Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) and Tanner Health will celebrate the opening of their new clinical campus and simulation lab in Carrollton on Friday, July 17, marking a significant step forward in expanding medical education opportunities and improving access to healthcare across rural Georgia.
The celebration will begin with a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. at the new facility, located at 705 Dixie Street in Carrollton, and will be followed by self-guided tours and demonstrations inside the newly constructed medical simulation center. Leaders from Mercer University, Mercer University School of Medicine and Tanner Health, along with faculty members, community leaders and members of the inaugural class of medical students, are expected to attend. Representatives from the organizations will also be available for interviews following the ceremony.
The new clinical campus is the result of a partnership between Mercer University School of Medicine and Tanner Health that will allow third- and fourth-year medical students to complete the final two years of their education while living and training in Carrollton. The first group of third-year students is scheduled to begin clinical rotations at the campus in late July 2026 after transferring from Mercer’s Columbus, Macon and Savannah campuses.
Located on the Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton campus, the dedicated medical education unit will offer all third-year core clerkships and electives, as well as fourth-year sub-internships, electives and required clinical rotations for students enrolled in Mercer University School of Medicine’s Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program.
The new simulation center will provide students with opportunities to strengthen their clinical skills through hands-on training in a realistic learning environment before caring for patients in clinical settings. As a regional campus for clinical education, the Carrollton location will allow students to gain experience in a tertiary care setting that serves largely rural communities, further advancing the School’s mission to improve healthcare access in medically underserved areas throughout Georgia.
Tanner Health serves a multi-county region across west Georgia, much of it rural, making the Carrollton clinical campus a strategic addition to Mercer University School of Medicine’s growing network of clinical training locations. The partnership represents an important investment in medical education and the future healthcare workforce, helping prepare physicians who will serve communities throughout west Georgia and beyond.
With the first class of medical students arriving later this month, the new Carrollton clinical campus marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration between Mercer University School of Medicine and Tanner Health that is expected to strengthen both physician training and healthcare delivery throughout the region.
About Mercer University School of Medicine
Mercer University’s School of Medicine was established in 1982 to educate physicians and health professionals to meet the primary care and healthcare needs of rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia. Today, more than 60% of graduates currently practice in the state of Georgia, and of those, more than 80% practice in rural or medically underserved communities. Mercer medical students benefit from a problem-based medical education program that provides early patient care experiences while fostering clinical problem-solving skills and an understanding of the role of the basic medical sciences in medical practice.
The School opened additional four-year M.D. campuses in Savannah in 2008 and Columbus in 2021, followed by a clinical campus in Valdosta in 2024. Following their second year, students participate in core clinical clerkships at the School’s primary teaching hospitals throughout Georgia. Mercer University School of Medicine also offers master’s degrees in preclinical sciences and family therapy, as well as Ph.D. programs in biomedical sciences and rural health sciences.
About Tanner Health
Tanner Health is a five-hospital nonprofit health system providing convenient, personalized healthcare to communities across west Georgia and east Alabama. In addition to its regional hospitals and care centers, Tanner operates Tanner Medical Group, one of metro Atlanta’s largest multi-specialty physician groups. Through advanced technology, innovative treatment options and a commitment to patient-centered care, Tanner Health continues to improve the health and well-being of the communities it serves.
