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Article Category: Newsroom

Wellstar Accelerates Training Next Generation of Caregivers

Published on February 20, 2025

Last updated 11:13 AM February 20, 2025

Physician taking a patient's blood pressure

MARIETTA, Ga. (Feb. 20, 2025) – Wellstar Health System announced today the launch of residency programs at two more of its hospitals: Wellstar Paulding Medical Center in Hiram and West Georgia Medical Center in LaGrange.

Including its partnership with Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Wellstar MCG Health, Wellstar will now operate seven teaching hospitals in the state. In addition to Wellstar Paulding and Wellstar West Georgia, four other Wellstar hospitals—Wellstar Kennestone, Wellstar Cobb, Wellstar Douglas and Wellstar Spalding Medical Centers—are already designated as teaching hospitals.

Known as Graduate Medical Education (GME), the Paulding and West Georgia residency training programs will create 60 new physician positions—30 in each hospital. Both programs will focus on internal medicine with an emphasis on rural primary care.

In the last decade, Wellstar has grown its GME program from 14 trainees in 2016 to nearly 300 today, many of whom have remained with Wellstar and in Georgia.

Through Wellstar’s partnership with Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia, Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center is the primary clinical training site for more than 500 GME positions. The new residency slots mean Wellstar will soon support more than 860 physicians in training.

Wellstar executives said one of their goals is to help fill an increasingly dire need for physicians in rural areas.

“We know that doctors are more likely to stay in communities where they train,” said Wellstar President and CEO Candice L. Saunders. “Because of that, we’ve committed significant resources to training physicians who care for people in rural areas where the need is much greater for highly skilled clinicians.”

“We must all work together to ensure students who graduate from medical schools in Georgia can remain in our state for residency and beyond,” said Augusta University President Russell T. Keen. “Programs like these are an essential part of ensuring a healthier future for our state. I am thankful to our educational partners at Wellstar for their vision and investment and I look forward to finding new ways to ensure our partnership continues to positively impact the lives of the people of Georgia.”

Later this year another hospital that serves rural areas, Wellstar Spalding in Griffin, will graduate its first class of resident physicians. The 10 graduates will be offered positions within the healthcare system. Wellstar is also pursuing a Rural Track Program (RTP) designation, which would allow for additional physician trainees to be based at Wellstar Kennestone but practice at rural hospitals across the state.

“Besides improving the health and wellness of Georgia’s rural communities, we’re also helping to make them stronger economically,” said Dr. Val Akopov, senior vice president of Wellstar Medical Group. “These new physicians and their families live and work in these small towns, which positively enhances our shared vision for our state.”

“Now with 304 students per class, Medical College of Georgia is among the top five largest medical school class sizes in the nation but is a net exporter of medical students,” said MCG Dean Dr. David Hess. “Growth in undergraduate medical education is only one part of addressing our nation’s and state’s growing physician shortage. We must also invest in GME—Georgia is one of the fastest growing and most populous states yet we still rank 40th in residents per capita. Statewide growth and expansion of residency slots is certainly a step in the right direction.”

Wellstar is also investing in its current educational portfolio through the expansion of its medical libraries, capital improvements to its Center for Healthcare Simulation, the construction of a new Anatomical Skills and Research Lab and new medical technologies to assist patients at the bedside.

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Wellstar Leader Addresses Rising Cancer Rates in Younger Women at Health Connect South

At this week’s Health Connect South conference, Dr. Steven McCune, oncology service line physician lead, joined an impactful panel discussion titled “Women First: Collaborating for Better Cancer Care, Redefining Outcomes for the Next Generation.” The conversation brought together Dr. McCune and other regional experts to explore the alarming rise in cancer diagnoses among younger women.

Research shows that women under 50 are 82% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than men in the same age group. Historically, cancer research and treatment have focused primarily on older patients.

“If you come see me for breast cancer, we’re about 10 to 20 years too late,” said Dr. McCune. “We want to work on prevention rather than treatment. This is about working together and collaborating to provide access to care in Georgia.”

Dr. McCune highlighted the Wellstar Center for Genetics —the largest genetic risk assessment program in Georgia—and its focus on identifying younger women at higher risk. Building on that commitment, Wellstar Women’s Health is championing Gabbi, an innovative tool that uses data and technology to expand access to advanced breast cancer risk screening. Supported by Catalyst by Wellstar, a program led by Dr. Hank Capps, Gabbi reflects Wellstar’s commitment to advance healthcare innovation to improve patient outcomes. Wellstar is also partnering with the Medical College of Georgia to train medical students and residents, helping expand the physician workforce and improve access to care across the state.

The panel, moderated by Dr. Kristin Higgins, chief clinical officer at City of Hope Cancer Center, featured leading voices in the field, including Dr. Lynn Durham, president and CEO of Georgia CORE, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to advancing oncology research and education.

“We work with health systems throughout the state, and we want to make sure that Georgians are getting the best cancer care they can get,” said Durham. “I’m a three-time cancer survivor and luckily I am cancer-free today because of clinical trials and the incredible care we have right here in Georgia.”

Together, the panelists discussed:

  • The impact of rising cancer rates on younger women.
  • Gaps in care, awareness and research that need to be addressed.
  • Opportunities for health systems, nonprofits and national organizations to collaborate in new ways.

Dr. McCune also stressed the importance of trusted primary care relationships.

“It’s easy to say a person needs to be their own advocate, but I think in the course of a busy day we have to take a step back and listen to people,” McCune said. “The best thing people can do is have a relationship with a primary care doctor where you’ve built a sense of trust.”

By participating in this regional forum, Wellstar continues to elevate its voice in the broader healthcare community—reinforcing our commitment to addressing the toughest challenges in cancer care through innovation, collaboration and compassion.

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Wellstar AirCare Completes First ECMO Patient Transport

When every second counts, having access to advanced technology and expert care can make all the difference. On September 10, Wellstar AirCare completed its first patient transport using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)—a lifesaving therapy for people with severe heart or lung conditions.

Taking Flight with Lifesaving Technology

For months, Wellstar teams prepared for this moment. Perfusionists, cardiovascular surgeons, flight crews and many others came together to ensure that patients who need ECMO could safely and quickly receive it—even when ground transportation was improbable or impossible.

Their work paid off. This month, AirCare One lifted off with its first ECMO patient on board. The crew worked quickly to stabilize the critically ill cardiovascular patient and minimize bedside time at the referring hospital. Once in the air, they successfully transported the patient to the ECMO center.

“The AirCare and ECMO teams made this success possible through countless hours of planning, education, crew resource management, dry runs, training flights and simulations,” said Zack Lancaster, executive director of Air Medical Transport. “The program is safe, efficient and ready, and it will be a game-changer for many.”

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What Is ECMO?

ECMO is an advanced therapy that supports patients with serious cardiac or pulmonary conditions such as heart attack or pneumonia. By temporarily taking over the work of the heart and lungs, ECMO gives the body time to heal after trauma, organ failure or in preparation for major surgery.

Wellstar Kennestone and Wellstar MCG Health Medical Centers are among the few facilities in Georgia with the expertise and technology needed to provide this advanced treatment.

Expanding Access to Care

The successful AirCare transport marks an important milestone for Wellstar—and for the communities we serve. With the ability to rapidly transport ECMO patients by helicopter, more people across Georgia can reach lifesaving care when they need it most.

“This mission represents a new chapter for AirCare—not only as Wellstar’s dedicated critical care transport team, but also as a trusted regional partner in ECMO patient care,” Lancaster said.

Following the transport, leaders at the referring hospital praised the AirCare team for their professionalism and expertise, noting that Wellstar is now their first choice for advanced cardiovascular ICU and cardiac support transport.

Learn more about Wellstar AirCare.

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Health Connect South Brings Augusta University, Medical College of Georgia and Wellstar Leaders Together on Better Healthcare for All of Georgia

Healthcare leaders gathered at Health Connect South to discuss the key healthcare challenges and opportunities facing medical institutions nationwide. Wellstar President and CEO Candice L. Saunders, Augusta University President Dr. Russell T. Keen and Medical College of Georgia Dean Dr. David Hess spoke with 11Alive's Cheryl Preheim about advancing healthcare throughout Georgia. They highlighted how investing in cutting-edge facilities and rural hospital collaborations helps meet the unique needs of communities across Georgia.

At the heart of this partnership is a shared goal: making sure every person, in every part of Georgia, has access to high-quality, personalized care. Whether it's through strengthening rural hospitals, expanding digital health options or bringing care directly to patients via telehealth, the organizations are working together to improve access to care and rethink what healthcare can look like.

"As we look to the future, we are keeping our eye on how the role of technology is still revealing itself. It is very exciting as we continue to work together and bring the strength of academic research and clinical expertise to our community," said Saunders.

One example already making a difference? The Wellstar Digital Care Network is improving rural hospitals’ access to cardiology, stroke and pediatric subspeciality services across the state, enabling Georgians in rural areas to receive care closer to home.

And that's just the beginning. By blending the deep clinical expertise and medical records data, this collaboration is helping to develop innovative care models that improve health outcomes.

“Combining our forces to leverage the clinical data and research capabilities that we have can translate to better health outcomes for people across the entire state. Being able to offer more clinical trials for Georgians is certainly an early win. We are truly doing more together than we could have in our own arenas,” said Keen.

Improving access to care and growing Georgia's healthcare workforce are top priorities. Medical College of Georgia is already one of the largest medical schools in the country. With more than 350 teaching sites and four regional campuses, it trains future doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals where they're needed most, and about half of new physicians establish their practices where they train. That means more providers in more places—ready to meet the state's growing and changing needs.

Georgia's healthcare challenges are real, from aging populations to rising rates of chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension. The state faces some significant hurdles. AU, MCG and Wellstar are collaborating to expand care and use data in more innovative ways to get ahead of these issues, not just respond to them.

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