It has only been a year since the University System of Georgia Board of Regents sanctioned the creation of an autonomous School of Medicine at the University of Georgia, and the institution is swiftly moving ahead to transform a vision into a tangible achievement.

The School of Medicine has already made major faculty and administrative appointments, cleared the path for a new medical education building, and reached a crucial fundraising target. In November, the Board of Regents granted final authorization for UGA to confer a Doctor of Medicine degree. This marks one of several steps for initiating the medical school and deploying new physicians into the healthcare system.

By the autumn of 2024, the essential administrative team of the medical school began to form, with founding Dean Shelley Nuss recruiting academic luminaries from across the country.

However, UGA didn’t need to search beyond Atlanta to appoint its senior associate dean of academic affairs. Dr. Erica Brownfield, an expert in internal medicine, previously worked at Emory University as the associate dean of medical education. In her new position, Brownfield will strategize and execute the academic objectives of the medical school across undergraduate and graduate medical training. This encompasses management of accreditation, admissions, and curriculum development.

“My enthusiasm is coupled with a significant sense of duty to help cultivate medical education and healthcare in Georgia,” Brownfield states.

In September, UGA declared that distinguished gastric cancer researcher Yana Zavros would head the medical school’s research initiatives. Zavros, who has held faculty positions at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Arizona, pioneered organoid-based studies for examining gastric cancer. These advancements allow scientists to produce tissues in the laboratory that emulate a patient’s organs.

Zavros, who has also become the inaugural Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Molecular Medicine, will recruit faculty researchers and set priorities for the new medical school’s research institute.

“My aspiration,” remarks Zavros, “is for this to be the benchmark that other institutions will aspire to, demonstrating how to effectively intertwine biomedical research and healthcare in a manner that swiftly converts scientific breakthroughs into patient care.”

Zavros will proceed with her collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of investigators focused on addressing the challenges of early diagnosis and treatment for Cushing’s disease, which affects both humans and dogs.

Zavros’ collaborative efforts across multiple institutions examine the disease in both human and canine subjects—ultimately benefiting both groups. This methodology is consistent with the university’s Precision One Health Initiative, which acknowledges the interconnections between human, animal, and environmental health and pursues holistic solutions.

In October, the School of Medicine attracted Brian Steele from the University of Kansas School of Medicine to serve as the associate dean of admissions. Steele mentioned UGA’s land-grant mission as one reason for his interest in the position; another reason is the chance to develop a new program nearly from the ground up, a common recurring theme for the medical school’s faculty members. As the organizational structure of the medical school is established, the future of UGA’s Health Sciences Campus is also taking shape. UGA approved plans for the new medical education and research facility this autumn.

Last spring, UGA held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the facility after Gov. Brian Kemp BSA ’87 and the Georgia General Assembly sanctioned a $50 million commitment towards the new School of Medicine. Within a few months, the university matched this investment with an additional $50 million from private sources to build a 92,000-square-foot facility that will include instructional auditoriums, an anatomy laboratory, simulation spaces, and a medical library. Construction is anticipated to commence this spring.

The new facility is merely the beginning of how the School of Medicine intends to enhance the health of Georgians and stimulate the state’s economy. A recent analysis by the well-respected consulting firm Tripp Umbach estimated an economic impact between $1.8 billion and $2.3 billion on the state by 2040. The report determined that the key contributors to economic returns would be enhancements in healthcare, research growth, and job creation throughout the state.

The article Building a Medical School: A Progress Report originally appeared on UGA Today.