Dr. Champ Baker III

Dr. Champ Baker III, a Columbus Georgia orthopaedic surgeon and 2002 MCG graduate is president of the MCG Alumni Association. His one-year term began April 2023.

After graduating from MCG, Baker completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a sports medicine fellowship at Rush University in Chicago. While in Chicago, he worked on the medical staff of the Chicago Bulls, Chicago White Sox, and Depaul University. He returned home to Columbus to practice with his father, the late Dr. Champ Baker Jr., which he did until his father’s retirement in 2020.

Baker was granted the Certificate of added Qualification in Sports Medicine in 2012 by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and re-certified in 2019.  He is currently the head team physician for the Central High School Red Devils in Phenix City, Alabama, Pacelli High School Vikings in Columbus and the head team physician for the Columbus State University Cougars.

He is a member of the study groups for SLAP Tears/Biceps and Rotator Cuff Tears of the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. He also serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Sports Medicine and as a clinical faculty member for the primary care sports medicine fellowship at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Auburn campus and the Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program.

Baker is a member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. His specialties include arthroscopic surgery and sports medicine with a special interest in cartilage restoration.

His wife Dr. Karin Baker, a physiatrist, was his classmate at MCG. They have two children, 14-year-old Lee and 12-year-old Caroline.


2023 MCG Hooding

2023 Hooding Ceremony
2023 Hooding Ceremony
2023 Hooding Ceremony
2023 Hooding Ceremony
2023 Hooding Ceremony
2023 Hooding Ceremony

2023 MCG Alumni Weekend

Photo of 
Dr. Van Cise Knowles '66

Dr. Van Cise Knowles '66

2023 Distinguished Alumnus for Professional Achievement

A longtime general surgeon in Albany whose contributions as a medical missionary earned him the 2007 Surgical Volunteerism Award from the American College of Surgeons, is the 2023 Distinguished Alumnus for Professional Achievement.
Photo of 
Dr. Melvin Haysman '71

Dr. Melvin Haysman '71

2023 Distinguished Alumnus for Loyalty

A retired allergist/immunologist from Savannah who has loved to host alumni retreats at his home and our medical students at his practice, is the 2023 Distinguished Alumnus for Loyalty.
 
Photo of 
Dr. Daniel Sullivan '49

Dr. Daniel Sullivan '49

2023 Distinguished Alumnus

The late Dr. Daniel Sullivan practiced surgical oncology in Augusta and was a longtime medical leader here including helping start important community resources like St. Joseph Hospice and our Georgia Radiation Therapy Center, was posthumously honored as our 2023 Distinguished Alumnus.
Photo of 
Dr. Sherita King '08

Dr. Sherita King '08

2023 Outstanding Young Alumnus

A urologic surgeon specializing in male and female sexual medicine and prosthetic urology, who also happens to have been a track star at Evans High School and at UGA, where she is still in the top 10 for speed in the 55, 100 and 200 meter dash, is the 2023 Outstanding Young Alumnus. 

 

Class Reunion Photos from Alumni Weekend          MCG Alumni Association Reception

2023 Alumni Banquet
2023 Alumni Banquet
2023 Alumni Banquet
2023 Alumni Banquet
2023 Alumni Banquet
2023 Alumni Banquet

 


MCG Alumni featured in MCG Medicine magazine

Dr. Joe Borden

I was here

For Talmadge “Joe” Bowden, MD, ’66, his University of Georgia ROTC commander — a no-nonsense combat veteran of World War II with a colorful vocabulary — gave him the best advice of his career.

Bowden’s sights were set on following in his father’s footsteps by joining the Air Force and becoming a fighter pilot. His career in medicine, he says, happened almost accidentally.

I was here
Dr. Valera Hudson

Pediatrician-in-chief

Her countenance exudes calm, but when her legs are crossed, her right foot probably is a better gauge of what is really going on with Valera Hudson, MD. The foot, typically clad in a navy athletic shoe, is in constant motion.

She calls herself an “introvert by nature,” which she says is not to be confused with shyness, despite what the dictionary might say. Hudson favors author Susan Cain’s description: That introverts prefer quiet, minimally stimulating environs, quiet concentration, listening more than they talk and thinking well before they speak.

Pediatrician-in-chief
Dr. Bennett Grimm and Dr. Greer Falls

Young at heart

When Bennett Grimm, MD, ’06, thinks back, he remembers the awful feeling of not getting into the Medical College of Georgia the first time he applied.

At that point, a friend and first-year medical student suggested, “You need to go talk to Dr. Falls.”

Young at heart

Contact Us

MCG Office of Alumni Affairs

MCG Office of Alumni Affairs
1120 15th Street, PERS100
Augusta, GA 30912

706-737-1759

mcgalumni@augusta.edu

MCG Alumni Facebook

Flickr Alumni Albums

icon Worth a Thousand Words

Media Gallery     Class of 2025 Stethoscope Presentation

Our alumni get together all over the world at chapter events, networking forums, career conversations and awards ceremonies. See if you recognize anyone in these photos or videos!

2023 MCG Hooding

MCG Hooding 2023

MCG Hooding 2023
Match Day 2023

2023 Match Day

2023 Match Day
Class of 2026 White coat Ceremony

White Coat Ceremony - Class of 2026

White Coat Ceremony - Class of 2026
2022 Hooding photos

MCG Hooding 2022

MCG Hooding 2022
2022 Match Day

2022 Match Day

2022 Match Day
2021 Hooding ceremony

MCG Hooding 2021

MCG Hooding 2021
2021 Match Day

2021 MCG Match Day

2021 MCG Match Day
Class of 2025 White Coat Ceremony

2021 White Coat Ceremony

2021 White Coat Ceremony

icon Stethoscopes for First-Year Students

MCG freshman class given stethoscopes
two med students trying out their newly gifted stethoscopes
three medical students smile and pose with their new gifted stethoscopes

You should have recently received a letter regarding the MCG Stethoscope Program that provides a MCG branded stethoscope to first-year medical students.

Due to dozens of donations from alumni, faculty and friends, the Medical College of Georgia Alumni Association has been able to provide stethoscopes for every freshman medical student and we hope to do the same for every incoming freshman class. For many medical students, receiving their first stethoscope is the first tangible sign that their dream of becoming a physician is coming true. The response from our future colleagues has been overwhelming appreciation and gratitude.

This is an amazing opportunity to impact a students’ life at the beginning of this special journey to becoming a physician.

What better way to welcome our future colleagues, than providing them with MCG branded stethoscopes, accompanied by a note of encouragement from you, to symbolize the bond you both will always share with MCG.

Please click below to impact an MCG student’s life forever. Stethoscopes are $250 each.

 

icon MCG FOUNDATION - STETHOSCOPES FOR FRESHMEN

Recent News

icon  Learn more about our global network of alumni and the impact they are making on the world.

Fricks, ’00, appointed to Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce

May 25, 2023

Dr. William “Bill” Fricks, a 2000 graduate who practices family medicine and has long taught our students at our Southwest Campus in Albany, was just appointed by Gov. Kemp to the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce. This important board works to ensure Georgia communities, especially in medically underserved areas, have improved access to physicians and other health […]

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Davis, ’45, Sylvester Family Medicine Physician, died April 23

May 01, 2023

Dr. H. Gordon Davis, 104, a 1945 MCG graduate and longtime Sylvester, Georgia family physician, died on Sunday, April 23, 2023 at his residence. Dr. Davis realized a need in the community to care for the elderly and infirm who were no longer able to care for themselves. He first built Georgia Care, Inc (now […]

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Dr. Ron Lewis continues legacy of urology education

April 26, 2023

Man in suit in front of x-raysDr. Ron Lewis may have retired in 2018, but his legacy continues at Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University through his planned estate gift which establishes the Ronald W. Lewis, MD Chair in Urological Education. This endowment will support the ongoing needs of urology residents, including education, research, travel, equipment and more. “When you’ve […]

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Sessions, ’55, Atlanta anesthesiologist died March 1

March 07, 2023

George P. Sessions, MD, a 1955 MCG graduate who guided the establishment of the departments of anesthesia at three Atlanta hospitals, died March 1, 2023. Read Dr. Sessions obituary. Read more about Dr. Sessions’ special bond with 2021 MCG graduate Dr. Kristina Hazim.

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Duncan, ’80, Augusta hand surgeon, died Jan. 7

January 17, 2023

Dr. J. Wendell Duncan, a 1980 MCG graduate and hand surgeon, died Jan. 7. Read more about Dr. Duncan.

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Busey, ’57, died Jan. 7

January 17, 2023

Dr. Thomas Jesse Busey Jr., a 1957 MCG graduate who served as president of the Georgia State Board of Medical Examiners, died Jan. 7. Read Dr. Busey’s obituary.

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