hospital, has been named one of two Physicians of the Year by the Atlanta Medical Association, the nation’s oldest African-American physician organization. The honor recognizes longtime service to the Atlanta community. Dr. Smith specializes in open-heart surgery, minimally invasive heart bypass surgery and lung cancer surgery. He completed surgical training at the University of Kentucky, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the University of Massachusetts. He is a Harvard University Alley-Sheridan Fellow.

Dr. Samuel Boles 88Dr. Boles, medical director and ophthalmologist for the Anne Arundel Eye Center in Annapolis, Md., completed an internship at Yale University, a cornea research fellowship at Harvard University and a residency at George Washington University. He worked as a glaucoma fellow and clinical instructor for the University of California, San Diego, before going into private practice nine years ago in Baltimore and opening the eye center in 2007. He focuses on glaucoma and cataract care. Dr. Boles enjoys windsurfing and racquetball.

Dr. Daniel T. Purdom 88Dr. Purdom of the Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center in Kansas City has been named the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians 2008 Family Physician of the Year. He helped University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine students found the Sojourner Health Clinic, a free clinic in downtown Kansas City that serves the homeless and under-insured. He volunteers at the clinic every Sunday and has donated over 470 hours of his time since the clinic opened in 2004.

Dr. Robert H. Rosengart 88Dr. Rosengart has been named a fellow in the American College of Radiology. He is a board-certified diagnostic radiologist with Radiology Associates of Macon, Ga.

Dr. Daryl Wiley 88Dr. Wiley, a family physician in Thomson, Ga., and a clinical associate professor of family medicine in the MCG School of Medicine, was recently inducted into the Georgia Chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Medical Directors Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He chairs the McDuffie Regional Medical Center Performance Improvement Committee.

Dr. Patricia DuPuis Scherer 89Dr. Scherer retired in May after serving as an urgent-care physician with Washington County Emergency Medicine Physicians in Maryland. She and a friend enjoyed a six-week RV trip to the West Coast to celebrate. Dr. Scherer earned MCG degrees in radiological technology and nuclear medicine before earning her medical degree. Her son, Jason, is married to the former Lisa Howard and they live in the Augusta area. Her daughter, Kateri, lives in Arizona and is married to Sgt. Brandon Terrette, currently deployed in Iraq.

G E O R G I A M e d i c i n e 31

Awards? Professional Honors? Special Activities? We would love to hear what’s new with you. Call Scott Henson, executive director of alumni affairs, at 800-869-1113 or email shenson@mcg.edu.

Class Notes

1980s

32 Fa l l 0 8

1990sDr. Jennifer Garst 90Dr. Garst has joined the Regional Cancer Care oncology center in Durham, N.C. She was previously a professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center where she was involved in the study and treatment of lung cancer, specifically serving as a principal investigator on the first study to use genomic information from a tumor to customize treatment for each person’s specific cancer. In early 2008, the Triangle Business Journal named her a Healthcare Hero, the publication’s annual spotlight on the Triangle’s most notable healthcare providers. Dr. Garst was given the Professional Excellence Award in the physician category. One of her key areas of interest is lung cancer as a women’s health issue.

Dr. Marion O. Lee Jr. 91Dr. Lee has been appointed to the State Board of Medical Examiners by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue. He specializes in interventional pain management with the Affinity Health Group. He has served as attending anesthesiologist, director of respiratory therapy and chief of staff at Crisp Regional Hospital. He is a member of the American Society of Anesthesia, the Society of Ambulatory Anesthesia and the American Association of Pain Management. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Auburn University. He and wife Denah reside in Cordele. Ga. and have four children.

Dr. John Blankenship 95Dr. Blankenship is a urologist on the staffs of Athens Urology Surgery Center, Athens, Ga. Regional Medical Center and St. Mary’s Hospital. He completed residencies in urology and surgery at the University of Tennessee.

Dr. Leslie Stevens 95Dr. Stevens has been named Physician of the Year by the California Association for Healthcare Services at Home. Dr. Stevens began a career in hospice care in 2001 so she could devote ample time to her patients. She joined the Ramona Visiting Nurses Association and Hospice in Hemet, Calif., in 2006. She and a team of nurses, social workers and volunteers provide multi-dimensional service to patients. “You see the beauty and tenacity of the human soul” in working with dying patients, she says. “You’d be surprised, but people live with all the grace and dignity even in their final time.”

Dr. Daniel A. Mullis 99Dr. Mullis has joined the Department of General Surgery at The Longstreet Clinic PC’s Gainesville, Ga., office. The Rome, Ga., native was previously in private practice in South Carolina. His affiliations include the Southeastern Surgical Congress and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons. He and his wife, Casey, have one daughter, Alyssa.

2000sDr. Greg. J. Matechak 01Dr. Matechak has joined the staff of Floyd Urgent Care in Rockmart, Ga. He completed Atlanta Medical Center’s Family Practice Residency Program in Morrow, Ga. A board-certified family medicine physician, he is a member of the American Medical Association and the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Dr. Stacey Parker 05Dr. Parker has joined the Neighborhood Healthcare Center in Cleveland, Ga., as a primary care physician. She completed her residency at Atlanta Medical Center Department of Family Practice. Dr. Parker is a member of the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Academy of Family Practice.

Dr. Charles F. Jackson III 05Dr. Jackson has completed the J. Willis Hurst Internal Medicine Residency Program at Emory University School of Medicine and was named the 2008 Resident of the Year in Internal Medicine. Dr. Jackson will begin a cardiology fellowship at Emory University in July.

Dr. Louis LeGarde Battey 46Dr. Battey, a lifelong Augustan, died April 23 at age 84. He followed into the healing profession his great-great uncle, Dr. Alexander Dugas, a founding MCG faculty member, and hisgrandfather, uncle and brother. After graduating from MCG, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, then completed a residency at Emory University before establishing Cardiovascular Associates of Augusta. He published research on cerebral blood flow and opened Augusta’s first high blood pressure clinic in cooperation with MCG, where he served as a clinical professor. He helped establish the region’s first coronary care unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital and served as president of the Georgia Heart Association. He established the state’s first office-based echocardiography lab and received the 1993 American Heart Association Heart of Gold Award and the 1996 Georgia Chapter of the American College of Physicians Laureate Award. Survivors include wife Mary Mell Battey, four children and their spouses and 11 grandchildren.

Dr. James Henry Brown 48 Dr. Brown died May 3 at age 84. He served honorably in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War and practiced psychoanalysis in New Orleans for over 39 years. He was chief of staff of DePaul Hospital, chief of psychiatric services at Baptist Hospital, a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a founding member of the Louisiana Psychoanalytic Association. After retiring in 1994, he moved back to his hometown of Rossville, Ga. Survivors include wife Carol Elizabeth Olson Brown, a daughter, two sons and 11 grandchildren.

Dr. James Michael Hosford 72 Dr. Hosford died April 24 at age 65 after a courageous battle with cancer. He had practiced pediatrics in Gainesville, Ga., since 1976. He also was a board-certified addictionist, sharing hope and strength with many addicts. He sang in the First Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir for 30 years. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy presented him with the National Science Fair Award in biology, setting in motion a lifelong commitment to science. Survivors include wife Susan Smith Hosford, three daughters and their husbands and seven grandchildren.

Dr. Chris Waites 96 Dr. Waites died April 15 after a long, hard-fought battle against cancer. Dr. Waites, who practiced obstetrics/gynecology in Abingdon, Va., is remembered as “a great guy who loved life and was loved by all he touched.” Survivors include wife Angee and two young children, Andrew and Brenna. Wachovia Bank maintains a trust fund for his children under the name, Angela Kay Waites. To donate, call 276-676-3413.

In Memory

EDICINE739 Students

732 Students from Georgia

431 Residents

54 Basic Science Faculty

419 Clinical Science Faculty

176 Principal Investigators (including clinical trials)

823 Faculty Publications

$304.2 m Expenditures

$75.9 m Sponsored Research Dollars

$35.6 m NIH Research Grant Dollars

114 NIH Research Grants

7,291 Current Alumni

53.4 Percentage of Alumni Living in Georgia

$3.8 m Philanthropic Giving (cash and pledges)

40 Endowed Chairs and Professorships

75 Scholarship Funds

30 Dedicated Research Funds

Dean D. Douglas Miller

Vice Dean for Academic Affairs Ruth-Marie Fincher

Athens Campus Dean Barbara Schuster

Senior Associate Deans John D. Catravas

Joseph Hobbs Walter J. Moore

Anthony L. Mulloy

Associate Deans Andrew T. Albritton Kathleen M. McKie

Linda Boyd Peter F. Buckley Andria Thomas

Christopher White Geoffrey H. Young

Assistant DeansIqbal M. Khan

Kathryn MartinWilma Sykes-Brown

Executive Associate Dean for Administration Michael A. Herbert

Chief of Staff Donna Dauphinais

Director of Operations Joel Covar

Sources: Figures are from latest available data from the Medical College of Georgia’s Office of Decision Support, University Advancement and School of Medicine; National Institutes of Health.

By the Numbers Administration

MEDICAL COLLEGE OF GEORGIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

DEPARTMENTS

w w w . m c g . e d u / s o m / g e o rg i a m e d i c i n e

MEDICAL COLLEGE OF GEORGIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

MCG School of Medicine

Office of the Dean

Augusta, Georgia 30912

C H A N G E S E R V I C E R E Q U E S T E D

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDAtlanta, GA

Permit No. 552

Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Med School...

Krista Coleman-Silvers (from left),Dr. Doug Miller, Dr. Daniel Rahn and Tony Duva tour the historic O’Malley’s building near the UGA campus.

The historic three-story property, located on the Oconee River,was occupied by milling operations as early as 1829, but, after renovations, will house the first classes of the Athens campus of MCG until the school can move to its permanent home at the Navy Supply Corps base.

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