The University of Georgia announced the launch of the University of Georgia’s new School of Medicine for 2026 with the intention to help address the state’s shortage of medical professionals.

Georgia’s healthcare system has faced a physician shortage for decades, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Thirty-six Georgia counties received a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) score of 20 or above, indicating they have the greatest need for clinicians. According to Gov. Brian Kemp, the UGA School of Medicine would help address the statewide physician shortage.

“The main challenge is that we are not training enough doctors in Georgia. A vast majority of physicians end up working near where they do their residency. If we can get more doctors trained in Georgia, we can keep more doctors,” said Dr. Geoffrey Marx, Piedmont Athens Regional’s chief medical officer.

According to federal data, Clarke County is among 13 counties in Georgia that require more than 10 additional physicians to serve their populations adequately. Clayton County faces the most significant shortage, with the federal Health Resources and Services Administration estimating a need for 40 primary care doctors.

“I volunteer at Mercy clinic, and every week, when I go, I can just see the communities that are more underserved than others,” said Maddison Kilpatrick, a fourth-year pre-med student at the University of Georgia.

The new UGA School of Medicine proposes converting the existing Augusta University/UGA Medical Partnership in Athens into an independently accredited, standalone medical school. Opened in 2010, the Athens campus enrolls 60 students per class every year. With the coming Medical School Building on the Health Sciences Campus, the capacity will be expanded to 120 per class.

“By opening up the amount of students getting into medical school,” said Leslie Bernal, another pre-med student at the University of Georgia, “we only have a few medical schools opening up an opportunity for more kids to apply, which will give us a chance to actually have more students graduate from medical school and get more internships.”

Potential Concern

Despite the new school’s potential, Bernal expressed concern about securing internships and jobs post-graduation in Georgia. She emphasized the vital need for “more opportunity to join the field.” According to the 2023 Georgia Medical School Graduate Survey Report, 65.3% of graduating students choose the matched program out of Georgia, which showcases the current situation of physician loss in Georgia after medical students graduate. 

“I feel like getting a job right after medical school can be really hard, especially because you have to find an internship before you get to work for real. So the spots are very limited,” said Bernal. “I think this school is a good contribution, but I don’t think it will completely solve the shortage of how hard it is to get a job anywhere here in Georgia.”

According to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), there were 1,788 residency spots across the state of Georgia, of which 1,755 positions were filled. NRMP also showed there were 41,503 residency spots available around the country. However, the number of spots varies significantly by state, influenced by factors such as the number of medical schools, teaching hospitals and healthcare infrastructure in each region.

Second-year medical student Caleb Bradley, from the UGA/AU Medical partnership, shared the struggle medical students face when deciding to apply for residencies.

“I know a lot of people will move out of the state for their residency program because it could be difficult to get the residency program you want the most,” Bradley said.

Bradley mentioned the need to increase funding and prioritize residency programs, which could help address the trend of medical professionals leaving Georgia to practice elsewhere. He believes strengthening these programs may encourage more graduates to remain in-state, helping to reduce healthcare shortages locally.

Potential Expect

While concerns about post-graduation dynamics remain, some local experts view the UGA School of Medicine as a potential step forward. Experts anticipate that the new school could boost the state’s ability to train and retain more medical professionals over time by expanding educational and clinical training opportunities.

Dr. Cole Phillips, medical director at Mercy Health Center, noted the potential positive impact of the UGA School of Medicine on addressing Georgia’s physician shortage, emphasizing both the immediate and long-term effects.

“I think it’s multifaceted,” Phillips said. “It’s really two sides. It’s the faculty coming in immediately, being able to see patients and teach med students. Then it’s the development of attracting med students and getting those people in the pipeline, so I think it has a real chance to help.”

 

Luisa Velez and Zhiyao Zhang are journalism majors at the University of Georgia.