At Augusta University’s annual Economic Forecast Breakfast hosted by the James M. Hull College of Business, Simon Medcalfe, PhD, offered a grounded, data-driven look at how the local economy is performing — and what lies ahead. Speaking to business leaders, students and community stakeholders, Medcalfe emphasized the importance of distinguishing real economic growth from inflation-driven gains, noting that while the Augusta region continues to grow, it does so at a measured pace compared to national averages. His presentation framed the local economy as stable and resilient, but not immune to broader forces shaping the U.S. outlook.
A key theme of Medcalfe’s remarks was the role of research, innovation and education in sustaining long-term economic health. He pointed to strong gains in research and development across Georgia and highlighted how university-based research directly contributes to regional economic output. According to Medcalfe, investment in knowledge creation remains one of the most reliable drivers of growth, reinforcing the value of higher education institutions as economic anchors.
Simon Medcalfe, PhD, is an economist with an emphasis on sports economics, social determinants of health, and the local economy. View his profile At the same time, Medcalfe cautioned against complacency. While regional fundamentals remain solid, he stressed that uncertainty at the national level continues to pose risks.
“However, uncertainty abounds in national macroeconomic policy that could negatively impact growth next year,” Medcalfe said, underscoring how unresolved fiscal decisions and policy shifts can ripple down to local economies. Still, his overall outlook balanced realism with optimism. Medcalfe concluded that the Augusta region — and Georgia more broadly — is positioned to weather uncertainty thanks to diversification, investment in early education, and continued research activity.
“Overall, Augusta and Georgia are positioned well for economic growth in 2026 with a strong commitment to early childhood education, a diversified labor market and strong research and development,” he said. View the full article 'Annual Economic Forecast Breakfast offers snapshot of the local economy' here:
For journalists covering regional economics, workforce development, higher education, or policy-driven growth trends, Simon Medcalfe, PhD, offers clear-eyed analysis rooted in data — and an ability to translate complex economic signals into insight that matters locally.
Simon is available to speak with media - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
William Vaughn McCall, MD, professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, is leading a new multi-year clinical trial aimed at addressing insomnia and depression together — two conditions that frequently occur side by side. The Assessing Improvements in Mood and Sleep (AIMS) Trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is exploring whether treating sleep problems through psychotherapy can also reduce lingering symptoms of depression, particularly in older adults.
McCall has served as professor and Case Distinguished Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at Augusta University since 2012. His research interests include depression, electroconvulsive therapy, quality of life, insomnia, and suicide. His research has been continuously funded by the National Institute of Mental Health since 1995, and he is the author of more than 400 publications, including more than 180 peer-reviewed journal articles. View his profile McCall’s work builds on decades of research examining how disrupted sleep contributes to mood disorders. While previous studies often focused on medication-based approaches, this trial takes a different direction by testing non-pharmacological therapies that target insomnia itself. The research team, which includes collaborators from multiple universities, is evaluating whether improving sleep quality can meaningfully lower depression symptoms for patients who remain symptomatic despite antidepressant treatment.
“Ultimately, the hope is to find other avenues to reduce the risk for depression and depression symptoms,” McCall says. The trial is currently recruiting adults aged 55 and older who are experiencing both insomnia and depression, with options for both in-person and remote participation. For journalists covering mental health, aging, sleep science, or emerging clinical research, McCall is a key expert offering informed perspective on how sleep-focused interventions could reshape the future of depression treatment.
The full article 'New MCG trial targets insomnia and depression symptoms' is available below:
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The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognized the discovery of regulatory T cells, which are immune cells that maintain tolerance and prevent autoimmunity. At Augusta University, scientists have built upon that foundational work, uncovering how these cells function, fail and evolve across diseases like cancer and atherosclerosis.
Regulatory T cells, or Tregs, are essential for controlling immune responses and preventing the body from attacking its own tissues. Early discoveries by Shimon Sakaguchi, MD, PhD, who identified the CD25 marker and later the transcription factor FoxP3, revealed how Tregs suppress immune activation. Sakaguchi, a distinguished professor at Osaka University in Japan, shared the Nobel Prize with Mary E. Brunkow, PhD, Princeton University, and Fred Ramsdell, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles.
Sakaguchi once shared lab space with Nicholas Gascoigne, PhD, now a professor at AU’s Immunology Center of Georgia, where he studies T-cell signaling and differentiation — a connection that ties the global history of Treg research to the university’s ongoing expertise.
Gascoigne’s research continues to illuminate how Tregs differentiate and signal, critical steps in ensuring immune tolerance to self.
“Drs. Sakaguchi, Brunkow and Ramsdell have made enormous contributions to our understanding of how immunological tolerance works, so this prize is very well deserved,” Gascoigne said. “I was happy I could help Drs. Shimon and Noriko Sakaguchi when they needed lab space back in the early ‘90s. They were wonderful to work with.” At Augusta University, David Munn, MD, co-director of the Pediatric Immunotherapy Program of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, made seminal discoveries showing that Tregs are not always stable.
Munn’s team demonstrated that these cells could lose their suppressive identity and become “exTregs,” adopting pro-inflammatory characteristics under certain conditions. Munn also uncovered an entirely distinct tolerance mechanism through indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, a pathway independent of FoxP3 that regulates immune balance through tryptophan metabolism.
“In particular, the work of Shimon Sakaguchi and Fred Ramsdell was profoundly influential on our early work, as we were just starting out to explore how the immune system is regulated in pediatric cancers,” Munn said. “The work of these Nobel laureates helped transform the scientific understanding of how the immune system responds — or fails to respond — in the setting of tumors.” Catherine “Lynn” Hedrick, PhD, co-director of the Immunology Center of Georgia, further expanded this understanding by showing that Tregs can convert into follicular helper T cells, offering new insight into how immune regulation can shift toward antibody production in chronic inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis.
“Understanding how regulatory T cells can shift identities helps explain why the immune system sometimes loses balance in chronic disease,” Hedrick said. “By tracing how Tregs convert into other helper cells, we’re uncovering new therapeutic targets to restore immune harmony in conditions like atherosclerosis.” Building on these advances, Klaus Ley, MD, co-director of IMMCG, and his team have investigated how exTregs contribute to cardiovascular inflammation, identifying them in human tissues and clarifying their role in atherosclerosis. His lab also recently discovered human exTregs, providing the first direct evidence of these cells in people. Two postdoctoral fellows in Ley’s lab, Qingkang Lyu, PhD, and Smriti Parashar, PhD, continue this work, exploring how regulatory and ex-regulatory T cells influence chronic disease progression.
Additionally, Dimitrios Moskofidis, MD, PhD, a professor based in the Georgia Cancer Center, contributed key early insights into immune tolerance and memory, defining how effector T cells persist or are deleted following infection.
“Together, these discoveries place Augusta University and the Immunology Center of Georgia at the forefront of modern immunology, connecting molecular mechanisms of tolerance to real-world diseases and therapies,” Ley said. To connect with any of the experts or researchers in this article - simply contact AU's External Communications Team mediarelations@augusta.edu to arrange an interview today.
