July 23rd, 2026 Board Meeting Recap

Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce Holds First FY27 Meeting at UGA School of Medicine

On July 23, the University of Georgia School of Medicine and Dean Shelley Nuss graciously hosted the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce's first Board meeting of Fiscal Year 2027. The meeting featured insightful presentations and thoughtful discussion on the state of Georgia's health care workforce.

Chairman William Kemp opened the meeting, followed by a warm welcome from Dean Nuss, founding dean of the UGA School of Medicine, which welcomed its inaugural Class of 2030 this week.

Data Highlights

Our data team, led by Dr. Leanna Greenwood, Augustine Agbontaen, Briana Harris and LePrissa Moore presented several key reports:

• Undergraduate Medical Education Spotlight Report - answering key questions from Georgia medical school graduates and highlighting trends and outcomes
• 2026 Medical School Graduate (MSG) Survey Report - reflecting responses from graduates across Georgia's five medical schools (85.1% completion rate), with insights into specialty choice, residency placement, and future practice intentions
• Physician Primary Care and Core Specialty Fact Sheets - identifies the supply and distribution of physicians by specialty, including demographics, metropolitan statistical areas, practice status, and practice settings such as telemedicine, education, research, and nonprofit work

All reports are publicly available on our website: healthcareworkforce.georgia.gov/main-publications-reports/data-publications

Rule Proposals and Election

GBHCW Rule change proposals were presented and will be released for public comment next week. The Board also held its annual Executive Committee election, with Chairman William Kemp, Vice Chair Lily Henson, and Secretary/Treasurer Steven Gautney all unanimously retaining their seats for the upcoming fiscal year. Congratulations!

Chairman, William Kemp

Vice-Chair, Lily Henson

Secretary/Treasurer, Steven Gautney 

Additional Presentations

• Northeast Georgia Health System shared updates on its growing Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs, highlighting its work training the next generation of physicians
• David Proferes provided an overview of the Georgia Rural Health Transformation Program
• Dr. Shawn Little, Associate Vice Chancellor of Healthcare Education at the University System of Georgia, shared outcomes from the Nursing Summit, which brought stakeholders together for a statewide collaboration on the nursing pipeline, education, training, and workforce retention

Each presentation offered valuable insight into the future of Georgia's health care workforce.

Loan Repayment Cycle Reminder

The FY27 loan repayment application cycle opens August 15 and closes October 12, 2026. Applications have been modernized into a fully electronic, more user-friendly format. The portal link will be available on our website beginning August 15. We look forward to reviewing applications and thank Georgia's health care professionals for their continued commitment to treating our communities.

Following the meeting, UGA School of Medicine gave the Board a tour of the ongoing construction for its future medical education and research building, which remains on track for completion in December 2026.

Thank you to everyone who made this meeting a success. Our next Board meeting will be held virtually via Teams on October 29, 2026.