Mary Keith and Daniel Gordon were the first students accepted into the family medicine accelerated curriculum track program at Memorial Health University Medical Center.
Memorial Health University Medical Center (MHUMC) and Mercer University School of Medicine have teamed up to offer a three-year family medicine track for Mercer’s medical students. The goal is to train and launch primary care physicians to serve in Georgia’s medically underserved areas.* With Georgia ranked 45th out of 50 states for primary care doctors per capita, there is a great need for this program.
The family medicine accelerated curriculum track was one of the first accelerated programs in the U.S. Graduates are able to enter the work force a year earlier and save the cost of an additional year of medical school.
This helps offset the income difference between a career in primary care and a career in a more lucrative medical specialty.
Only the top medical students are eligible for the accelerated curriculum track. Once they are accepted, students must meet all of the requirements for medical school graduation in a shorter length of time. Graduates are encouraged to undergo residency training in Savannah and, afterward, practice in the region.
In 2016, the accelerated curriculum track program earned a Health Care Heroes Award for Health Care Innovation from the Georgia Medical Society.
* The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration defines medically underserved areas or populations as those having too few primary care providers, high infant mortality, and high poverty and/or high elderly population.
Caitlin Balno
Hometown: Savannah, GA
Medical School: Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
I was born in Sarasota, Fl but consider Savannah, Ga my hometown. I’ve been here for 6 years and have strong ties to the vibrant Jewish community. I attended the University of Central Florida where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology (pre-med). I then went to Israel where I volunteered and explored my roots. I attended the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology and earned a Master of Science while studying Leishmaniasis.
After moving to Savannah, I coordinated projects in teen pregnancy and later, in HIV and Hepatitis C. These experiences sparked my passion for clinical work in health disparities and public health interventions through primary care. I’m honored to be part of the ACT program and a future resident at the Memorial Family Medicine Residency program. It is the perfect place for me to learn holistic care for underserved patients.
The ACT program is certainly accelerated, but I still find time to enjoy my hobbies of Olympic weightlifting, sharing a Shabbat meal with neighbors, and playing frisbee with my labradoodles.
Evan Graham
Hometown: Decatur, GA
Medical School:Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
My name is Evan Graham and I am from Decatur, GA. I attended the University of Georgia and obtained degrees in Biology and Psychology. I also attended Georgia State University to earn my Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology. I have a strong interest in improving the healthcare outcomes and quality of care for underserved populations. I am grateful to be student in the ACT Family Medicine program. I love Family Medicine because it is a diverse specialty and will allow me to serve a wide variety of patients. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, friends, and my AKA Sorority sisters. I also like read, watch documentaries, travel and try new restaurants/foods.
Kristen Stovall
Hometown: Augusta, GA
Medical School: Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
I grew up in Augusta and Appling, where my entire extended family still lives. I went to college at a small school in Tennessee called Sewanee, the University of the South and earned my bachelor’s degree in Economics. Throughout undergrad, I struggled with a chronic illness that led me to have a major surgery and year-long recovery after graduation. Although definitely challenging, going through that as a patient opened my eyes to our healthcare system and made me want to pursue a career that would help change it for the better. I went to the University of Georgia and earned my Masters in Public Health as well as my Masters in Business Administration, while working for a healthcare IT start-up. After graduate school, I accepted a job at AT&T as they were opening up an Innovation Center for Connected Health. Through my years there and volunteering at a refugee clinic, I realized that my true calling was to be a clinician treating patients. I am thrilled to be a student at Mercer University School of Medicine and in the Accelerated Track for Family Medicine. This program, the residents, and the faculty have a true passion for excellent patient care and I look forward to learning from them over the next years! When I’m not in class or in clinic, I spend my time getting outside with my husband, Grant, and our two dogs, Louie and Lyla Mae.
Chandler Brandenburg
Hometown: Newnan, GA
Medical School: Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
I was born and raised in Newnan, Georgia and attended the Georgia Institute of Technology where I majored in Biochemistry. I then taught high school Chemistry for 2 years before beginning my medical education at Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah. I feel so lucky to be part of the Accelerated Program at Mercer so I can not only get to know the residency program better, but also learn in the context of the Savannah community to understand the ways in which I can be most helpful as a future physician. When I'm not studying, I love biking, traveling, going to the beach, spending time with friends, baking, and anything to do with music.
Alexander Duggan
Hometown: Appling, GA
Medical School: Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
I was born and raised in the Augusta area by my parents, Carol and Tony, with my fraternal twin brother, Chandler. Out family currently has three rowdy schnauzers with larger than life personalities. I swam competitively at the state and national level for 14 years. I graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Biology and Psychology in 2014. I received my Master’s in Preclinical Science from Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon in 2017. My hobbies include: reading classic literature, swimming, going to the beach, spending time at the park with friends, and cheering on my UGA Dawgs! It is a privilege to be part of the Family Medicine Accelerated Track and work with Memorial Health Family Medicine residency. I am excited to learn from educators who are eager to help and train us as well-rounded family physicians.
Sydney Koenig
Hometown: Richmond Hill, GA
Medical School: Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
I am a native of Richmond Hill, GA. For undergraduate, I attended Mercer University on a Stamps Scholarship with majors in Latin and Biochemistry. I am happy to come back home, now a Double Bear at the Mercer School of Medicine. In my spare time, I like to travel, play soccer, and relax on the beach with my family and friends. I am excited to give back to my home through my residency training in the upcoming years.
Prior Act Students
1. Daniel Gordon
2. Mary Keith
3. Shenique Anderson
4. Justin Law
5. Rebecca Marshburn
6. Catherine Waldron
7. Caylie Brittsan
8. Ashley Hawes
9. Sophia Elias
Mary Keith and Daniel Gordon were the first students accepted into the family medicine accelerated curriculum track program at Memorial Health University Medical Center.
Memorial Health University Medical Center (MHUMC) and Mercer University School of Medicine have teamed up to offer a three-year family medicine track for Mercer’s medical students. The goal is to train and launch primary care physicians to serve in Georgia’s medically underserved areas.* With Georgia ranked 45th out of 50 states for primary care doctors per capita, there is a great need for this program.
The family medicine accelerated curriculum track was one of the first accelerated programs in the U.S. Graduates are able to enter the work force a year earlier and save the cost of an additional year of medical school.
This helps offset the income difference between a career in primary care and a career in a more lucrative medical specialty.
Only the top medical students are eligible for the accelerated curriculum track. Once they are accepted, students must meet all of the requirements for medical school graduation in a shorter length of time. Graduates are encouraged to undergo residency training in Savannah and, afterward, practice in the region.
In 2016, the accelerated curriculum track program earned a Health Care Heroes Award for Health Care Innovation from the Georgia Medical Society.
* The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration defines medically underserved areas or populations as those having too few primary care providers, high infant mortality, and high poverty and/or high elderly population.
Caitlin Balno
Hometown: Savannah, GA
Medical School: Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
I was born in Sarasota, Fl but consider Savannah, Ga my hometown. I’ve been here for 6 years and have strong ties to the vibrant Jewish community. I attended the University of Central Florida where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology (pre-med). I then went to Israel where I volunteered and explored my roots. I attended the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology and earned a Master of Science while studying Leishmaniasis.
After moving to Savannah, I coordinated projects in teen pregnancy and later, in HIV and Hepatitis C. These experiences sparked my passion for clinical work in health disparities and public health interventions through primary care. I’m honored to be part of the ACT program and a future resident at the Memorial Family Medicine Residency program. It is the perfect place for me to learn holistic care for underserved patients.
The ACT program is certainly accelerated, but I still find time to enjoy my hobbies of Olympic weightlifting, sharing a Shabbat meal with neighbors, and playing frisbee with my labradoodles.
Evan Graham
Hometown: Decatur, GA
Medical School:Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
My name is Evan Graham and I am from Decatur, GA. I attended the University of Georgia and obtained degrees in Biology and Psychology. I also attended Georgia State University to earn my Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology. I have a strong interest in improving the healthcare outcomes and quality of care for underserved populations. I am grateful to be student in the ACT Family Medicine program. I love Family Medicine because it is a diverse specialty and will allow me to serve a wide variety of patients. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, friends, and my AKA Sorority sisters. I also like read, watch documentaries, travel and try new restaurants/foods.
Kristen Stovall
Hometown: Augusta, GA
Medical School: Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
I grew up in Augusta and Appling, where my entire extended family still lives. I went to college at a small school in Tennessee called Sewanee, the University of the South and earned my bachelor’s degree in Economics. Throughout undergrad, I struggled with a chronic illness that led me to have a major surgery and year-long recovery after graduation. Although definitely challenging, going through that as a patient opened my eyes to our healthcare system and made me want to pursue a career that would help change it for the better. I went to the University of Georgia and earned my Masters in Public Health as well as my Masters in Business Administration, while working for a healthcare IT start-up. After graduate school, I accepted a job at AT&T as they were opening up an Innovation Center for Connected Health. Through my years there and volunteering at a refugee clinic, I realized that my true calling was to be a clinician treating patients. I am thrilled to be a student at Mercer University School of Medicine and in the Accelerated Track for Family Medicine. This program, the residents, and the faculty have a true passion for excellent patient care and I look forward to learning from them over the next years! When I’m not in class or in clinic, I spend my time getting outside with my husband, Grant, and our two dogs, Louie and Lyla Mae.
Chandler Brandenburg
Hometown: Newnan, GA
Medical School: Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
I was born and raised in Newnan, Georgia and attended the Georgia Institute of Technology where I majored in Biochemistry. I then taught high school Chemistry for 2 years before beginning my medical education at Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah. I feel so lucky to be part of the Accelerated Program at Mercer so I can not only get to know the residency program better, but also learn in the context of the Savannah community to understand the ways in which I can be most helpful as a future physician. When I'm not studying, I love biking, traveling, going to the beach, spending time with friends, baking, and anything to do with music.
Alexander Duggan
Hometown: Appling, GA
Medical School: Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
I was born and raised in the Augusta area by my parents, Carol and Tony, with my fraternal twin brother, Chandler. Out family currently has three rowdy schnauzers with larger than life personalities. I swam competitively at the state and national level for 14 years. I graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Biology and Psychology in 2014. I received my Master’s in Preclinical Science from Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon in 2017. My hobbies include: reading classic literature, swimming, going to the beach, spending time at the park with friends, and cheering on my UGA Dawgs! It is a privilege to be part of the Family Medicine Accelerated Track and work with Memorial Health Family Medicine residency. I am excited to learn from educators who are eager to help and train us as well-rounded family physicians.
Sydney Koenig
Hometown: Richmond Hill, GA
Medical School: Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, GA
I am a native of Richmond Hill, GA. For undergraduate, I attended Mercer University on a Stamps Scholarship with majors in Latin and Biochemistry. I am happy to come back home, now a Double Bear at the Mercer School of Medicine. In my spare time, I like to travel, play soccer, and relax on the beach with my family and friends. I am excited to give back to my home through my residency training in the upcoming years.
Prior Act Students
1. Daniel Gordon
2. Mary Keith
3. Shenique Anderson
4. Justin Law
5. Rebecca Marshburn
6. Catherine Waldron
7. Caylie Brittsan
8. Ashley Hawes
9. Sophia Elias