Augusta University and Wellstar MCG's top 20 highest paid faculty members

Augusta University's staff members have a variety of duties from teaching on campus to treating the sick and wounded at Wellstar MCG. How much are they paid for this?

Below is a closer look at the top 20 earners in the fiscal year 2023 according to open.ga.govt .

1. Richard Lee

Professor and cardiothoracic surgery chief Richard Lee earned $1,205,000.04 with no reported travel reimbursements. He has published more than 130 peer reviewed articles.

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2. Fernando Vale Diaz

Professor and neurosurgery chairman Fernando Vale Diaz earned $990,500.04 with no reported travel reimbursements. He has been a Castle Connolly Top Doctor since 2017.

3. James St. Louis

Professor and chief of pediatric and congenital heart surgery chief James St. Louis earned $989,803.01 and had the highest amount of travel reimbursements: $38,469.16. He is also do-director of the pediatric and congenital heart program.

4. Brooks Keel

Former AU President Brooks Keel earned $904,300.80 and was reimbursed $13,536.89 for travel. Keel retired at the end of this last school year after being president since 2015 and 40 years of working in research and higher education.

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5. Daniel Miller

Professor of surgery Daniel Miller earned $800,000.04 and was reimbursed $4,508.08 for travel. Miller is also the director of thoracic surgery at the Georgia Cancer Center.

6. David Hess

David C. Hess earned $787,431.53 and was reimbursed $17,679.78 for travel. Hess wears multiple hats including Dean of MCG , AU Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and Integration, professor and chairman of neurology .

7. Scotty Rahimi

Assistant professor Scott Rahimi earned $783,000.04 and was reimbursed $4,782.48 for travel. Rahimi also provides neurosurgery, vascular surgery, and skull base surgery.

8. Monte Hunter

David M. Hunter a.k.a. Monte Hunter earned $736,203.24 and was reimbursed $7,335.74 for travel. Hunter is chairman of orthopedics, director of sports medicine, and professor of orthopedic surgery.

9. Vijay Patel

Vijaykumar Patel a.k.a. Vijay Patel earned $681,558.34 and was reimbursed $493.63 for travel. Patel is an associate professor and provider of cardiothoracic surgery.

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10. Steven Holsten

General surgeon Steven Holsten earned $670,150.04 and was reimbursed $2,991.97 for travel.

11. John DeVine

John DeVine earned $668,397.26 with no reported travel reimbursements. DeVine is chief of Wellstar's spine surgery service and a professor of orthopedic surgery.

12. Annette Johnson

Radiology chairperson Annette Johnson earned $668,000.04 with no reported travel reimbursements. She is also a professor.

13. Sharad Ghamande

Sharad Ghamande earned $665,799.15 and $8,822.26 in travel reimbursements. Ghamande is an assistant professor and associate director for gynecological cancer prevention clinical research.

14. Jorge Cortes

Georgia Cancer Center Director Jorge Cortes earned $656,158.54 and $5,395.69 in travel reimbursements. He has been director since 2019. Cortes is the author of more than 1,000 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine in Mexico.

15. John Barrett

Professor and radiation oncology chairman John Barrett earned $651,650.04 with no reported travel reimbursements. He is also medical director for clinical services at the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center.

16. Jana Davis

Associate professor Jana Davis earned $647,193.92 with no reported travel reimbursements.

17. Uzondu Agochukwu

Associate professor and co-director of the spine surgery fellowship Uzondu Agochukwu earned $644,000.04 with no reported travel reimbursements. He also is part of several different committees .

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18. Terence O'Keeffe

Terence O'Keeffe earned $636,600 with no reported travel reimbursements. He is professor and section chief of trauma/surgical critical care/general surgery .

19. Walter Pipkin

Associate professor and pediatric surgery chief Walter Pipkin earned $632,550 with no reported travel reimbursements. He is also director of minimally invasive surgery .

20. Brian Annex

Professor and medicine chairman Brian Annex earned $628,660.01 and $11,432.55 in travel reimbursements.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta University and Wellstar MCG's top 20 highest paid faculty members