For Dr. Monica Newton, leadership, collaboration and community service have been evident throughout her career. She began her education at Auburn University studying pre-med psychology followed by medical school at Midwestern University in Chicago. While there, she became the national president of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) and learned the importance of advocacy for patients and providers.
While in Family Medicine residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, she obtained a Master of Public Health in International Health with an emphasis in project planning. This has served her very well over the years leading many successful projects. After residency, she began teaching at UAB-Selma Family Medicine Residency Program while completing a fellowship in obstetrics. Recognizing the overwhelming needs in her community, she completed a faculty fellowship in underserved medicine through the University of California-San Diego. Moved to action, she started a free clinic called “Family Doc in a bus” with grant funding from Alabama Department of Public Health and FEMA. This was recognized by the state as the year’s most innovative Government-Community partnership. She was elected by the community to serve on the Selma City Council and the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians as a regional vice president.
After serving 11 years as an associate professor of family medicine, Dr. Newton moved with her family to Gainesville, Georgia and joined Northeast Georgia Physicians Group. Here, she has been known as the “physician champion” for the patient-centered medical home, the chair of Primary and Urgent Care and the chair of the Quality and Patient Safety Council. To meet the current challenges in health care, Dr. Newton completed a Master Certificate in Population Health from Thomas Jefferson University in 2016. This training, paired with her energy and infectious enthusiasm, will help her lead providers from uncertain times to become energized leaders.
As you can see, Dr. Newton is a lifelong learner. Her vision and leadership as inaugural program director will help improve the health of Northeast Georgia and beyond.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”
Winston Churchill.