Press Releases

Man standing in medical research lab

Future physician-scientist selected as Marshall Scholarship finalist

November 11, 2025, Valerie Weingart

South Carolina Honors College student Michael Pitre has been named a finalist for the 2026 Marshall Scholarships. If selected, he plans to pursue an MPhil in biological sciences to develop novel treatments for Parkinson's disease before returning to USC for medical school.

Student sitting at a counter in a research lab

Senior public health major named Rhodes Scholarship finalist

November 03, 2025, Valerie Weingart

A Rhodes scholar embodies academic excellence, strong collaboration and leadership skills, and dedication to working for the good of humanity — all of which describe South Carolina Honors College student and public health major Hannah Brennen. Her research and involvement in the Columbia community throughout her academic career have her poised to become USC's 11th Rhodes scholar and first since 2016.

Crop of hand unrolling yoga mat for a workout

Most of your actions are driven by habit, not thought

October 03, 2025, Amanda Rebar, co-author

A new study shows that the majority of actions people take in a day are carried out on autopilot. Habitual behavior is made up of the things that we do without thinking, prompted by our environment and learned through repeated enactment. Public Health professor Amanda Rebar writes for The Conversation about the power of habits on our behavior.

Two college-aged athletes run in competition in an open field in the heat.

Health Watch: 6 Dangerous Heat Stroke Myths That Could Put Your Health at Risk

August 20, 2025, Gregory Hardy

Rising temperatures are making heat stroke a serious risk in South Carolina and beyond, especially during outdoor activities such as youth sports, yardwork, recreation and even work. At USC’s Arnold School of Public Health, associate professor of athletic training Susan Yeargin debunks dangerous myths about treating this life-threatening condition.

Ann Vail, dean of The Graduate School, puts an award around the neck of an award winner at the 2025 Recognition of Excellence Ceremony

Graduate award winners recognized

May 19, 2025, Thom Harman, with Matt Klopfenstein

The Graduate School recently announced and recognized its 2025 Graduate Student Award winners and Trustee Fellowship recipients, as well as the graduates from the school’s scholarly initiatives. The school held its annual Recognition of Excellence Ceremony on April 25 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

A supermarket customer reaches for a carton of eggs.

Why government can't make America 'healthier' by micromanaging groceries purchased with SNAP benefits

January 27, 2025, Danielle Krobath

Banning junk food from SNAP is something that has divided public health experts for years. However, research shows that adding to the restrictions that already limit access to SNAP benefits do little to make Americans healthier. Danielle Krobath, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, writes for The Conversation with Tufts University Assistant Professor of Community Health Benjamin Chrisinger about their research into safety net programs.

Rural pharmacists helps patient.

2024 rural health faculty experts

October 31, 2024, Laura Morris

More than a quarter of South Carolina residents live in rural areas and must overcome greater health care challenges than their urban counterparts. USC faculty members are available to offer their expertise in rural health services and research. To coordinate an interview, contact the staff member listed with each expert entry.

Icon of how an artificial intelligence brain connects to concepts of technology, transportation, vision, the brain, ideas and health care.

2024 artificial intelligence faculty experts list

April 03, 2024, Gregory Hardy

University of South Carolina researchers explore how artificial intelligence can be used for advancements in health care, education, manufacturing, energy, disaster management and transportation. They are also helping shape and inform the ethics and policies surrounding these emergent solutions.

Gates to Horseshoe of USC campus

2024 Autism Acceptance Month: USC faculty experts list

March 28, 2024, Gregory Hardy

April is Autism Acceptance Month. The CDC estimates that 1 out of every 36 eight-year-olds is affected by autism, a lifelong developmental disorder. As South Carolina’s leader in health sciences, USC has researchers across disciplines who specialize in autism.

Tick in test tube

New institute puts USC on map for vector-borne illness research

October 16, 2023, Hannah Cambre

The Institute of Infectious Disease Translational Research will allow public health researcher Melissa Nolan to operate complementary studies at labs based in Columbia, El Salvador and Brazil, putting USC on the map as an international hub for maternal and infant health research.

VPR Julius Fridriksson

New vice president for research aims to mentor junior faculty

October 03, 2022, Craig Brandhorst

Julius Fridriksson loves a challenge. After climbing to the top of his field — and building out a research team of more than 40 faculty, post docs and graduate students at the Arnold School of Public Health — the onetime first-generation college student from a small village in Iceland agreed to become USC’s interim vice president for research in 2021.

Dance Marathon students with Cocky

Dance Marathon raises $931,016

April 12, 2022, Allen Wallace

On April 9, nearly 2,000 University of South Carolina students spent the day dancing together, closing more than a year of work with a huge success as they raised $931,016 to support the Child Life program at Prisma Health Children's Hospital.

UofSC faculty experts list on the Summer Olympics

June 25, 2021, Tenell Felder

Japan will host the Summer Olympic Games July 23 to Aug. 8. Though the Olympics will be taking place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will continue to be officially branded as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. To help journalists report on the Tokyo games, the University of South Carolina has compiled a list of faculty experts.

Overlooking the fountain outside Thomas Cooper Library looking at the smokestack near the Horseshoe

UofSC among top universities granted U.S. utility patents

July 08, 2020, Communications and Public Affairs

For the eighth-consecutive year, the University of South Carolina stands among the top 100 universities in the world, based on the number of U.S. utility patents faculty members received in 2019. South Carolina ranks 90th worldwide, named as the lead on 31 patents last year.

Maxcy monument

UofSC sets new bar in U.S. News graduate school rankings

March 11, 2019, Jeff Stensland

The new U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools publication released Tuesday (March 12) shows South Carolina now has 53 unique nationally ranked graduate programs—more than twice as many as any other school in the state.

Sport management students interning at Williams-Brice

UofSC tops U.S. in sport science for third straight year

October 19, 2018, Allen Wallace

The University of South Carolina’s sport science programs are making an impact around the world, and the success has earned global recognition. The programs are ranked No. 1 in the United States for the third consecutive year in the Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments.

Collaborative project using new data to combat childhood obesity in SC

May 22, 2018, John Brunelli

A statewide effort to evaluate and improve health-related fitness among public school students is part of a partnership of the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, the South Carolina Department of Education and the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health.

Exercise science in action

No. 1! UofSC sport science programs top national rankings

December 20, 2017, Allen Wallace

The University of South Carolina’s sport science programs are ranked No. 1 in the United States for the second year in a row, and No. 4 in the world by ShanghaiRanking's 2017 Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments.

arnold school treadmill

Arnold School of Public Health to expand to Greenville

March 24, 2017, Jeff Stensland

The University of South Carolina’s nationally-renowned Arnold School of Public Health will open a satellite program in Greenville focused on research and education that tackles some of South Carolina’s most pressing health needs. The expansion will allow students to receive graduate-level education at the intersection of public health and clinical medicine and conduct cutting-edge research into solutions to public health problems.

Stroke researcher earns $11 million NIH grant

March 23, 2016, Megan Sexton

University of South Carolina professor Julius Fridriksson has been awarded an $11.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to research stroke recovery and work to improve the lives and communication skills of patients after they suffer strokes. Fridriksson, a professor in the Arnold School of Public Health, studies how a person’s brain recovers from a stroke.