James Sept-Oct 2023 web - Flipbook - Page 37
THE PROSTHETICS LAB AT MERCER UNIVERSITY
In addition to making a big difference in Macon
itself, the Mercer footprint now extends across the
state. “If I were to show you a map of Mercer today,
you would see that we have a statewide presence
that runs from Atlanta, down through Valdosta and
from Savannah, through Macon, over to Columbus,”
said Underwood.
M E RC E R M E D I C I N E
A big part of that statewide presence is the
Mercer School of Medicine. They now have three
four-year campuses complete with research labs and
everything that goes with a medical school campus.
The Savannah campus opened 15 years ago and
the Columbus campus opened in 2021.
“It is a beautiful facility in downtown Columbus,
sitting on the river. This will be our third entering
class coming into the School of Medicine campus in
Columbus. Half the students in the School of Medicine today come from counties with 50,000 or fewer
residents, and these are young people committed
to going back and serving in rural communities
throughout the state. To support them, as well as to
support rural communities, we’ve opened a network
of rural medicine clinics that’s growing every year.”
The most recent clinic Mercer opened is on Jekyll
Island. Jekyll has not had a primary care doctor for
years and the Jekyll Island Authority approached Mercer about opening a clinic and they agreed to do it.
“We’ve got this network of rural medicine clinics
spreading throughout the state and I think that they
are establishing what can become a nationwide model
for how to address a shortage of positions in rural communities.” The Jekyll location makes their sixth rural
clinic and the school now has 30 primary care and
specialty providers through south and middle Georgia.
The dean of the medical school is Jean Sumner,
a practicing physician herself in rural Washington
and Johnson counties, and a member of the Mercer
School of Medicine’s first graduating class in 1986.
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