MACON/SAVANNAH/COLUMBUS/VALDOSTA — Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) recently recognized 10 new Nathan Deal Scholars for the 2024-25 academic year.
Nathan Deal Scholars are eligible based on their strong ties to rural Georgia and selected by their character, leadership qualities, community involvement and their likelihood of serving in rural, underserved Georgia even after their scholarship obligations are met. They will receive 85%-100% of tuition for up to four academic years.
The scholarship is an endowment funded by a one-time appropriation of $35 million from the state of Georgia. These funds were proceeds of a settlement the state received from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in February 2016.
Former Gov. Nathan Deal, who was Georgia’s governor at the time of the settlement, and state legislative leadership provided a one-time appropriation of funds to Mercer University School of Medicine. Mercer chose to place the $35 million into an endowment to perpetually provide these scholarships and over 10 years prepare more than 100 doctors who will serve the 120 rural-designated counties of Georgia. Over $11 million in scholarships have been awarded since the program began in 2017.
“The Nathan Deal Scholarship enables and supports students who want to return to rural Georgia communities to become outstanding physicians. These scholars represent the highest commitment to providing excellent health care to rural Georgians,” said Jean R. Sumner, M.D., dean of MUSM. “These scholarships remove the significant financial burden of medical school debt, which has been perceived as an obstacle for doctors going to rural areas. With this opportunity, students are empowered to return to communities who need them most, the small towns they know and love.”
This year’s class of Nathan Deal Scholars are:
- Alexander Gomez of Cairo
- Wes Livingston of Alma
- Jayln Massey of Cave Spring
- Chloe Pate of Fitzgerald
- Mahi Patel of Sparta
- Caroline Scarborough of Eastman
- Lindsey Tatum of Clarksville
- Bryer Touchton of Valdosta
- Gracie White of Moultrie
- Sam Wu of Forsyth
These 10 M.D. students join 103 other Nathan Deal Scholars in supporting MUSM’s mission. Three scholars from the program’s first group have completed the scholarship’s requirements and are continuing their practice in rural, underserved areas of Georgia. Dr. Brittany Lord, Dr. Christopher Kiker and Dr. Nicholas Morrow have all established primary care practices in rural areas, going beyond their service commitment.
“These first three scholars who have now joined rural communities as physicians are just the beginning of what this program will achieve for Georgia. They are proof that the Nathan Deal Scholars will make a difference in quality of life, economic development, and the health status of Georgians,” Dr. Sumner said. “Mercer University School of Medicine is solidly committed to our mission to serve rural Georgia.”
The 2024 scholars were honored during a luncheon on Oct. 28. Attending were Deal, Mercer University President William D. Underwood and state legislators. During the event, Alice House, M.D., FAAFP, was awarded the 2024 Sandra Dunagan Deal Rural Service Award, established in 2022 by MUSM to honor former first lady of Georgia Sandra Deal. Each year, Nathan Deal Scholars select the recipient who best exemplifies Sandra Deal’s selfless devotion, love for education and promotion of excellence.
About Mercer University School of Medicine (Macon, Savannah, Columbus and Valdosta)
Mercer University’s School of Medicine was established in 1982 to educate physicians and health professionals to meet the primary care and health care needs of rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia. Today, more than 60% of graduates currently practice in the state of Georgia, and of those, more than 80% are practicing in rural or medically underserved areas of Georgia. Mercer medical students benefit from a problem-based medical education program that provides early patient care experiences. Such an academic environment fosters the early development of clinical problem-solving and instills in each student an awareness of the place of the basic medical sciences in medical practice. The School opened additional four-year M.D. campuses in Savannah in 2008 and in Columbus in 2021, and a clinical campus in Valdosta in 2024. Following their second year, students participate in core clinical clerkships at the School’s primary teaching hospitals: Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center and Piedmont Macon Medical Center in Macon; Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah; Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus; and SGMC Health in Valdosta. The School also offers master’s degrees in preclinical sciences and family therapy and Ph.D.s in biomedical sciences and rural health sciences.
