| Accessibility Statement
Quick Links

The White Coat Scholarship Initiative

Photo Gallery

  • <p>Increasing Access to Public Medical Education in Georgia</p>

    White Coat Scholarship Initiative

    Increasing Access to Public Medical Education in Georgia

  • <p>Tripp Umbach, the nation’s leading medical education planning organization, estimates that a projected shortage of 1,500 primary care physicians in underserved areas would cost the State of Georgia $5.4 billion annually in delayed healthcare costs.</p>

    Alleviating Georgia's Physician Shortage

    Tripp Umbach, the nation’s leading medical education planning organization, estimates that a projected shortage of 1,500 primary care physicians in underserved areas would cost the State of Georgia $5.4 billion annually in delayed healthcare costs.

  • <p>Declining public funding means more private support is needed to recruit and retain Georgia’s best students.</p>

    Tomorrow's Physicians

    Declining public funding means more private support is needed to recruit and retain Georgia’s best students.

  • <p>A partnership between the Medical College of Georgia and the University of Georgia is on track to educate more physicians for Georgia’s future.</p>

    Partnering on Behalf of Georgia

    A partnership between the Medical College of Georgia and the University of Georgia is on track to educate more physicians for Georgia’s future.

  • <p>Among the first academic priorities of the White Coat Scholarship Initiative is to increase scholarships to attract the best and brightest students while also removing the burden of student debt.</p>

    Removing the Burden of Student Debt

    Among the first academic priorities of the White Coat Scholarship Initiative is to increase scholarships to attract the best and brightest students while also removing the burden of student debt.

  • <p>“My family had no experience in financing higher education ... Scholarships made all the difference for me.” Dr. Joseph Hobbs, MCG ’74 and J.W. Tollison, M.D. Distinguished Chair of the Department of Family Medicine</p>

    Donor Stories: Dr. Joseph Hobbs

    “My family had no experience in financing higher education ... Scholarships made all the difference for me.” Dr. Joseph Hobbs, MCG ’74 and J.W. Tollison, M.D. Distinguished Chair of the Department of Family Medicine

  • <p>“I didn’t really have a good ‘plan B.’ I knew my family would do everything they could to provide for me, but at the same time, I didn’t want to deprive my siblings from getting an education.” Dr. Wiley Black, UGA ‘58, MCG ‘62</p>

    Donor Stories: Dr. Wiley Black

    “I didn’t really have a good ‘plan B.’ I knew my family would do everything they could to provide for me, but at the same time, I didn’t want to deprive my siblings from getting an education.” Dr. Wiley Black, UGA ‘58, MCG ‘62

  • <p>Founded in 1828, the Medical College of Georgia is the 13th-oldest continuously operating medical school in the United States and Georgia’s only public medical school.</p>

    The Medical College of Georgia

    Founded in 1828, the Medical College of Georgia is the 13th-oldest continuously operating medical school in the United States and Georgia’s only public medical school.

  • <p>Founded in 1785, the University of Georgia is the state’s largest and most comprehensive public university</p>

    The University of Georgia

    Founded in 1785, the University of Georgia is the state’s largest and most comprehensive public university

Our Goal: Increasing Access to Public Medical Education

The White Coat Scholarship Initiative was launched in 2010 with a goal of increasing access to public medical education in Georgia. The fundraising teams of the Georgia Regents University and the University of Georgia are working together on this critical program, and we need your help.

Our Challenge: Georgia's Physician Shortage

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has projected a severe physician shortage in the United States by the year 2025. A number of factors, including population growth and the spike in the number of aging Americans, will contribute to the demand for physicians outpacing the supply. The high cost of education; dwindling federal support for teaching hospitals; a critical shortage of health care faculty; and inadequate private and public insurance reimbursement, particularly for those serving the most vulnerable and impoverished citizens, have only compounded the problem.

The state of Georgia will be among the states feeling the greatest impact of this shortage. Currently, Georgia ranks ninth in the nation for population growth but is 41st in the number of doctors per capita.

Our Response: Partnering on Behalf of Georgia

Turning Georgia's physician shortage around won't be easy, but a partnership between the Georgia Regents University--the state's only public medical school-and the University of Georgia-its largest and most comprehensive research university--is on track to educate more physicians for Georgia's future.

In the fall of 2010, 40 students began their studies under the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership in Athens. By 2020, the Partnership is expected to educate 60 students per year in Athens. The GRU School of Medicine campus in Augusta is expected to enroll 240 students per year by 2020 for a total class of 300 medical students per year, a 60% increase over the current GRU enrollment.

How You Can Help: Supporting the White Coat Scholarship Initiative

This alliance of two of Georgia's most prominent universities combined with a supportive medical community has created an unparalleled opportunity for the education of future physicians in Georgia. However, much more needs to be done to attract the best and brightest students, especially given escalating tuition and today's challenging economic climate.

Among the first academic priorities of the White Coat Scholarship Initiative is to increase scholarships to attract talented students while also removing the burden of student debt, which can discourage students, especially those of limited financial means, from entering the medical profession. For those who do enter and complete medical school, high levels of student debt are a disincentive to serve in medically underserved areas or to choose specialties where the need is greatest, such as primary care. We need your help to ensure that financial obstacles don't deter students from serving a state with an urgent need for more physicians.

You can give online through the Georgia Regents University or through the University of Georgia.

You can also learn more by contacting one of our development officers:

Susan L. Barcus
GRU Senior Vice President for Advancement and Community Relations/Chief Development Officer
(800) 869-1113
SVPAdvancement@georgiahealth.edu

Keith Oelke
UGA Senior Executive Director for Central Development
(888) 268-5442
koelke@uga.edu