The Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University and the University of Georgia partnered to create a four-year medical school campus in Athens to help alleviate a statewide shortage of physicians that threatens the health of Georgians.
The AU/UGA Medical Partnership combines the significant instructional and research resources of UGA, the birthplace of public higher education, with the expertise from one of the country’s first, and Georgia’s only public medical school, the Medical College of Georgia.
In addition to increasing the number of physicians in Georgia, the partnership is expanding research collaborations between AU and UGA, creating new insights into the prevention and treatment of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Students have the opportunity to learn in small group class sizes, while having the benefit of being part of one of the largest medical schools in the United States.
Georgia currently ranks 40th in the nation in the ratio of physicians to population. It also faces a number of health challenges, including a high infant mortality rate and high rates of obesity and heart disease. Through expanded medical education and research, the AU/UGA Medical Partnership is addressing these issues to improve the health and prosperity of our state.