GHSU News and Events ? ASU Report

J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons groundbreaking slated Nov. 28?

The three-story, 172,000 square-foot state-of-the-art simulation center and interdisciplinary academic building will support innovative education to graduate more physicians and dentists.

Georgia Health Sciences University will break ground for the J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons building at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28 on the site adjacent to the College of Dental Medicine. Speakers will include University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank M. Huckaby and Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver.

?The university houses the state?s only dental college and only public medical college, with the 10th-largest first-year class size in the country, and we have to continue to expand our educational capacity,? said GHSU President Ricardo Azziz. ?The addition of the J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons will allow us to better respond to our state?s increased demand for health care professionals. We?re grateful to our supporters for assisting us in addressing this crucial need.?

The commons is slated to be a three-story, 172,000-square-foot building with classroom space for the Medical College of Georgia and the College of Dental Medicine and an interprofessional state-of-the-art simulation center. The facility will occupy a portion of the site of the former Gilbert Manor housing project and is expected to be occupied by fall 2014.

The building will feature:

  • A 26,620-square-foot simulation laboratory
  • Two 300-seat auditoriums
  • Two 150-seat classrooms
  • 13 learning communities
  • 13 small-group classrooms

Construction of the commons is central to the university?s efforts to address the statewide shortage of physicians and dentists, allowing the medical college to increase its class size from 230 to 300 by 2020; and the dental college to expand its class size from 63 to 100 by 2016.

Georgia, one of the 10 most populous states in the nation, ranks 41st in the number of physicians per capita, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The state?s rural and underserved areas are also faced with a shortage of dentists.

?The J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons has a state-of-the-art design that has been carefully crafted to reflect the future of medicine with extensive input from many stakeholders,? said MCG Dean Peter F. Buckley. ?It is a much-needed facility that will enable the state?s medical college to grow to better serve the citizens of Georgia.?

?Teamwork is an integral part of modern health care and the J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons building will serve as a training hub for a variety of students, faculty, residents and alumni,? said College of Dental Medicine Dean Connie L. Drisko. ?I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share this state-of-the-art space with my colleagues as we work collaboratively to meet the health needs of our growing state.?

J. Harold Harrison and his wife Sue Harrison?s leadership gift allowed the center to be constructed.

A $10 million leadership gift from the late Dr. J. Harold Harrison and his wife, Mrs. Sue W. Harrison, resulted in the naming of the building. Dr. Harrison was a renowned vascular surgeon and 1948 graduate of the Medical College of Georgia. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons as the name of the facility earlier this year.

The Harrisons? gift generated additional support for the facility, including $5 million in donations from area donors and an $8 million gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, which supports charitable, scientific and educational activities.

?Dr. Harrison was a remarkable leader whose gift has continued to inspire others to support our philanthropic goals,? said Senior Vice President for Advancement Susan Barcus.? ?Our increase in philanthropic support under Dr. Azziz?s presidency has been remarkable so far and we are grateful to Dr. and Mrs. Harrison, our alumni and other donors for all their efforts and support.?

The total construction cost of the project, including the simulation lab, is $76.5 million. The state of Georgia is providing $42 million in bond funding, and the university raised the additional $34.5 million through private philanthropy.

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Medical Associates Board of Trustees to meet

The Board of Trustees of the Physicians Practice Group, doing business as Georgia Health Sciences Medical Associates, will meet at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 26, in the Murphy Building, Pathology Conference Room, room 103.

For more information, please contact Lauren Neville, 706-724-6100.

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GHSU researcher assesses driving capability in MS patients

A simple, accurate testing protocol to determine driving fitness in individuals with multiple sclerosis is the aim of a three-year study at Georgia Health Sciences University.

Dr. Abiodun Akinwuntan, Interim Associate Dean for Research in the GHSU College of Allied Health Sciences, has received a $360,000 grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for phase one of a double-site study. Recruitment is underway for 90 participants at the GHSU Multiple Sclerosis Clinic in Augusta and an equal number at the Andrew C. Carlos MS Institute at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta.

?Multiple sclerosis is a progressive neurological disease that affects the ability to drive. In the early stages, it is possible for some patients to remain safe drivers; however, it is only a matter of time before the disease progresses to a level where driving is unsafe,? said Akinwuntan, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy, Neurology and Ophthalmology and Director of the GHSU Driving Simulation Laboratory.

The accident rate for drivers with MS is estimated to be three times higher than that of similarly aged healthy individuals, said Akinwuntan.

In an earlier study, Akinwuntan assessed 50 patients with relapsing-remitting MS, the most common of four types, and determined that just five specific fitness-to-drive tests could predict pass or fail outcomes on a road test with 91 percent accuracy.

Current practices administer 15 to 22 tests that last up to three hours and cost as much as $450. The five psychometric off-road tests can be given in less than 45 minutes for approximately $150.

The new study hopes to validate those findings by including patients with all four types of MS, expanding the number of subjects to 180, and narrowing participation to those who score between 3 and 7 on the Expanded Disability Status Scale.

?Studies have shown that typically those who score below 2.5 are relatively good drivers and those above 7 are not to fit to drive,? Akinwuntan said. ?So we are concentrating on those people in the middle who are starting to experience deficits that would affect their driving.?

A planned second phase of the NMSS study will focus on drivers? training. Running concurrent with phase one is a supplementary study funded by an Extramural Success Award from the GHSU Research Institute to compare driving simulation training with Wii-based exercise training to determine the more effective treatment. Dr. Miriam Cortez-Cooper is co-investigator.

Phase-one study participants will be tested for up to four hours over two days. The supplemental training study will last five weeks.

?The earlier drivers incorporate intervention training, the longer they will be able to stay on the road and maintain independence,? Akinwuntan said.

An interdisciplinary GHSU pilot study is also testing the same program on patients with age-related macular degeneration. Akinwuntan has had success with similar programs for stroke patients and individuals with Parkinson?s disease.

For more information, contact Akinwuntan at 706-721-3277 or aakinwuntan@georgiahealth.edu.

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Source: http://www.asupr.com/asureport/2012/11/ghsu-news-and-events-13/

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