On Aug. 8, members of PCOM South Georgia’s Class of 2029 will receive their white coats in a ceremony at the University of Georgia Conference Center in Tifton. The event is a rite of passage for medical students, signifying their transformation into medical professionals.
One of those students will be Morgan Malone, DO '29.
Before embarking on his medical school journey, Morgan had already established previous career paths. He first served in the Marine Corps overseas, then as a contractor with the U.S. State Department providing security for diplomats and dignitaries in Afghanistan and Iraq for 17 years. While there, Morgan met Shelley, who had retired from the British Army and was working as a private military contractor. By 2020, Morgan and Shelley were married with two children. Morgan’s job took him away from his family for long stretches of time. Before long, he and Shelley realized it was time to settle down.
“As my wife would call it, playing GI Joe was no longer an option when you have a family,” Morgan said. “I needed my kids, and my kids needed me to be there for them.”
Shortly after they married, the COVID pandemic hit, preventing international travel. Morgan arrived in Afghanistan for work in March 2020 through that December. The couple and their children then settled down in Morgan’s hometown, Gulf Breeze, Florida, near Pensacola.
At first, Morgan began pursuing a nursing degree, but Shelley knew he actually wanted to be a doctor. She convinced him to pursue his dream, and he earned the prerequisites necessary for medical school admission and took the MCAT.
At a recruitment fair in Tallahassee, he first learned about PCOM South Georgia and decided to apply.
When he received his acceptance letter to PCOM South Georgia, Morgan and Shelley decided to take a giant leap. They and their children—Maddison, 6, and Luke, 8—moved to Moultrie.
“This was the easiest decision—choosing PCOM South Georgia, because I think it's a campus filled with faculty and staff that make the perfect learning environment,” Morgan said. “Additionally, the faculty of PCOM and the people of Moultrie have created a perfect place to raise the family. They've been nothing but fantastic.”
In his medical school journey, Morgan gives Shelley credit for encouraging him.
“She understands the rigors of what I'm doing,” Morgan said. “She also understands that chasing a dream and making it happen takes dedication not just from yourself. Your family has to be in it. Becoming a doctor is not just my dream. It's really our family's dream. It’s what we're working towards as a family.”
In 2019, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a premier osteopathic medical school established in 1899, extended its commitment to the Southeast by establishing PCOM South Georgia. An additional teaching location in Moultrie, Georgia, PCOM South Georgia offers both a full, four-year medical program leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. PCOM is a private, not-for-profit institution that trains professionals in the health and behavioral sciences fields. Joining PCOM Georgia in Suwanee in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state, PCOM South Georgia focuses on educating physicians for the region. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 229-668-3110.
For general media inquiries, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at 215-871-6300 or communications@pcom.edu. Visit our media relations page to view contact information for public relations personnel.
Gabrielle DePietro
Associate Director, News and Media Relations
Office of Marketing and Communications
Email: gabrielde2@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6304
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