The groundbreaking was a “transformational second on the College of Georgia”
The College of Georgia broke floor Friday on a brand new medical schooling and analysis constructing that can considerably broaden educating and analysis capabilities on the college’s future Faculty of Drugs.
Positioned on UGA’s Well being Sciences campus, preliminary plans for the constructing embody medical simulation suites, standardized affected person rooms, medical expertise labs, a gross anatomy lab, and a medical library. The constructing will even characteristic scholar assist areas like convention rooms, examine areas, lounges, and college and employees workplaces devoted to scholar assist.
In complete, the proposed constructing will measure roughly 92,000 sq. ft. Roughly 67,000 sq. ft of the constructing might be devoted to medical schooling whereas the remaining 25,000 sq. ft will home biomedical analysis laboratories.
Gov. Brian Kemp speaks on the groundbreaking ceremony for the Medical Faculty Constructing on the Well being Sciences Campus. (Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA)
The brand new constructing will complement current services and supply the UGA Faculty of Drugs with capability to broaden from 60 college students per class to 120 sooner or later.
“As we speak is an thrilling and transformational second on the College of Georgia,” stated UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “As a land-grant college and Georgia’s flagship analysis establishment, the College of Georgia is uniquely positioned to deal with the well being care wants of our state by world-class medical schooling, analysis and neighborhood outreach.”
Following the advice of Governor Brian Kemp, the Georgia Basic Meeting handed a fiscal yr 2024 amended funds that features $50 million in funding for a brand new College of Georgia Faculty of Drugs facility.
President Jere W. Morehead speaks together with USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue and Gov. Brian Kemp on the groundbreaking ceremony for the Medical Faculty Constructing on the Well being Sciences Campus. (Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA)
The $50 million in state funding might be matched by non-public contributions to fund the $100 million medical schooling and analysis constructing.
The College System of Georgia Board of Regents licensed the College of Georgia to ascertain a brand new unbiased Faculty of Drugs in Athens in February.
In March, Dr. Shelley Nuss was named founding dean of the UGA Faculty of Drugs. She beforehand served as an affiliate professor of inside medication and psychiatry within the Augusta College/College of Georgia Medical Partnership. In 2016, she was named campus dean of the Medical Partnership, which has been educating physicians in Athens since 2010.
“The actual fact is, Georgia wants extra medical doctors, and we’d like them now,” stated Nuss. “The brand new UGA Faculty of Drugs will enhance the variety of medical college students within the state, translating to extra working towards physicians to assist deal with Georgia’s biggest well being care challenges.”
The creation of the UGA Faculty of Drugs marks the pure evolution of the longest-serving medical partnership in the USA. Related applications based across the identical time have already transitioned to unbiased medical colleges.
USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue speaks from the rostrum together with Gov. Brian Kemp on the groundbreaking ceremony for the Medical Faculty Constructing on the Well being Sciences Campus. (Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA)
UGA will proceed to work intently with the Medical Faculty of Georgia to make sure a clean transition for present medical college students as UGA seeks accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Schooling (LCME).
The event of a brand new public college of drugs at UGA guarantees to assist deal with a major scarcity of medical professionals. Georgia’s rising inhabitants tops roughly 11 million residents, straining the state’s current medical infrastructure.
Now the nation’s eighth largest state, Georgia is forecasted to expertise additional inhabitants development within the coming years, and practically one-third of the state’s physicians are nearing retirement.
“Georgia is rising,” stated Sonny Perdue, chancellor of the College System of Georgia. “We could solely be solely eighth immediately, however in only a few brief years Georgia may very well be the fifth largest state. And which means we’re going to want extra well being care, and persons are going to get it right here and throughout the state.”
Founding Dean of the Faculty of Drugs Shelley Nuss, center, is surrounded by medical college students on the groundbreaking ceremony for the Medical Faculty Constructing. (Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA)
Georgia at the moment ranks No. 40 amongst U.S. states for the variety of energetic affected person care physicians per capita, in accordance with the Affiliation of American Medical Schools (AAMC), whereas it ranks No. 41 for the variety of main care physicians and No. 44 for the variety of basic surgeons per capita. The scarcity of medical suppliers is especially acute in rural and underserved areas, the place entry is much more restricted.
UGA college are already engaged in human well being analysis, and the institution of a college of drugs will bolster their efforts.
“Our flagship establishment, the College of Georgia, is tasked with the important mission of teaching and making ready the subsequent technology of leaders,” stated Gov. Brian Kemp. “To that finish, considered one of our prime priorities is constructing a robust well being care workforce pipeline. This UGA facility might be a vital a part of these efforts.”
Alongside funding from state authorities, sturdy non-public assist will fortify efforts to create a Faculty of Drugs at UGA. Donors have demonstrated sturdy assist for UGA initiatives lately. In fiscal yr 2023, UGA raised over $240 million in items and pledges from alumni, pals and basis and trade companions. The college’s three-year rolling fundraising common is now a file $235 million per yr, with annual contributions exceeding $200 million for the previous six consecutive years.
