Medical College of Georgia’s Southwest Campus Inaugural Cohort Event

ALBANY, Ga. – MCG’s Southwest Campus is growing and implementing a community focused curriculum to support local health care.

The campus recently hosted a warm welcome ceremony for students and local faculty ahead of the January semester.

These students, who completed their pre-clinical studies at the Medical College of Georgia’s main campus in Augusta, are now transitioning to the Southwest Campus to further hone their clinical skills.

“During this time, they’ll spend anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks on a specialty. They work on seven core clinical specialties during this year, and they also have some elective time where they get to explore. But, the important part for us is that they get to learn a lot about what it’s like to practice medicine in Southwest Georgia,” said Dr. Doug Patten, M.D., MCG Southwest Campus Associate Dean.

We had the chance to speak with Dr. Jackson Montrym, a former student of MCG. Originally from upstate New York, Montrym has strong family ties in Georgia.

After attending the University of Georgia and completing his medical training at the Southwest Campus of MCG, he graduated in 2020.

Now, a General Pediatrician in Columbus, Dr. Montrym shared how his time at the MCG was pivotal in preparing him for his professional journey in Southwest Georgia.

“I definitely got to see, you know, the real, like, rural side of medicine. You get to see some of the social determinants of health. Something that is really unique. You don’t you know, you don’t get to learn as much of that in an academic setting. You get a little bit of a better idea of what your life looks like after finishing residency,” said Dr. Jackson Montrym, M.D., General Pediatrician, Columbus Pediatrics.

In addition to their clinical training, the program requires students to engage in community events and service projects, providing firsthand experience of what it’s like to live, work, and practice medicine in the region.

The ultimate goal is to encourage these future physicians to return to Southwest Georgia after graduation, addressing the critical physician shortage in the region.

“These students are a lot smarter than I was when I went to medical school. I’m impressed every day at that, but I’m also impressed at their desire to actually serve and to get to know people in the community that they’re serving,” said Dr. Patten.

De’Andra Jacobs reporting.

Copyright 2025 CBS 44 News South Georgia. All rights reserved.