Dr. Rahn made his comments during a regular report to the Board of Regents on the progress of expanding medical education in Georgia. He argued that remaining focused on the benefits to human health would move the discussion beyond the nuts and bolts, such as developing a curriculum, of putting together a branch campus in Athens.

"We've got to get above the mundane issues," Dr. Rahn said. "We have to attend to those issues. ... But we've got to keep this higher purpose in mind as we're doing that."