Dates: January 24th - January 25th, 2025 | Location: Albany, GA
Registration is $99. Maximum of 9.25 CME Credits. Conference Flyer
Bridging the Gap: Caring for Rural Georgia Moms will address the Obstetric health care disparity by highlighting the gap in care, providing targeted education and skills training for preventable obstetric morbidity and mortality. Rural obstetric care is a major health disparity in Georgia. Approximately 80% of maternal deaths are preventable with 22% of deaths occurred during pregnancy, 25% occurred on the day of delivery or within 7 days after, and 53% occurred between 7 days to 1 year after pregnancy. The conference will provide evidence-based education for improvement in measures of maternal health and teach technical skills for the interprofessional rural health care team. The target audience is any clinician, physician, nurse, respiratory therapist, pharmacist, and other members of the health care team who provide care for mothers or babies.
Dr. Dean Burke
CMO, Department of Community Health
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Dean Burke. Dr. Burke serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the Medical Assistance Plans for the Department of Community Health (DCH). In this role, Dr. Burke leads the department’s efforts related to health performance and quality reporting within the Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids® populations.
Dr. Burke served as the Chief Medical Officer for Memorial Hospital and Manor in Bainbridge, Ga. In addition, he has served as a state Senator for Senate district 11, representing Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller and Seminole counties along with portions of Mitchell and Thomas counties. During his service, he has served as Chairman of the Insurance and Labor Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee and Ethics Committee, an Ex-Officio of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, the Secretary of Appropriations, and was a member of the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee and the Rules Committee.
He also served as the Chairman of the Community Health sub-committee. Dr. Burke graduated summa cum laude from Georgia Southwestern University and went on to graduate from the Medical College of Georgia.
He received his specialty training in obstetrics and gynecology at Mercer University
School of Medicine and practiced obstetrics and gynecology for 27 years. In addition,
Dr. Burke has also served as the Chairman of the Stratus Healthcare Governing Board
and is an advocate for improving healthcare outcomes in Georgia.
Dr. Kelli Braun, MD, FACOG
Associate Dean for Admissions
Bailey Creamer, PharmD
Director of Pharmacy, Emanuel Medical Center
Dr. David Hess, MD
Dean, Medical College of Georgia
Angie James, RRT, MSc
Wellstar MCG Health
Dr. Denise Kornegay, MSW
Associate Dean, AHEC
Dr. Michelle Krupp, EdD, MS
Associate Dean for Faculty Development
Dr. Matthew Lyon, MD
Associate Dean, Experiential Learning
Director, MCG Center for Telehealth
Dr. Kathryn Martin, PhD. MPH, MPA
Associate Dean for Regional Campuses
Dr. Kelsey Mayo, PhD
Co-Founder and CEO of Armor Medical Inc.
Dr. Douglas Patten, MD, FACS
Associate Dean, Southwest Regional Campus
Dr. Chadburn Ray, MD, RPh, FACOG
Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Dr. Marlo Vernon, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, MCG GA Prevention Institute
January 24th, 2025
1300-1315 Arrival and Registration
1315-1330 Welcome and Overview (Drs. Patten and Martin)
1330-1400 Overview of rural Georgia Health Disparities (Dr. Hess)
1400-1430 Rural Georgia Obstetric Care: Do all roads lead to a city? (Dr. Burke)
1430-1515 Rural OB Emergencies: Preparing for the Worst (Drs. Braun and Ray)
1515-1600 Preparing for OB's Not-So-Silent Killers (Creamer and James)
1600-1630 Questions and Answer - Panel Discussion (Dr. Braun and Creamer)
1630-1700 Post-Partum Depression (Pending)
1700-1745 Panal Discussion with GBI and OBGYN
1745-1830 Refreshments
1830-2100 New Technologies and Strategies to Decrease Rural OB Disparity
TELE OB ED PROCESSES AND PROTOCOLS
January 25th, 2025
0800-0830 Preparing Future MDs for Rural Practice (Dr. Krupp)
0830-0900 Compassion Fatique (Dr. Kornegay)
0900-1200 Hands on Interprofessional Skills Stations (Participants will select multiple stations)
 Southwest Georgia AHEC Area Health Education Center  Phoebe Putney Memorial Hopsital |
Accreditation - The Medical College of Georgia is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians.
Designation - This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation
requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education
(ACCME) through the joint providership of the Medical College of Georgia and the Southwest
Georgia AHEC. The Medical College of Georgia is accredited by the ACCME to provide
continuing medical education for physicians. The Medical College of Georgia designates
this live activity for a maximum of 9.25 AMA PRA Category 1 credits. Attendees should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation
in the activity.
AHEC CME Statement - The Georgia Board of Nursing deems Southwest Georgia Area Health Education Center
(SOWEGA-AHEC) as an Approved Provider for Nursing Continuing Education (CE). This
CE Activity Awards 9.25 Contact Hours Towards the Continuing Education Competency
Requirement for Georgia Nurse License Renewal. Activity # 2025-01.
