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School of Medicine Columbia

2020

Alumnus Greg Ogunnowo, M.D., earns Cleveland Clinic Fellowship appointment

Greg Ogunnowo, M.D., has earned a prestigious Cleveland Clinic Fellowship in cardiovascular medicine. Ogunnowo is a 2016 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia. Cleveland Clinic was named the No. 2 hospital in the nation and the No. 1 hospital for heart care in U.S. News & World Report's "2020-21 Best Hospitals" rankings.

Doctoral student awarded NIH Predoctoral Fellowship Award to study the effects of insulin on brain function

Jennifer Erichsen, a doctoral student in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia, has received a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) F31 award to further her research on the effects of insulin on the brain.

Faculty and students receive awards from the Society of Toxicology

Faculty and students from the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology received a number of awards from the Society of Toxicology during the organization's annual meeting.

Jon Crain named 2020 William C. Gillespie Staff Recognition Award recipient

The School of Medicine is pleased to announce that Jon Crain, assistant director of Facilities and Support Services, is the recipient of the 2020 William C. Gillespie Staff Recognition Award.

Virtual seminar to feature School of Medicine Greenville Dean Marjorie Jenkins

The Women in Science and Medicine Committee will host a virtual seminar on Sept. 18 (Friday). The seminar will feature Marjorie R. Jenkins, M.D., dean of the UofSC School of Medicine Greenville.

In Memoriam of Tan J. Platt, M.D.

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and the state of South Carolina lost an outstanding physician, leader, colleague, and friend on August 19, 2020, with the passing of Dr. Tan J. Platt.

Leadership changes announced for the Department of Internal Medicine

Sharon Weissman, M.D., has been named interim chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and Prisma Health - Midlands.

Lifetime of Service

A $1 million gift from Dr. and Mrs. Charles Bryan is the latest gesture of their philanthropic legacy with the university during the past 35 years. The gift will support construction of a new medical education building to include the Charles S. and Donna H. Bryan Health Sciences Library. The Bryans hope their early gift will inspire others to support the new campus.

Celebrating 50 years of Nurse Anesthesia Training

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia's Nurse Anesthesia Training Program has roots that go back more than five decades, even before the formal creation of the school. The program was established in 1970 at what was then known as Columbia Hospital, and has been producing skilled nurse anesthetists for South Carolina and beyond for 50 years.

School of Medicine researcher focuses on access to telehealth

University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine Christopher W. Goodman, M.D. has co-authored a study focusing on the accessibility of virtual visits or telehealth for urgent care among U.S. hospitals. The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated an opportunity to continue and grow the use of telemedicine once the crisis subsides.

From NICU to residency

Gabbie Rhinehart, M.D., Class of 2020, is excited to have matched in internal medicine at the Prisma Health Richland, where her father Rodney Rhinehart, M.D. F.A.C.C., Class of 1991, also was completing his residency. In fact, Rodney was serving as chief resident when Gabbie was born at what was then Richland Memorial Hospital three months premature.

FoodShare South Carolina part of multi-million dollar initiative to reduce impact of diabetes in South Carolina

FoodShare South Carolina, an initiative of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia, has been awarded a five-year grant to improve South Carolinians' access to fresh, healthy food as a foundational step to decrease the impact of diabetes on the state.

Dr. Richard Hoppmann stepping down as director of Ultrasound Institute

Richard Hoppmann, M.D., the founding director of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia Ultrasound Institute, has stepped down from the role of institute director, effective July 1, 2020. Hoppmann will remain a faculty member within the institute. Floyd "Tripp" Bell, M.D., has been named to succeed Hoppmann as the director of the UofSC School of Medicine Columbia Ultrasound Institute.

In his father's footsteps

Growing up, Michael Corso knew he wanted to be in the medical field; after all, he grew up in the medical profession watching his father provide care to patients, but his path toward medical school took some unusual turns along with way.

Alumnus continues work in fertility after earning Ph.D.

When most students start down the path toward an advanced degree, they usually have an idea of why they are headed in that direction. For Richard Kordus, however, his journey to earning his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, took a bit more time than he anticipated.

Orr named assistant dean of continuous professional development and strategic affairs

Matt Orr, Ph.D., has been named as the new assistant dean of continuous professional development and strategic affairs, effective July 1, 2020. Orr takes over following the retirement of Morris Blachman, Ph.D. Orr has been a faculty member in the School of Medicine since 2008.

Donor to help School of Medicine students understand and address systemic racism

In support of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia's commitment to diversity and inclusion, bestselling author Chris Jarvis has ensured all first-and second-year medical students receive a copy of "Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-first Century" by Dorothy Roberts.

School of Medicine alums fight COVID-19 together

Jason Thieling, M.D., a member of the class of 2006, and Dan Gilstrap, M.D., a member of the class of 2007, were classmates at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia. Years later, they find themselves as colleagues working together at Duke Health and the Duke University School of Medicine.

A legacy in more ways than one

Grace DeMarco may come from a family of health care providers - after all, her grandfather, her father and her brother are all physicians, and her mother is a nurse - but ,when it was time to choose her own career path, she did not let her family's career choices sway her decision.

Definitive encyclopedia on Sir William Osler edited by emeritus professor Charles S. Bryan now available

Sir William Osler: An Encyclopedia, a publication edited by Charles S. Bryan, M.D., Heyward Gibbes Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine Emeritus at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, is now available from Norman Publishing.

Clinton Webb, Ph.D., to lead new Cardiovascular Translational Research Center

Renowned vascular researcher Clinton Webb, Ph.D., has been hired to lead the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia's new Cardiovascular Translational Research Center. This center is the result of the University of South Carolina Excellence Initiative.

Alumnus helping secure supplies, training needed to diagnose COVID-19 cases in Iraq

Due to a global shortage of supplies and equipment that are necessary to fight the deadly coronavirus pandemic, alumnus Haider Alrafas and his colleagues, with the help of the University of Basrah, the United Nations and the World Health Organization assisted in successfully producing urgently needed laboratory items for testing suspected COVID-19 cases in Iraq.

Graduates focus on infectious disease as they head to residency

Graduates of the 2020 Class from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia are preparing to head to their residency destinations at a time when there is a great deal of upheaval in the medical world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For two graduates, working with infectious diseases has been an interest that they are eager to continue following.

Alumna helps battle COVID-19 in New York City

When Ellen Rhame Pottharst, M.D., moved her family to New York, New York, in April 2019, she had no idea that one short year later she would find herself working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. An anesthesiologist by training, Pottharst now finds herself working in critical care, providing care to patients infected with the novel coronavirus at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

Alumni connections influence genetic counseling graduate

After meeting UofSC School of Medicine Columbia alumni at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Olivia Kesler decided to apply to the program. Now the Class of 2020 graduate is headed to the University of Alabama at Birmingham to work under the direction of another UofSC alumna.

Class of 2020 graduate selected for prestigious residency in child neurology

Charmaine Jenkins matched into a residency with a premier program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, CHOP, where she will train in child neurology. CHOP is currently ranked as the No. 2 Children's Hospital by U. S. News & World Report.

Alumna takes flight to save patients

As an undergrad, Lesley Osborn thought her career lay in being a paramedic, but after shadowing an orthopedic surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, she changed her focus from paramedicine to medical school. Now she finds herself leading an air ambulance team through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Physician assistant alumni remain focused on patients during COVID-19 pandemic

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia Physician Assistant program graduated its first class in 2019, and many of those graduates find themselves working in the middle of the pandemic from orthopedics to neurosurgery to trauma surgery.

Alumnus helps establish COVID-19 testing sites

John Propst, who earned his doctorate from the School of Medicine in 2008, is a program lead in the medical devices division of Verily Life Sciences. Currently, he is is serving as the site lead and incident command for the company's first and largest drive-through COVID-19 testing site.

Mayeaux to leave UofSC; Steen to serve as interim chair

E.J. Mayeaux, M.D., chair of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, has accepted a leadership position at Louisiana State University. Jamie Steen, M.D., will serve as interim department chair.

Enos receives NCCIH/NIH grant to study alternative to estrogen therapy

Reilly Enos, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, has been awarded a K01 grant in the amount of $716,000 from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health/National Institutes of Health.

Anderson to leave School of Medicine for new leadership role

William D. Anderson, M.D. M.H.C.M., senior associate dean for clinical affairs at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia and chief medical officer for the USC School of Medicine Educational Trust, has announced that he will be leaving the university at the end of March.

Music from the heart

Edward Middleton graduated from the School of Medicine's rehabilitation counseling program in 1999. Now that he's retired he's embracing music as a way to make a difference in his community.

Wood wins behavioral pharmacology award

The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) Division for Behavioral Pharmacology is honoring Susan Wood, Ph.D. with the 2020 J.H. Woods Early Career Award in Behavioral Pharmacology.

New assistant dean appointed for Florence Regional Campus

Alan G. Sechtin, M.D., has been named a new assistant dean of medical education at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia, in this role he will oversee the school's Florence Regional Campus.

Research Center for Transforming Health welcomes new interim director

Kevin Bennett, Ph.D., has been named as interim director of the Research Center for Transforming Health at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia.

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