Medical College of Georgia
New Faculty Orientation
Dr. Daniel W. Rahn
President, Medical College of Georgia
I am pleased to welcome you to the Medical College of Georgia–a
freestanding, public academic medical center with a rich past and a
promising future.
MCG was founded more than 175 years ago by Dr. Milton Antony, Dr. Joseph
Adams Eve, and two other physicians for a total faculty of four. At the
beginning of the 19th century, less than one hundred physicians practiced
medicine in the state of Georgia–and only one had obtained the MD degree. To
date, the Medical College of Georgia has educated more than 29,000 health
care practitioners, including 11,000 physicians, over 1,500 dentists, more
than 600 biomedical scientists, and more than 15,500 allied health and
nursing professionals.
The institution currently offers more than 40 academic programs at the
certificate, baccalaureate, master's, first professional, and doctoral
levels–many of which are nationally recognized. US News and World Report
ranked MCG's nursing anesthesia program 18th in the nation out of
approximately 90 programs and MCG Medical Center among "America's Best
Hospitals" in 2004. This year, the School of Medicine moved from 83rd to
76th place in National Institutes of Health funding to U.S. medical schools.
The institution operates the only dental school in the state of Georgia and
one of only five accredited medical illustration programs in the nation.
MCG builds on a proud research tradition that boasts, among other
achievements, a cure for pellagra and the groundwork that led to such
breakthroughs as fertility pills, birth-control pills, and beta-blocking
drugs. Current research initiatives focus on six umbrella areas including
cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, cancer, infection and
inflammation, biomedical technology, and diabetes. Last year, MCG
faculty were awarded $76.6 million in research funding–an increase of 177
percent over the past five years.
Not only do you join a dynamic academic and research community of more than
830 full- and part-time faculty, you are becoming part of a thriving
clinical system as well. The MCG health care system operates more than two
dozen clinical centers, such as the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Center
for Sports Medicine, the Georgia Sleep Center, and the Epilepsy Center–one
of the most experienced epilepsy centers in the country. The 2003 edition of
America’s Top Doctors included thirteen MCG physicians. And, US News
and World Report ranked the MCG Hospitals and Clinics as one of the best
hospitals in the nation for the treatment of hormonal disorders.
MCG is committed to being one of the nation's premier academic health centers for outstanding education, committed public service, and leading-edge research and scholarship. We welcome you to the faculty and eagerly anticipate your contributions to the Medical College of Georgia.