The Academy for Innovation in Medicine (AIM) aims to provide students in Georgia with a stepping stone into the world of healthcare. The organization recently announced its opening of Georgia’s first healthcare-focused charter public middle and high school in 2026. This institution will provide students with real-world experience and serve as a pipeline for them to pursue high-demand careers in medicine, research, and healthcare. Dr. Kristy Beam is the lead founder of AIM. She and the team want parents across Georgia to enroll their children in a place that will launch them into a field that desperately needs passionate people.
“Parents should enroll their kids because we are offering them an opportunity to learn, grow, and prepare for a future in healthcare. We want to create a system where the outcomes are students thriving in their personal life, experiencing career fulfillment, earning a family-sustaining wage,” said Dr. Beam.
AIM’s healthcare-focused charter public school will open in fall 2026. The school intends to enroll 260 students in its first year and expand further in the future. The announcement about the school was made in September, following approval from the Georgia State Charter School Commission.
The school will offer students the opportunity for career exploration in healthcare while in middle school. That stage will build their foundation for the rigorous pathway in high school. When the students reach ninth and tenth grade, they will begin their first career pathway through the Georgia Department of Education’s Health Science pathways. This will allow students to earn their first certification by the age of 16. When students reach the 11th and 12th grades, they will focus on obtaining their associate degrees and other certifications. By the time they graduate, they are prepared to earn a living wage.
This endeavor is a collaboration among AIM, Grady Health Systems, and Redefined Atlanta. All three organizations aim to resolve the workforce shortage. According to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Georgia has 40,000 openings in the healthcare industry, and experts expect this gap to grow to 100,000 by 2030. Through the school, AIM wants to cultivate the next generation of Healthcare workers.
“We are addressing the critical healthcare workforce need. There are jobs out there that need to be filled. We are very intentionally training our students to be ready for success in those specific jobs, and that ensures they have economic mobility,” said Beam.
Grady Health System will provide the real-world experience for the students at the school. Dr. Beam explains that students will visit the hospital to observe how professionals work and the tools they use. Dr. Beam and her team are also deliberate in selecting which medical professionals present to the students. They want the kids to see a vision of what they can become. Kayla Sledge is a Georgia educator and parent. She will be enrolling her son next fall and wants to spark his interest in this career at AIM’s school.
“I want to see that moment where the lightbulb goes off when you see a person that looks like you in the spaces you want to be in. I want my son exposed to that as early as possible,” said Sledge.
“We just get focused on children getting A’s and B’s and then learning grade-level standards. We do not really prepare them for life outside of school. To know that there is a school where he can be learning grade level standards while also piquing his interest and getting him exposure to the field and what it is going to look like is Amazing,” said Sledge.
AIM’s healthcare-focused charter school is set to provide Atlanta Middle and High School students with a significant step towards the medical field. With all that’s assembling for Fall 2026, Dr. Beam and her team are ensuring there is no limit on what their future students can achieve.
