Wellstar Health System and Augusta University Health System Announce Definitive Agreement for Statewide Partnership

On March 31, 2023, Wellstar Health System and Augusta University Health System (AUHS), with approval from both organizations’ boards, reached an agreement to form an innovative, new partnership that will create a broader affiliation with the university’s Medical College of Georgia (MCG).

Wellstar, AUHS and MCG share a mission to solve health care challenges across the state, and together, they will drive significant advances in clinical care, academic teaching and research in Georgia. By combining the best of community health care and academic medicine, the organizations will make a transformational impact on improving the health and wellbeing of each patient they serve –  creating a healthier future for Georgia.

To accomplish this, the partnership will focus on five key areas:

  • Access to Expertise:  Creating an ecosystem of care that provides the most advanced clinical care, innovated academic teaching models, and lifesaving research to all corners of the state and beyond.
  • Expanding the Pipeline of Clinicians:  Making significant investments to increase the number of clinicians trained in Georgia at the Medical College of Georgia.
  • Care Innovation:  Creating new and innovative clinical care offerings and models to enhance the health and well-being of patients we serve.
  • Pediatric Care:  Bringing Wellstar and AUHS’s exemplary pediatric care to more Georgians across the state through Children’s Hospital of Georgia and Wellstar’s dedicated pediatric care and emergency departments.
  • Digital Health:  Making significant investments in improving clinical IT, modernizing digital care centers, and adding remote care offerings backed by the academic medical expertise of the Medical College of Georgia.

Most of the day-to-day operations will stay the same, and patients will continue to access care as they currently do. The organizations are excited for the benefits this partnership will provide and are confident about the opportunity to transform health care through a better patient experience, more accessible care and better value.

For more information, read the  full announcement here.

Georgia Life Sciences Joins National Coalition Urging Congressional Action on Key Innovation Policies

December 10, 2025
Georgia Life Sciences has joined 43 state and regional life sciences organizations in signing a national Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA) letter calling on Congress to take immediate action on three bipartisan policy priorities that are essential to sustaining U.S. leadership in biomedical innovation and supporting patients nationwide. With Congress back in session and several critical programs at risk of expiring, the letter urges congressional leaders to advance the following provisions without delay: 1. Reauthorize the Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher (PPRV) Program The PPRV program has been instrumental in incentivizing the development of therapies for children with rare and life-threatening conditions. Its lapse threatens to slow or halt research that families across the country are counting on. 2. Extend the SBIR/STTR Programs The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs provide crucial early-stage capital for emerging biotech and medtech companies—many of them in Georgia. Without reauthorization, hundreds of innovative small businesses face uncertainty, jeopardizing new therapies, diagnostics, and technologies in the pipeline, 3. Advance PBM Transparency Reforms Greater transparency and accountability within pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices are needed to ensure that savings reach patients and employers. Reforming PBM operations is essential to strengthening access and affordability across the healthcare system. A Unified Message from the Life Sciences Community The sign-on letter reflects broad, bipartisan alignment across the national life sciences ecosystem: researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, patient advocates, and state associations all share a common message— these programs underpin America’s global competitiveness and are vital to patients who rely on continued scientific progress. Georgia Life Sciences has shared the letter with members of Georgia’s congressional delegation and will continue engaging with policymakers to emphasize the importance of swift action.

GLS Joins Georgia Partners in Calling for Federal PBM Reform

December 7, 2025
Georgia Life Sciences is proud to stand with patient advocates, providers, and employers across the state in urging Congress to take meaningful action on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform. We recently signed on to a joint letter to Georgia’s Congressional Delegation stressing the urgent need for transparency, fair practices, and policies that ensure savings flow directly to patients.

GLS’ President and CEO, Maria Thacker Goethe in December's issue of Georgia Trend

December 4, 2025
Georgia Life Sciences’ CEO, Maria Thacker Goethe shares her perspective on the value of Georgia’s research universities in this month’s issue of Georgia Trend. “Georgia research institutions have felt a very significant impact from the federal rollbacks, specifically in NIH and NSF funding. Thacker Goethe’s message about the impact of research cuts is simple: Disruption shatters the foundational trust researchers have in grant continuity….” To read the full article, click here .
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