On Sept. 8, in Atlanta, the University System of Georgia Foundation will honor two Augusta University educators – Dr. Joseph Hobbs with the esteemed Regents Hall of Fame Alumni and Distinguished Friends Award at the annual Board of Regents Gala, and professor Robert Bledsoe with the Regents’ Scholarship of Teaching and Learning award.
The USG Foundation is committed to advancing the efforts of the University System of Georgia, which is comprised of 26 public higher education institutions, through leadership, engagement in philanthropy, asset management and institutional advancement. The annual gala celebrates the numerous achievements of public higher education in the state while raising funds for need-based scholarships.
Hobbs, who has dedicated 45 years of service and leadership to Augusta University and the Medical College of Georgia, will be imparting a legacy by accepting such a prestigious award, according to a news release from Augusta University.
“The citizens of our community, our state and beyond are the beneficiaries of his life’s work,” said Brooks Keel, president of Augusta University. “Dr. Hobbs is a man of great accomplishment, but even greater humility – always focused on how his service benefits the overall mission of the Medical College of Georgia and its commitment as Georgia’s only public medical school.”
Becoming interested in science and medicine in junior high, Hobbs was first introduced to MCG by spending his Saturdays shadowing a couple of physician scientists. Following high school, Hobbs accepted a full scholarship to Mercer University where he earned a degree in biology.
In 1970, Hobbs became one of the seven African American students accepted to MCG, where he graduated from four years later. Characterized as a “trailblazing physician,” according to an AU news release, Hobbs completed his family medicine residency at MCG and was one of the first African Americans to become a chief resident, full-time faculty member and tenured professor. Down the road, Hobbs also became one of the first African American department chairs at the institution, and held the position for over 22 years.
“As the distinguished chair of the MCG Department of Family Medicine (also known as the Department of Family and Community Medicine), Dr. Joseph Hobbs taught and influenced thousands of medical students and cared for even more patients,” said David Hess, dean of MCG.
A “passionate caregiver and innovator,” Hess said Hobbs propelled the Family Medicine Center towards national recognition for its patient-centered approaches, and even spent his free-time advocating for the profession while serving as president of its two most recognized organizations.
“He also saw great value and took immense pride in a weekly health clinic he and his students established for Augusta’s homeless,” said Hess.
Although he retired in 2020, Hobbs continues to serve Augusta University as a strategic advisor, where he helps to identify more clinical training opportunities for current and future MCG students. He was also the voice for MCG’s Medical Minute, a health and science segment that was broadcasted across Georgia Public Radio from 2014 through August of 2023.
Alongside Hobbs’ accomplishment, the USG Foundation will also be presenting a Regents’ Scholarship of Teaching and Learning award to Bledsoe, a professor in the Department of English and World Languages in AU’s Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; such an honor is bestowed upon one who investigates how and what students learn in order to develop innovative teaching practices that lead to significant learning gains.
“His dedication to discovery and leadership in active-learning pedagogy are making a significant impact on the lives of our students,” said Augusta University Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Neil MacKinnon. “Dr. Bledsoe influences others to employ best practices in the classroom and to apply evidence-based approaches to their own teaching.”
For more information about the USG Foundation or the Board Of Regents’ Scholarship Gala, please visit: https://www.usgfoundation.org/about
