Leaders from Augusta University and the Medical College of Georgia visited Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center June 24 to highlight the continued growth of a metro Atlanta training program focused on preparing the next generation of physicians—and to hear directly from the students experiencing it.
The visit, part of Augusta University President Russell T. Keen’s Summer Tour, included conversations with third- and fourth-year medical students completing clinical training at the MCG Atlanta campus. Leaders checked in on student progress and gathered feedback on their day-to-day experiences working alongside physicians in one of the state’s busiest hospitals.
For Adrian Bozocea, a third-year medical student and a 2020 graduate of Wheeler High School, the experience carries special meaning. He was born at Wellstar Kennestone.
“It’s a crazy, full-circle moment, knowing that the culmination of my hard work has allowed me to serve in the community that’s built me up and made me who I am,” he said.
Bozocea said training in a familiar community adds a personal connection to patient care.
“It’s a nice feeling knowing you’re helping someone who has potentially served you at a restaurant or helped you find an item in a store,” he said.
Students at Wellstar Kennestone rotate through multiple specialties and locations as part of their training. Bozocea has already completed rotations in family medicine and obstetrics and is now in internal medicine, describing the experience as both rigorous and rewarding. He said what sets the Atlanta campus apart is its strong culture of learning.
“Every clinician is great at teaching. They’re passionate about what they do, and there’s a real culture of learning here,” he said.
Since opening in 2025, the Wellstar Kennestone campus has expanded its reach and capabilities. Dr. Louis Lovett, associate dean of the campus, said the program has strengthened its faculty by appointing Wellstar physicians to clinical teaching roles and adding new electives in surgical and medical subspecialties to complement six core rotations required of all students.
“We’re building a comprehensive training environment that prepares students to meet real-world healthcare needs,” Dr. Lovett said. “By combining strong core rotations with expanded electives and simulation-based learning, we’re giving them the skills and confidence to step into practice ready to care for patients.”
Dr. Lovett has also taken a hands-on approach with students, Bozocea said, frequently checking in and helping connect them with physicians in their areas of interest.
“He’s dedicated to students and passionate about his job,” Bozocea said.
Students gain experience across disciplines, including internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology and psychiatry, while also training in simulation labs that allow them to practice procedures and patient interactions in a supervised setting.
Several students training at Wellstar Kennestone have ties to Cobb County and have expressed interest in returning to the area after graduation—an outcome leaders say reflects the value of training physicians in the communities they may one day serve.
For Bozocea, that path feels especially fitting: a future physician gaining hands-on experience in the same hospital where his own story began.
