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.
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.
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.
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.”
MCG Office of Alumni Affairs
MCG Office of Alumni Affairs
1120 15th Street, PERS100
Augusta, GA 30912
706-737-1759
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!
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 Learn more about our global network of alumni and the impact they are making on the world.
Melvin Haysman, MD ’71 and his wife Roberta Kamine-Haysman have a longstanding relationship with the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Not only did Haysman graduate from MCG and complete his internal medicine residency there, but he also held a faculty appointment as clinical assistant professor and served for many years on the MCG […]
Zach Powell, DMD ’99, a first-generation dentist, feels extremely blessed to be part of the profession of dentistry. His group employs nearly 50 team members and is one of the largest private practices in southeast Georgia, serving patients across nine counties, in some of which his office is the only dental provider. Passionate about rural […]
Dr. Ralph William Buchanan, Jr., a 2003 MCG graduate and anesthesiologist at Advent Health Hospital Daytona Beach, Florida, passed away September 4th, after a long battle with cancer. Read Dr. Buchanan’s obituary.
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The late J. Roy Rowland, MD, was a family physician, congressional representative, author and soldier, but what he wanted to most be known for was helping others. “I hope I’ll be remembered as someone who tried to help other people. I think I’ll be remembered more as a physician for helping other people,” said Rowland […]
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 […]
Continue ReadingDr. 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 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 […]
