Augusta University and the University of Georgia have partnered to create a four-year medical education program in Athens to help alleviate a statewide shortage of physicians that threatens the health of Georgians. The AU/UGA Medical Partnership combines the significant instructional and research resources of UGA, the state’s flagship land-grant research university, with the expertise of the Medical College of Georgia, AU, Georgia’s only public medical school. First- and second-year students study basic science and clinical science in a hybrid curriculum that makes extensive use of small group learning, supplemented by large group interactive sessions. Students at the Medical Partnership have the opportunity to rotate during their third and fourth years in private practices, community clinics and hospitals across northeast Georgia. In addition to increasing the number of physicians in Georgia, the partnership will expand research collaborations between Augusta University and UGA, creating new insights into the prevention and treatment of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. The AU/UGA Medical Partnership has also expanded into hosting a graduate medical education program. The Internal Medicine Residency Program, a joint effort of the AU/UGA Medical Partnership and St. Mary’s Health Care System, received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in January 2014 becoming Athens, Georgia’s first medical residency program.