Summer 2004
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THAN 80 percent of School of Medicine seniors found out during Match Day
2004 on March 18 that they will complete residencies at one of their top-three
site choices. Forty-seven will remain in Georgia for their residencies, with 31
of those at MCG. For a complete list of the students’ residency sites, visit
www.mcg.edu/alumni/resappt04.pdf.Dr. Hobbs Honored for Family Medicine Education
DR. JOSEPH HOBBS, chair of Department of Family Medicine, vice dean
for primary care and community affairs in the MCG School of Medicine and a 1974
School of Medicine graduate, has received the 2003 American Academy of Family
Physicians’ Thomas W. Johnson Award for Contributions to Family Medicine
Education.
Dr. Hobbs also has been named the Georgia Rural Health Association’s 2003 Distinguished Educator for serving rural and medically underserved populations.
“Dr. Hobbs’ commitment to every aspect of primary care, from the quality of the practitioners to their availability to all Georgians, is clear to all of us who know and respect him,” said Dr. David M. Stern, dean of the MCG School of Medicine.
The American Board of Family Physicians represents more than 94,000 family physicians, family practice residents and medical students nationwide. The Georgia Rural Health Association was established in 1981 to improve health care in Georgia’s 118 rural counties.
Dr. Hobbs holds the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians’ Joseph W. Tollison, M.D., Distinguished Chair at MCG.
School of Medicine Alumni Honored
THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION of the School of Medicine has presented 2004 Distinguished Alumni Awards to Drs. Paul Stanton and Mims C. Aultman.
Dr. Stanton, president of East Tennessee State University, was honored for professional achievement. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Emory University and a medical degree from MCG in 1969. He completed residency training in general and vascular surgery at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta. In 1985, he was named chief of the Division of Peripheral Vascular Surgery at East Tennessee State University College of Medicine, and in 1988 he served as interim dean of the college and vice president for the Division of Health Sciences. In 1997, he became the university’s eighth president.
Dr. Aultman, a retired U.S. Army colonel and a member of the MCG class of 1953, was honored for loyalty to the university. He completed residency training in internal medicine at both MCG and University Hospital. In 1982, Dr. Aultman retired from the U.S. Army where he was an internal medicine physician. In 1984, he returned to Washington, D.C., and served as director of Health Care Services at the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home until 1993.
Endowment Honors Dr. McGahee
THE GEORGIA ACADEMY of Family Physicians Educational Foundation is
honoring the late Dr. Ollie O. McGahee Jr., a family physician from Jesup, Ga.,
who played a pivotal role in medical education in the state, by establishing an
endowment that bears his name in the Medical College of Georgia Department of
Family Medicine.
“This $250,000 endowment will support the activities of a clinician-educator who mirrors the life and career of Dr. McGahee,” said Dr. Joseph Hobbs, department chair and Georgia Academy of Family Physicians’ Joseph W. Tollison, M.D., Distinguished Chair. “Dr. McGahee was an engaging man and an excellent physician who loved his patients and was loved by them. He made a tremendous contribution to the specialty of family medicine in his life and that work will live on in the practices of the students he taught as well as the work of the physician who is awarded this chair.”
“We wanted some way to truly honor Dr. McGahee and his significant contribution to family medicine,” said Pat Eubanks, the foundation’s executive vice president. “We established the endowment at MCG because his heart and soul were there and because the Family Medicine Department was instrumental to the early success of the foundation.”
Dr. McGahee, a 1958 graduate of the MCG School of Medicine, was a past president of the Alumni Association of the School of Medicine and a lifetime member of its board of directors. He died Jan. 1, 2003.
His longtime support of MCG was multifaceted, including serving as its advocate at the state level in efforts such as securing funding for primary care education, Dr. Hobbs said. In 1982, when the MCG Department of Family Medicine began sending third-year medical students to community-based practice sites for clerkships, Dr. McGahee was among the first to sign up, quickly becoming a mentor, not only for the students who rotated through his busy Jesup practice, but also for other physicians interested in teaching, Dr. Hobbs said.
Dr. McGahee was equally involved with the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians Educational Foundation, established in 1975 as one of the first continuing medical education providers in the country to develop, prepare and distribute the educational courses needed for certification by thousands of family practitioners within the state and throughout the nation once family medicine became a specialty, Ms. Eubanks said.
“Dr. McGahee served on the Board of Directors of the Educational Foundation
from the very first day,” she said. In 2000, the Educational Foundation shifted
its focus toward providing grant support for educational initiatives, such as
family medicine residency programs statewide. The Educational Foundation was the
single largest corporate donor to the chair Dr. Hobbs holds, the Georgia Academy
of Family Physicians’ Joseph W. Tollison, M.D. Chair, established in 1997 and
funded by a $1.1 million endowment,
Ms. Eubanks said.
“We at MCG greatly appreciate the ongoing support of the Educational Foundation, most especially when that support also honors great clinician-educators such as Dr. Tollison and Dr. McGahee,” Dr. Hobbs said. Dr. Tollison chaired the MCG Department of Family Medicine for 15 years and is now deputy director of the American Board of Family Practice.
Golfer Donates Proceeds to MCG
PROFESSIONAL GOLFER Charles Howell III is honoring his father and sick children by designating his proceeds from the 2003 PGA Tour’s Presidents Cup to establish a pediatric surgery chair fund at the Medical College of Georgia.
“We are all allotted a certain amount of money to give to charity by virtue of playing in that tournament. It was pretty clear once I knew that where the money was going,” said the 24-year-old son of Dr. Charles G. Howell, chief of the MCG Section of Pediatric Surgery, and Debra Hall Howell.
The $80,000 gift will establish the fund that likely will one day help recruit and retain an additional pediatric surgeon for MCG.
“I am very proud of him and proud of the fact that he is doing this. I guess the better he plays, the larger the fund might get,” Dr. Howell said. “And I think the better he plays, the happier he will be.”
“If the Lord is willing, as time goes on, I will give more and more to help support this work,” said his son. A total of $500,000 is needed to establish an endowed chair at MCG.
Dr. Howell, a 1973 graduate of the MCG School of Medicine, has been an MCG faculty member since 1982 and chief of the Section of Pediatric Surgery since 1993.
Alumni Endow Plastic Surgery Chair Fund at MCG
AUGUSTA PHYSICIANS AND School of Medicine alumni Joseph M. Still Jr. and Robert F. Mullins have pledged $600,000 over the next five years to MCG’s Joseph M. Still Jr. Endowed Chair Fund in Plastic Surgery.
The money will establish a permanent fund to support an established clinician, researcher and educator in plastic surgery. The term ‘chair fund’ will be maintained until the $500,000 requirement for endowing a chair is met, which likely will be in several years, at which time MCG will seek designation of the Joseph M. Still, Jr., Chair in Plastic Surgery from the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, said Keith Todd, MCG vice president for university advancement.
“This is a wonderful expression of support for the Medical College of Georgia and the specialty of plastic and reconstructive surgery,” said MCG President Daniel W. Rahn. “This type of philanthropic support helps provide the resources needed to move MCG forward as a premier academic medical center. The fact that these generous individuals are our alumni is a terrific bonus.”
“I have always supported the Medical College of Georgia and am glad to have the opportunity to support excellence in the education of future plastic surgeons,” said Dr. Still, a plastic surgeon and founder and medical director of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, who also founded the MCG Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1972.
Dr. Still began thinking about the gift while talking recently with Dr. Thomas R. Gadacz, chair of the MCG Department of Surgery, about the needs of academic medical centers in these fiscally austere times of shrinking reimbursements and state support. thought about it and gave him a call,” said Dr. Still. Dr. Gadacz remembers the call well: it was Halloween. “This is one of the few Halloweens I can remember where I got a true treat and no trick,” he said. Dr. Gadacz, who holds the Moretz-Mansberger Chair of Surgery, has worked to establish chairs that support excellence in each surgery specialty since he came to MCG in 1991. With the announcement of the new plastic surgery chair fund, he has only one area left: pediatric surgery.
Dr. Mullins, a 1996 graduate of the MCG School of Medicine in practice with Dr. Still at Physicians’ Multispecialty Group, P.C., joined Dr. Still in the pledge out of respect for him and the work of the MCG Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The general surgeon has a long relationship with MCG that began before his own education here; he used to come to work with his father, the late Dr. Frank Mullins, a pathologist and faculty member at MCG for more than 20 years, who served as interim chair of the Department of Pathology from 1953-54. He continues the relationship at MCG by periodically teaching dermatology residents about burn care.
Dr. Still is a 1965 graduate of the MCG School of Medicine. He completed his general surgery residency at MCG, a plastic surgery residency at Duke University Medical Center and a hand fellowship at the Kleinert Institute in Louisville, Ky. He was on the faculty of MCG from 1973-75. Dr. Still is founder and a board member of Southeastern Firefighters’ Burn Foundation and founder and president of the foundation’s Research Consortium, Inc. He is on the advisory board of the National Burn Awareness Task Force. Dr. Still received the 2002 Hardman Cup from the Medical Association of Georgia, given annually to an individual who has solved public health problems or made discoveries in surgery, medicine and other areas of science.
Dr. Mullins is a graduate of MCG’s physician assistant program as well as the medical school. He completed his general surgery residency at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System in South Carolina in 2001 and joined Physicians’ Multispecialty Group. His memberships include the Southeastern Surgical Congress and the American Burn Association.
Students Share Skills with Area Youth
WHILE WORKING ON her bachelor’s degree at Wellesley College, Vandana
Reddy developed a passion for helping underprivileged children.
“I volunteered in a violence-prevention program for Boston public schools,” said Ms. Reddy, who just completed her first year of medical school at MCG. “I think the environment children are exposed to is key in helping them lead better lives and making better choices.”
After starting medical school, she sought an outlet for her volunteerism. At Augusta’s Boys and Girls Club, she found a need for her developing medical skills and her desire to make a difference.
“After talking with the director, it was clear that a lot of the kids at the Boys and Girls Club think they can only aspire to athletic careers; they don't have the confidence that they can do more than that,” she said. “We plan to change that so they do know their amazing abilities and potential, and actually do something with it.”
The Rev. Derwin Jackson, mentoring and volunteer director of the Boys and Girls Club, was delighted by discussions with Ms. Reddy about launching a health club where MCG students would share knowledge about health careers with his students. Ms. Reddy brought the idea back to her classmates and faculty and found an outpouring of support.
“I didn't know it when I started this, but so many people are already interested in working in a program like this,” she said. “Someone just needed to initiate it, I suppose. Not only does the program let (MCG students and residents) teach what they know about their field, but also it lets them interact with bright kids and serve as mentors for them.”
“Unbeknownst to me, several folks at MCG got together and came forward with a program. It has really been an awesome effort. MCG students and pediatric residents have really just done a wonderful job,” said the Rev. Jackson.
In March, the planning and brainstorming came to fruition with an information session for Boys and Girls Club students about the Junior Medical League. Over 50 MCG students, residents and faculty, representing disciplines including nursing, dentistry, research, physical therapy, occupational therapy and medicine, came to the club to share with the Augusta youth. The league pairs children with an MCG mentor, and includes field trips to the campus, learning about careers in health care and receiving practical medical knowledge they can use in their everyday lives.
“This is a great opportunity to get these kids involved,” said Mr. Jackson. “None of these children aspire to be physical therapists, dentists, doctors or nurses. If we can get their minds interested, and start their creativity flowing about what they can achieve, the results will be amazing.”
Raft Debate Offers Wave of Insight
JACKIE DUBOSE IS a giant step closer to choosing her medical specialty after witnessing the second annual Medical College of Georgia Raft Debate.
"I'll probably choose family medicine," said the medical student who helped organize the debate with classmate Amy Vinson. "I like the idea of the continuity of care and the fact that you can interact throughout a patient's different stages of life."
The Raft Debate, sponsored by the School of Medicine Alumni Association April 16 for sophomore and junior medical students, featured MCG faculty members discussing the pros and cons of different medical fields.
A hypothetical scenario set the stage: a sinking ship with a pediatrician, family medicine physician and a surgeon on board and a life raft that held only one person. Each physician was challenged to prove his worth. The evening included a low-country boil and time for students to mingle with faculty and alumni.
"This was a great opportunity for students to get together with faculty and alumni in a more relaxed setting away from the hospital or classroom," said Ms. Dubose. "It was educational, but also a lot of fun. The dinner afterward was a good chance for students to talk one on one with faculty and alumni about their careers and to thank them for their support."
Dr. Paul Dainer, an MCG hematologist-oncologist, and Elizabeth Holt, a third-year student, initiated the program at MCG last year, modeling it after a Raft Debate Dr. Rainer witnessed at Oxford University in England.
Participants included moderator Dr. Ruth-Marie Fincher, a general internal medicine physician and vice dean for academic affairs for the School of Medicine, and devil's advocate Dr. Bill Dolen, professor of pediatrics in the Section of Allergy and Immunology.
The three doctors on the ceremonial sinking ship were Dr. Kathleen McKie, associate professor of pediatrics; Dr. David Jester, associate professor of family medicine; and Dr. Daniel Albo, assistant professor of surgery.
Dr. Fincher kept the debate on course as Dr. Dolen questioned and challenged the debaters; each stated his case, challenging the cases of fellow debaters and taking questions from the audience.
The students left the debate not only with a better understanding of the specialties, but with a keener sense of direction. "It was a good way to welcome second-year students into the hospital and for third-year students to get accustomed to passing on a little wisdom from rotations," said Ms. Vinson.
Alumni Association Awards Scholarships
TEN DESCENDANT scholarships of $3,000 each were awarded for 2004-05 by the Alumni Association of the School of Medicine of the Medical College of Georgia.
Scholarship recipients are Thomas Lane Estes Jr., Marcus Evans, Nathanael Mark Henson, Matthew K. Howard, Philip Jones, Thomas J. Martin, Beck Deal McAllister, Lawrence Odom, Elizabeth Richwine and Sandra Jean Scott.
The alumni association also awarded four Alumni Scholar Awards for 2004-05.
These four-year full-tuition scholarships are renewable annually and based on merit.
Award recipients are Melissa Breedlove (new recipient), Mary Knox (renewal), Shane Masters (renewal) and Daniel Claassen (renewal).
In addition, Charles Jackson, Cline Jackson, Lindsay Fields and Julia Engle will continue to receive the Class of 1961 scholarships. Also Jonathan Davis is the first recipient of the Ollie O. McGahee Jr., M.D. Memorial Award.
Dr. Haysman Named Association President
DR. MELVIN L. HAYSMAN, an allergist and immunologist in Savannah, Ga.,
and 1971 graduate of the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine, has been
elected president of the Alumni Association of the School of Medicine for
2004-05.
Dr. Haysman has been a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2000, serving as general director, first vice president and president-elect. He chaired the association’s Nominating and Planning Committees in 2003-04. He has been a lifetime member of the alumni association since 1984 and is an active leader among his fellow Savannah alumni.
He is a physician at Savannah Allergy Associates, P.C. and is actively involved in research with Allergy Research of Savannah, Inc. His research interests include evaluating new therapies for asthma, seasonal allergic rhinitis, pneumonia and immunologic deficiencies.
Dr. Haysman is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at MCG. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the American College of Physicians and the Georgia Medical Society. He is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. He is an active member of the Savannah area Rotary Club.
Dr. Haysman completed an internal medicine internship at the University of Alabama Medical School, an internal medicine residency at MCG and an allergy and clinical immunology fellowship at Duke University Medical Center.
Dr. Haysman and wife Roberta Kamine-Haysman have three daughters.
2004-05 School of Medicine Alumni Association Officers
- Dr. Melvin Haysman (’71), Savannah, Ga.--President
- Dr. Peter Payne (’64), Augusta, Ga.--President Elect
- Dr. Dan DeLoach (’74), Savannah, Ga.--First Vice President
- Dr. Alan Kaplan (’82), Atlanta, Ga.--Second Vice President
- Dr. Betty Wray (’60), Augusta, Ga.--Secretary/Treasurer
- Dr. Scott Bohlke (’92), Statesboro, Ga.--Recent Graduate Member
- Dr. Travis Caudill (’02), Waco, Texas--Class President Member
- Dr. Kelley B. Dopson (’82), Atlanta, Ga.--General Director
- Dr. Joe Hobbs (’74), Augusta, Ga.--General Director
- Dr. Mary Bess Jarrard (’85), Athens, Ga.--General Director
- Dr. Doug Johnson (’03), Augusta, Ga.--Class President Member
- Dr. Mark Murphy (’88), Savannah, Ga.--General Director
- Dr. Steve Shirley (’80), Athens, Ga.--General Director
- Dr. Steve Simko (’04), Augusta, Ga.--Class President Member
- Dr. Harvey Simpson III (’91), Milledgeville, Ga.--General Director
- Dr. Scot Stewart (’97), Gainesville, Ga.--Recent Graduate Member