Jatinder Bhatia

Georgia Health Sciences University

Founded in 1828, Georgia Health Sciences University is home to the Medical College of Georgia, the 13th-oldest continuously operating medical school in the United States and the third-oldest in the Southeast. GHSU has more than 2,400 students in five colleges: the Medical College, Allied Health Sciences, Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies and Nursing. Students come from most of Georgia's 159 counties. GHSU offers modern classrooms and laboratories, the 478-bed MCGHealth Medical Center, the Children's Medical Center, extensive outpatient clinics, residence halls, a student center, a wellness center and an outstanding medical education library. With approximately 5,000 faculty, staff and residents (9,000 enterprise-wide), GHSU is one of the largest employers in the Augusta area. The University System of Georgia reports that during the 2007 fiscal year, an additional 3,800 jobs resulted from spending related to the institution, and its overall economic impact on the area approached nearly $1 billion.