Dr. Michelle Nuss named campus dean of AU/UGA Medical Partnership

 Dr. Jonathan Murrow named campus associate dean for research

Athens, GA – Dr. Michelle “Shelley” Nuss, an administrator at the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership who has played a key role in expanding residency options in Georgia, has been named its campus dean effective March 1.

In addition, Dr. Jonathan Murrow, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at the Medical Partnership, has been named campus associate dean for research. In this newly created role, Murrow will expand clinical research collaborations involving the state’s medical community and faculty in Athens and Augusta. Murrow’s appointment is effective March 15.

“Dr. Nuss has been a steadfast leader at our Partnership campus since it opened its doors to students,” said Dr. Peter F. Buckley, Dean of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University and AU Interim Executive Vice President for Health Affairs.  “Her knowledge, commitment and continued leadership will help ensure ongoing success in educating the next generation of physicians for our state and beyond.”

“The appointment of Dr. Nuss to this critical leadership role is the beginning of a promising new era for the AU/UGA Medical Partnership,” said UGA Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. “She is deeply committed to educating world-class physicians and strengthening the ties between the academic and medical communities to create a healthier future for our state.”

Nuss joined the AU/UGA Medical Partnership in 2010 as an associate professor and campus associate dean for graduate medical education. In that role, she helped establish an internal medicine residency program in partnership with St. Mary’s Health Care System and supported Athens Regional Medical Center in the development of its residency programs. Beyond Athens, she has worked closely with the Board of Regents to help expand residency programs at new teaching hospitals across the state of Georgia.  She also has been heavily involved in campus planning for the AU/UGA Medical Partnership, accreditation, and faculty promotion and tenure.

Her community involvement includes serving on the board of directors of the Foothills Area Health Education Center, an organization that works to educate, recruit and train health care professionals for northeast Georgia. She is a regular volunteer at the Mercy Health Center, an Athens non-profit organization that provides medical and dental services to the uninsured.

Nuss, who also is adjunct clinical faculty member in the department of psychology in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, previously served as the director of the internal medicine and medicine/psychiatry residency programs at West Virginia University School of Medicine. She is the three-time recipient of the WVU department of medicine outstanding teaching award and led global health programs in Honduras and Ghana. In addition to her roles as program director, Nuss served as the vice president of medical affairs at WVU hospitals from 2008-2010.

Her research focuses on the use of technology in medical education and depression in the medically ill, and she has delivered more than 50 presentations and abstracts at national and international medical conferences.

“I am honored and excited for the opportunity to lead the AU/UGA Medical Partnership,” Nuss said. “I look forward to working closely with our faculty and staff, the Athens community, our local physicians, and to build on the strengths of the University of Georgia and Augusta University. Through collaboration and support from our community partners, the Medical Partnership will continue to provide high quality, innovative education to our students and residents so they are prepared to practice in this ever-changing healthcare environment.”

A 15-member committee chaired by Houston Davis, University System of Georgia executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer, conducted a national search to identify finalists for the position of campus dean of the AU/UGA Medical Partnership. Nuss is a fellow in the American College of Physicians who is board certified in internal medicine and psychiatry. She earned her medical degree from West Virginia University and her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Purdue University.

Murrow is a core clinical educator in the AU/UGA Medical Partnership, where he teaches clinical medicine and cardiovascular physiology. He is the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts and book chapters and has conducted his research with nearly $2 million in external funding. He currently serves as the principal investigator on an American Heart Association study to determine if a sophisticated light sensor developed by collaborator Kevin McCully, professor of kinesiology and director of UGA’s Muscle Physiology Laboratory, can help increase mobility in patients with peripheral artery disease.

Murrow came to the AU/UGA Medical Partnership in 2009 and was previously an assistant professor of medicine at Emory University. He completed his internship and residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital and also completed cardiovascular diseases fellowships at Emory and Hopkins. Murrow earned his medical degree from Emory and holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Harvard University.

“Dr. Murrow has a strong record of cultivating collaborations between the AU/UGA Medical Partnership and practitioners in the community,” Whitten said, “and he will play a pivotal role in catalyzing advances in research that tackle some our nation’s most pressing health issues and contribute to our state’s growing reputation as a hub for the life sciences industry.”

“One of our many goals for the Partnership has been enhancing clinical and basic research collaborations between our medical school and UGA as well as with our many community colleagues,” Buckley said. “In this new position, Dr. Murrow will help strengthen the focus on this essential aspect of academic medicine excellence.”

Writer: Sam Fahmy, 706-583-0727, sfahmy@uga.edu