Georgia UGA- Last Monday, the University of Georgia started building a new Medical School Building at their Health Sciences Campus. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, UGA President Jere W. Morehead, and other important people were there to celebrate and help kick off the construction.
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The ceremony started with speeches from people who have been working hard for years to make the UGA School of Medicine happen. Morehead praised the strong medical collaboration between UGA and Augusta University. He also thanked Kemp, Chancellor Sonny Perdue, the Board of Regents, and other state and local leaders who helped make the School of Medicine possible.
Michelle Nuss, who started the School of Medicine, talked about why a new medical school in Georgia is crucial. She said that one out of every 10 people in Georgia lives in a place where there’s only one doctor. She also talked about how well the AU/UGA Medical Partnership is doing and assured everyone that the new school will build on that success.
“This school will keep working closely with all our great partners. We need them to run a community-focused medical school.”
Perdue said making a new medical school was important. He started looking into it last fall and now we have plans for it. The AU/UGA Medical Partnership began in 2009 when Perdue was governor.
“Georgia is getting bigger,” Perdue said. “Right now, we’re eighth, but soon we might become the fifth biggest state. That means we’ll need more healthcare, and everyone in Georgia will be able to get it.”
Kemp said they made a new medical school, thanking the leaders who helped. He also talked about boosting the economy statewide and why we need more healthcare workers.
“We’re happy that more Georgia students can stay in their home state for school and jobs. Plus, we’re excited about the research happening in Athens and all over Georgia,” Kemp said.
After the ceremony, everyone went to where the new building will be made. They had a special event called a groundbreaking ceremony. People from different groups used shovels to scoop up some dirt symbolically. Some of these people were medical students from AU/UGA. They won’t graduate from UGA School of Medicine, but they were happy to be there and see the new school being built.
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Grace Snuggs, a junior medical student from Marietta, Georgia, is learning about brain surgery at AU/UGA Medical Partnership. She plans to return to Athens after her training to work as a doctor there.
“I really love this campus, and I feel ready for my rotations. I’m excited to see it grow. There’s been a lot of support for the new campus, so I can’t wait to see what it becomes.”
A new Medical School Building is being built behind the College of Public Health, next to Pound Hall. Initially, it will accommodate 60 students per class but will eventually grow to hold 120 students per class. The project is funded by $50 million from the state government and another $50 million from private donors. The building will be 92,000 square feet and will include medical simulation rooms, patient rooms, labs for clinical skills training, a gross anatomy lab, and a medical library.
Dean Nuss believes that UGA can manage housing and parking near the school, even though there are still some concerns about it. She’s confident that these issues won’t stop the School of Medicine from being successful.
