Anna Hoppmann, MD, MPH, is an assistant professor of pediatrics in the USC School of Medicine and a pediatric oncologist at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in the Midlands. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina Honors College (B.A.) and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine (M.D.), and holds a master’s degree in public health from Emory University. She completed her pediatrics residency and fellowship in pediatric hematology and oncology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She was competitively selected for post-doctoral cancer research training through UAB’s Cancer Prevention and Control Training Program through a National Cancer Institute T32 training grant under the mentorship of Dr. Smita Bhatia. Her fellowship research on oral chemotherapy adherence among children with leukemia was awarded two national research recognitions from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Hoppmann returned to South Carolina to join the faculty at the USC School of Medicine in 2022. She practices pediatric hematology and oncology at Prisma Health’s Gamecocks Curing Kids Cancer Clinic. In addition, she participates in teaching and mentorship within the Pediatric Residency Program. She was the first Prisma Health physician to receive research funding from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and Hyundai Hope on Wheels for her ongoing work to understand and mitigate health disparities in childhood cancer outcomes. She has 11 peer-reviewed publications, including two papers with novel findings on how the neighborhood/community environment impacts long-term survival among children with cancer. Dr. Hoppmann believes in applying cancer research to advocate for patients. She was the founder and chair of South Carolina’s Childhood Cancer Taskforce, a multi-disciplinary state group that created South Carolina’s inaugural report on childhood cancer trends over 25 years. This report will serve as the foundation for the childhood cancer component of the state’s Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan. She lives in Columbia, South Carolina, with her spouse and three children.

Dr. Austin Worden wears many hats at the University of South Carolina. He’s the director of both the USC Instrumentation Resource Facility and the School of Medicine’s Applied Biotechnology Program, and he also serves as a research assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy.

Austin’s path started close to home in Augusta, Georgia. He earned his B.S. in Biology from USC Aiken before heading to the USC School of Medicine Columbia, where he completed both his master’s degree (Applied Biotechnology) and his Ph.D. in biomedical science (Cellular and Molecular Biology).

After graduate school, Austin stepped into the world of industry science, working at RayBiotech Life in Georgia as part of their ELISA development team and serving as the go-to microscopy specialist. He later joined the Emory University Integrated Cellular Imaging Core, helping researchers as a widefield and confocal microscopy expert, before finding his way back to USC.

Today, Austin oversees advanced imaging services and leads biotechnology education, all while mentoring the next generation of scientists. His commitment to the School of Medicine goes back to his student days, when he founded the Biomedical Science Graduate Student Association and was the first graduate student representative on several SOMC student committees. Since then, he’s stayed active in school leadership, serving as the youngest Treasurer of the Alumni Board and now as its Secretary, in addition to serving on multiple steering committees across USC.

His passion for microscopy has also earned him a national voice. He’s an editor for Microscopy Today, a co-editor of the third edition of the Basic Confocal Microscopy textbook, author of several microscopy-based papers, and he holds leadership roles in professional societies like the Microscopy Society of America (MSA) and the Southeastern Microscopy Society (SEMS). In 2025, his hard work and early career achievements were recognized when he was named one of the inaugural Gamecock35 honorees, USC’s award for outstanding graduates under 35. He was the only honoree from the School of Medicine. Austin is also pursuing his MBA at USC Aiken, reflecting his drive to connect science, technology, and business.

And yet, somehow, Austin still makes time for life outside of work. He loves gardening, watching and playing sports, and spending time with his wife, their daughter, and their two Australian shepherds. He credits his parents and sister for helping keep him grounded growing up, his mentors (Bill Jackson, Jay Potts, and Bob Price) for shaping his scientific journey, and his closest friends (Mary, Kaleb, Steph, and Kendell) for keeping him sane during the toughest stretches. But most of all, he thanks his wife, Meg, for her patience and constant support through career moves, late nights, and the many times he said “yes” to new opportunities.

Andrew Gunter, a native of Graniteville, S.C., graduated from Clemson University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Genetics and a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences. He completed his Master of Science in Genetic Counseling at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, before moving to Mississippi to begin his career.

At the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Gunter worked in the state’s only medical genetics clinic and was the director for Mississippi’s multidisciplinary clinic for 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.  He was also on faculty as an assistant professor of pediatrics, educating future physicians, physical therapists, residents, and physician fellows in the maternal-fetal medicine and neonatology training programs.

Gunter’s clinical and educational work honed his passion to advance patient access to genetics care. Driven by his natural curiosity to improve systems, he was drawn toward laboratory utilization management and the reduction of financial burdens on patients. This pulled him out of patient-facing responsibilities and into health insurance. For the next few years, he worked for Humana as a medical case reviewer and subject matter expert on genetics policy and then for UnitedHealthcare as a developer and administrator of genetic testing programs for the Medicaid and Exchange lines of business.

Gunter joined Quest Diagnostics in 2021 as a member of their market access team and feels he has come full circle in understanding the complexities underlying the use and payment of laboratory services. As team director, he guides evidence-forward strategies to reduce financial barriers to care through medical policy expansion and innovative third-party programs. The skills Gunter gained through his graduate education have enabled the development of his unique career path – as such, he enjoys giving back to the field by teaching and mentoring genetic counseling trainees at USC SOM, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Southern California University of Health Sciences, and Quest Diagnostics.

Gunter is certified through the American Board of Genetic Counseling and has coauthored multiple peer-reviewed articles in the rare disease space and a Practice Resource on clinical documentation for the National Society of Genetic Counselors. He resides in Mississippi with his wife and three sons.

Dr. Sharp is a native of Columbia, South Carolina. He completed his undergraduate education majoring in biology and history at Wofford College in Spartanburg. During college, he spent a summer at the USC Belle W. Baruch Marine Biology Center where he decided to pursue the biological sciences as a career. He then began his graduate studies in the University of South Carolina School of Medicine’s Biomedical Science Program investigating the effects of mechanical forces on the heart and cellular signaling in the labs of Dr. Louis and Thomas Borg. Following his PhD, Dr. Sharp went on to an NIH funded research fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago before returning to the University of South Carolina to study medicine. During medical school he spent a year studying medicine at the University of Oxford. He completed his residency training in emergency medicine at the University of Michigan and has been continuously employed by the University of Chicago as a faculty member since. His research on resuscitation is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

He is a former Eagle Scout and has worked for the Norwegian Geological Survey, the Belle W. Baruch Marine Biology Station, and enjoys hiking and camping with his family. His father William Edwin Sharp, PhD (geology), and stepmother, Marcia G. Synnott, PhD (history), are both retired professors from the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Branham is an otolaryngologist/facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, committed to the mission of academic medicine. He is professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, with a busy and diverse practice that includes both reconstructive and facial cosmetic surgery. He consistently achieves excellent patient satisfaction scores throughout his clinical practice.

At Saint Louis University (SLU), he rose to the rank of associate professor (with tenure) and served as the Otolaryngology Residency Program Director there from 1991 to 2003 and was acting chair of that department on two occasions. At SLU, he also served as the associate dean of clinical affairs from 1995-2001, leading operations of the University Medical Group Faculty Practice and overseeing contracting of faculty physician services to other health systems.

During this time, he also organized the Facial Plastic Surgery Society of Saint Louis to actively engage with the local medical community and encourage involvement in that local organization as well as the Missouri State Medical Association and the AMA. He served as a delegate to the AMA, representing facial plastic surgery to the AMA for 10 years.  

He joined Washington University in 2004 as chief of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, leading its establishment as a nationally recognized division, instituting the Facial Plastic Fellowship Program which has trained 15 fellows since 2010. He has also served executive roles within Barnes-Jewish Christian (BJC) Health System as the chief of staff of Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital (BJWCH), and more recently as the chief medical officer for BJWCH.

National leadership roles include the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery (AAFPRS), American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ABFPRS) and the Accreditation Council (ACPSE) that accredits Facial Plastic Surgery Fellowship Programs. He has served on the ABFPRS Board of Directors as a director and board examiner for many years. He is currently an ABFPRS senior advisor and was recently awarded the Larry Schoenrock Award for Distinguished Service in 2023. He has published numerous peer reviewed publications and book chapters, and served on the editorial boards of several journals.

Dr. Elizabeth Mack is a pediatric critical care physician and quality improvement and patient safety expert aiming to improve the quality of health care by infusing love. She is a professor of pediatrics and is the immediate past president of the SC Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is employed full time by Vizient with a focus on high reliability, and part time by the Medical University of South Carolina as a pediatric critical care physician.

She completed her medical degree at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, pediatrics residency at the University of South Carolina/Palmetto Health, Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s, and Masters of Science in Biostatistics/ Epidemiology at the University of Cincinnati. She is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric critical care medicine. She serves on the ABP subboard of pediatric critical care medicine, chairs the inaugural Children’s Caucus of South Carolina, and serves as a pediatric host of SCCM podcast.

She is passionate about health equity, patient and employee safety, global health, patient and family engagement, high reliability, serious illness communication, child advocacy, and injury and harm prevention.

She lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, and two furbabies Simon Valjean & Winnifred Liza (named with musical theatre in mind). She and her husband enjoy a wild-haired competitive challenge and have summited Mt. Kilimanjaro and trekked to Everest Base Camp.

 Dr. Leroy Robinson was born on June 29, 1964, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Fort Gordon, Georgia, to Reverend Leroy Robinson and Reverend Dr. Gloria Robinson. Raised in Aiken County, he attended Catholic schools and graduated from St. Angela Academy in 1982. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in Biology, with honors, from Wofford College in 1986, followed by his medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 1990. He completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Richland Memorial Hospital.

In 1994, Dr. Robinson began his medical career in Hartsville, South Carolina, through a DHEC scholarship commitment, first practicing at Byerly Hospital and later at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center. Over the years, he has delivered countless babies in Darlington and Chesterfield counties while remaining deeply engaged in his community. He has served on the boards of Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center, the Byerly Foundation, and the YMCA—where he held the role of chair on two occasions—as well as Coker College’s Board of Trustees. He currently serves on the Florence-Darlington Technical College Board of Commissioners and has contributed to the South Carolina Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Committee, which works to reduce pregnancy-related deaths statewide.

In recognition of his dedication to service and leadership, Dr. Robinson will receive his 40-year service award this year as a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. His commitment to excellence extends beyond medicine and community service, reflecting a lifelong devotion to faith, family, and fraternity.

Dr. Robinson is a devoted husband to Dr. Tammie Young Robinson and proud father of two daughters: Savannah, a registered nurse in Atlanta, and Ashley, a school counselor in Greensboro, North Carolina. He continues to serve as a staff physician in obstetrics and gynecology at Carolina Pines Medical Group, where he remains passionate about caring for women and families in his community.

Inspired by her parents’ belief in the importance of education, Dr. Patricia Witherspoon received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Lincoln University and obtained a master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University. Initially discouraged from pursuing a degree in medicine; while working at Johns Hopkins University she rekindled her desire to attend medical school.

Witherspoon received her medical degree from Pennsylvania State University. She relocated to Columbia for her family medicine residency at Palmetto Health Richland, where she also served as chief resident. In 1995 she was employed at Richland Primary Health Care, and she signed up to be a community preceptor for the USC School of Medicine. It was during this experience that she entertained the idea of academic medicine. She joined the faculty of the Department of Family Medicine in 1998.

As a School of Medicine faculty member, she served as a contributing lecturer for the Introduction to Clinical Medicine lectures, was interim ICM Coordinator and a member of a numerous SOM and main campus committees.

She was equally involved within the medical community in a variety of volunteer roles. She served on several statewide and local committees of varied emphasis (rural health research, cardiovascular disease, women’s health, diabetes, health disparities, sickle cell disease and maternal and infant health). Her original lure to return to the department was the opportunity to create a month-long experience for each family medicine intern; Community Medicine 29203. As the month-long experience evolved the highlights were the intern-community tour and participation in the Doctor of the Day at the Statehouse. 

The professional organizations she is affiliated with are South Carolina Academy of Family Physicians and South Carolina Medical Association. She has been a volunteer physician at the Columbia Free Clinic for over 30 years.  She serves as a board member at the SC Office of Rural Health and the Diabetes Initiatives of South Carolina. She currently holds the position of medical director at the Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare and a medical consultant for SCDHHS.

Witherspoon has been recognized for her life’s work by several organizations: 2024-Physician of the Year by SCMA and received Dr. Timothy Llewelyn from Constellation Quality Health. In 2023-The James E. Clyburn Health Equity Leadership award, the Advancement of Women in Science and Medicine from USC-SOM. In 2021- Luminary Leaders in Medicine and Science, USC-SOM. She was the past recipient of both the SC- DHEC Diabetes Physician Champion and USC-SOM Kay McFarland Women’s Health Award (2X). The Social Justice Award, given by USC, and the Gold Humanism Honor Society inductee. 

Witherspoon considers it her responsibility to not only to be the best physician but to serve as a mentor to all her learners.  

James W. Fant, Jr., M.D., was born and raised in Columbia, S.C. He was educated in local public schools (A.C. Moore elementary school, Olympia Middle School, A. C. Flora High School-class of 1978) and at the University of South Carolina (Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Degree, 1982). He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree at MUSC in Charleston, S.C., graduating in May of 1986; trained in Internal Medicine at Pitt County Memorial Hospital (affiliated with ECU in Greenville, N.C.). He was commissioned a second lieutenant at Charleston Air Force Base in December, 1982. Additional training was pursued in rheumatology at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center, Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas (1989-1991), and he subsequently served as a rheumatologist for three years at Wright Patterson Medical Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio. He was honorably discharged as a Major and returned to Columbia, S.C., in the summer of 1994 and joined a local private rheumatology practice before joining the USC School of Medicine as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in December of 2001. Several years later he was promoted to Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and has taught medical students, interns, residents, and fellows. Along with his rheumatology associates, he helped establish the first ACGME-accredited rheumatology fellowship program in the Midlands, and served as its program director. The rheumatology fellowship graduated its first two fellows in June of 2023. He has served as division director of rheumatology until retiring on April 1, 2025, for medical reasons.   

Dr. Fant has been married to his wife Meg (Margaret Claiborne Macdonald) for 40 years. They have four adult children and two grandchildren.  He has been active in his church, First Presbyterian Church (ARP) serving several times as a deacon, and twice as an elder. He also enjoys chess, reading, photography, and fishing. 

Deborah Keen is a fourth-year medical student at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, South Carolina. She received her undergraduate degree in public health and statistics from the University of South Carolina. She received her MSc in Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Deborah worked as a clinical research coordinator on diabetes and exercise studies prior to starting medical school in Orlando, Florida. She has worked with Medical Students Making Change, a student-led initiative that works to improve diabetes management for underserved patients in South Carolina, since her first year of medical school, and she is now the co-research area lead for this organization. In addition to her work with MSMC, she serves as her class OSR representative and works with Sistercare to help raise awareness about interpersonal violence. In her free time, she enjoys spin classes and visiting all the coffee shops around Columbia. 

Sandra Kelly was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario and received her Ph.D. from McGill University in neuroscience in 1985. Her postdoctoral training was at the University of Iowa and SUNY Albany prior to assuming an assistant professor faculty position in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina in 1988. She moved through the faculty ranks and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 2000. Her teaching has included a range of courses from introductory psychology to introduction to neuroscience, to drug use and abuse, to advanced graduate courses in neuroscience. Dr. Kelly’s main line of research focused on the impact of alcohol exposure on the developing brain and was funded by National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for seventeen years and other federal and non-profit agencies. Her extensive service to the university includes being Chair of the Faculty Senate, serving as an associate dean in the South Carolina Honors College, and serving for seven years as vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies. In this latter role, her portfolio included the undergraduate curriculum and general education core; directors of fourteen different units reported to her at various times, including the directors of the Center for Teaching Excellence, Global Carolina, and the University Advising Center. She has been an affiliate of the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience at the School of Medicine Columbia since 1988, and has had extensive collaborations with many of the School of Medicine faculty. Dr. Kelly has been the recipient of teaching, mentoring and research awards including being awarded the Carolina Trustee Professorship for having combined strengths in teaching, research and service. She began serving as the director of academic affairs and interim assistant dean for the pre-clerkship Curriculum in February 2024. Dr. Kelly has greatly enjoyed her time working with the faculty, staff, and administrators at the School of Medicine Columbia and is honored to receive this award.    

Tisha S. Boston, MD, FAAFP, is an assistant professor of Family and Preventive Medicine at the School of Medicine Columbia, and vice chair of operations for primary care for Prisma Health. She is a board-certified family medicine physician with a clinical base located at Prisma Health Family Medicine–Colonial Drive in Columbia. She has been caring for patients in the Midlands since 2001.

Dr. Boston earned her undergraduate degree from Clemson University in 1994 and her medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 1998. She completed her family medicine residency at Palmetto Health. In recognition of her contributions to family medicine, she was awarded fellowship status by the American Academy of Family Physicians in 2017.

She has held many leadership positions. She was medical director for Senior Primary Care, a practice devoted to care of the elderly. She served as the Ambulatory Care Residency Director at WJB Dorn VA Medical Center, where she developed a nationally recognized initiative to improve quality and reduce laboratory costs, earning selection as a 2020 Veteran’s Health Administration Shark Tank semifinalist. 

With more than two decades in practice, Dr. Boston has focused her clinical care on underserved and vulnerable populations, including geriatric, indigent, and veteran patients. Her professional interests include population health, geriatrics, preventive medicine, and addressing health care disparities.

Lee Hewitt was elected to the South Carolina House District 108 in 2016, and currently serves on the Ways and Means Committee, is Chairman of the Health Care Budget Subcommittee, Revenue Policy and Property Tax Subcommittee. He is also Chairman of the Georgetown Country Legislative Delegation and the Grand Strand Area Transportation Committee. Prior to being elected to the House, he was appointed by then-Governor Nikki Haley and confirmed by the South Carolina Senate to serve on the SC DHEC Board of Directors. 

Hewitt is a 1982 graduate of USC-Coastal, and is President and Broker in Charge of Garden City Realty. He and his wife, Whitney, have two sons.

Danny is a life-long resident of South Carolina, married to the former Kim Owens of Charleston, with whom he just celebrated 38 years of marriage. Together they are blessed with four children, nine grandchildren, soon to be 10. Danny owns and operates Verdin’s Farm and Garden Center in Laurens, S.C., a family-run business he founded in 1991. Prior to establishing his own business, Danny served in Governor Carroll Campbell’s administration as an agricultural and natural resources policy advisor.

Danny was first elected to the State Senate in 2000, representing Laurens, Greenville, and Union counties. He currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee, and previously served as the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee from 2007-2018. His committee assignments are Agriculture and Natural Resources, Medical Affairs, Transportation, and Finance where he sits on the Department of Health and Human Services Subcommittee and chairs the Property Tax Subcommittee.

Dr. Carver received his B.S. in Biology from the University of South Carolina at Aiken, and subsequently received his M.S. and Ph.D. under the direction of Dr. Roger Sawyer from the University of South Carolina. Dr. Carver joined the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 1988 as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratories of Drs. Thomas Borg and Louis Terracio. He joined the faculty of the School of Medicine as a research assistant professor in 1990 and became tenure track assistant professor in 1993. He was awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor in 2000, and became a full professor in 2011.  Dr. Carver served as director of the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program from 2011 through 2013 and as chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy from 2013 through 2024. During his tenure as a faculty member, Dr. Carver has served on numerous departmental, School of Medicine and university committees including the University of South Carolina Faculty Senate, University Committee for Tenure and Promotion (UCTP), School of Medicine Academic Review Committee, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and others. He has trained over fifty junior scientists in his research lab including high school, undergraduate, graduate and medical students, as well as several postdoctoral fellows.

Debra Poston, administrative coordinator for the offices of undergraduate medical education and academic affairs at the School of Medicine Columbia. She has been with the SOM since March of 2009. In that time, she served in the departments of rehabilitation counseling, research and graduate education, and pharmacology, physiology, and neuroscience, in addition to her current position in undergraduate medical education and academic affairs. In selecting Debra for this award, committee members praised her helpfulness to students, faculty, and staff in all departments and her tireless work ethic. Debra’s attention to even the smallest details and caring nature make her a true standout. Her exemplary contributions to the School of Medicine and excellent example for other staff members embody the very best characteristics sought for recognition by the Gillespie Award. 

Dr. Kari-Claudia Allen Harrington is a board-certified family medicine physician, motivational coach, speaker, and author.

She attended North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C., and obtained her Doctor of Medicine and Master's Degree in Public Health at Boston University School of Medicine in 2013.

She completed her residency training at the Prisma Health/USC SOM Family Medicine Residency program, where she is now on faculty. She also serves as clinical assistant professor at the USC School of Medicine Columbia.

Her special interests include maternal-child health, medical education, and legislative advocacy. She is married to her wonderful husband Jay, and is mother to two toddlers.