After earning a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa., Dr. Best earned a master's degree in toxicology and a Ph.D. in genetics and toxicology from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. He completed clinical fellowships in medical genetics and clinical cytogenetics and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Genetics. He is a founding fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics.

Dr. Best has been a professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Clinical Genetics, at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, where he has been on faculty since 1987. He has served as the director of the Division of Genetics since 1991, where he oversees active programs in genetic counseling, prenatal screening and laboratory medicine, and serves as the director of the regional genetic center in Columbia.

Dr. Best has developed significant expertise in matters of faculty governance with service to UofSC as chair of the Faculty Senate, chair of the Steering Committee for Focus Carolina (university-level strategic planning), Presidential Search Committee, Provost Search Committee, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation, Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation for the UofSC School of Medicine (Columbia), and leadership in the development of UofSC’s core curriculum and quality enhancement plan for accreditation.

Dr. Best serves as secretary to two professional organizations, the Cancer Cytogenetics Microarray Consortium and the International Academy of Nanomedicine, and has been on the Board of Directors for the American Cytogenetics Conference. He is a member of the core faculty for the UofSC Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities. His research interests and activities include bioethics, complex genetic traits, birth defect prevention, molecular cytogenetics and the uptake of emerging medical technologies. He is well published in the field of medical genetics.

Dr. Best has been recognized through local and national awards for excellence in teaching and has attained the highest level of achievement in teaching through the UofSC School of Medicine, earning six Teaching Enhancement Awards, qualifying him as a certified master teacher. Dr. Best now serves as associate dean for Faculty Affairs at the UofSC School of Medicine Greenville.