Dr. Hotz has a BA degree from Cornell University in Chemistry, an M.D. degree from Ohio State University, and completed his Internal Medicine Internship and Residency at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Hotz is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and has served as Clinical Services Director and Medical Director of Albany Area Primary Health Care, Inc., since 1978. In addition, he played a major role in organizing the Southwest Georgia Community Health Institute and was the Medical Director from 1993 – 1998. This institute is a not-for-profit corporation unique in Georgia that provides a mechanism for collaborative health planning. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Georgia Area Health Education Center, and the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition.

Dr. Hotz has Chaired the Board of Directors of the Georgia Association for Primary Care, Southwest Georgia AHEC and Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and is active on the Board of the Georgia Office of Rural Health Services, Phoebe Putney Health Systems, and the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition.

Dr. Hotz was named one of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential people in Georgia by the Georgia Trend magazine (January 1995 issue). Additionally, Dr. Hotz was awarded $100,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Program for his outstanding leadership promoting grass-roots health care reform.

Dr. Hotz is an Associate Professor at Mercer University’s School of Medicine and has published numerous scientific articles. According to the author Neil Shuman, M.D., Dr. Hotz was an inspiration for the novel Doc Hollywood. As a sequel, Dr. Hotz has written a novel Where Remedies Lie based upon his twenty-five years experience in rural medicine.