4 programs funded to improve health in SC
August 22, 2019, Page Ivey
Four University of South Carolina projects to improve the health and well-being of South Carolinians are getting a boost from $2.4 million in grants from the Duke Endowment.
Stories for Faculty and Staff
Leap of faith pays off for Greenville medical school graduate
August 13, 2019, David Lee
Kizer Stovall is a part of the first University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville class to complete residency.
Changing triage procedures
August 05, 2019, Megan Sexton
University of South Carolina researchers are working to study and improve the way patients are examined and treated in the aftermath of a chemical mass casualty event, such as the 2005 train collision in Graniteville, South Carolina.
Disaster research
July 29, 2019, Megan Sexton
From a thousand-year flood to deadly hurricanes, South Carolina is no stranger to disasters. That’s why University of South Carolina researchers are working to better understand why dams fail, how to quickly map disaster areas and ways to improve how people with disabilities navigate natural disasters.
First class of UofSC physician assistant graduates helping improve healthcare access
July 19, 2019, Alyssa Yancey
Alexandra Vezzetti was in the first class of physician assistant students at the School of Medicine and the first PA student to rotate through the neurology department at Prisma Health. Department Chair Souvik Sen, M.D., was so impressed with Vezzetti that he hired her, and next month, she’ll become the department’s first physician assistant.
Addiction center expands medical students' knowledge
June 18, 2019, Alyssa Yancey
Tarak Patel, a second-year medical student at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia, had witnessed the devastation of addiction while volunteering at hospitals and free clinics, but he only had a surface-level understanding of the complexities of the issue. That changed earlier this summer when Patel participated in the Summer Institute for Medical Students (SIMS) at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Center City, Minnesota.
Patient-centered approach deepens medical students' understanding of addiction
June 18, 2019, Alyssa Yancey
Tarak Patel, a second-year medical student at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia, had witnessed the devastation of addiction while volunteering at hospitals and free clinics, but he only had a surface-level understanding of the complexities of the issue. That changed earlier this summer when Patel participated in the Summer Institute for Medical Students (SIMS) at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in Center City, Minnesota.
Colon cancer researcher finds new treatment for deadly disease
June 11, 2019, John Brunelli
When colon cancer spreads, it often ends up in the liver, where surgery can be complicated, even impossible. That’s why research in the University of South Carolina’s College of Pharmacy proving the efficacy of a new class of cancer drugs is so significant.
Brain Power
May 23, 2019, Alyssa Yancey
Second-year Ph.D. candidate Katy Pilarzyk was one of three University of South Carolina students awarded a prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship this year. She will use her funding to continue her work in Michy Kelly’s lab at the School of Medicine Columbia. The lab studies the inner workings of the brain to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying social and cognitive deficits.
Dealing with dementia
May 22, 2019, Page Ivey
Social work and public health researchers Sue Levkoff and Daniela Friedman are teaming up to open a new front line in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, particularly among the African American population, which has a greater incidence of the disease and related dementias.
Homegrown doctors to practice in SC
April 26, 2019, Alyssa Yancey
Graduating medical students Laine Way and Parker Edison have done their clinical education in Florence at the UofSC School of Medicine's Florence Regional Campus, and now they'll be completing their residencies in Florence at McLeod Health.
UofSC shares 'The Art of Healthy Living'
April 25, 2019, Thom Harman
South Carolina — the state’s leader in health science education and research — is sponsoring “The Art of Healthy Living,” a fun, educational and interactive exhibit in the heart of Artisphere, the sprawling downtown Greenville festival.
Working together to find solutions
April 16, 2019, John Brunelli
The immediate past president of the National Medical Association will deliver the keynote address at the 12th annual James E. Clyburn Health Disparities Lecture on April 23.
Following fragile Xers' transition
April 15, 2019, Chris Horn
A four-year study tracking high-school seniors with fragile X syndrome could yield new insights into how well these students transition into adulthood, says an Arnold School of Public Health researcher heading a portion of the study.
Cause for hope
April 03, 2019, Chris Horn
When Wendy Rothermel’s son Cade was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, her family life was upside down, punctuated by his frequent temper tantrums. But when the family connected with Project HOPE and Cade’s therapy began, positive changes followed. The nonprofit foundation, launched by two university alumnae, is bringing hope to families across the state.
Breakthrough Star: Tisha Felder
March 22, 2019, Page Ivey
In the fight against breast cancer, there are two distinct lines of research: treatment and prevention. Breakthrough Star Tisha Felder, an assistant professor and researcher in the College of Nursing and Cancer Prevention and Control Program in the Arnold School of Public Health, finds herself at the crossroads of those two lines.
A good match
March 13, 2019, John Brunelli
Fourth-year School of Medicine Columbia student Ashley McCaskill hopes confidence will be key when it comes to her Match Day fate. She is one of 30,000 med students in the United States who will find out March 15 which residency program selected them.
Studying the link between mind and body
February 28, 2019, John Brunelli
The Behavioral-Biomedical Interface Program, funded by a prestigious National Institutes of Health research training grant, has been such a success that the NIH renewed it for a third five-year cycle.
The growing resistance
February 12, 2019, Chris Horn
Antibiotic resistance, a public health threat that already endangers millions worldwide, is on track to become a much deadlier problem in the years ahead. Part of the challenge, says a University of South Carolina public health scientist, is that bacterial resistance to antibiotic medications is fostered not only in clinical settings but also in the environment.
Committed to service
February 08, 2019, Laura Kammerer
At the height of the Ebola epidemic in 2014, Cheedy Jaja traded the relative comforts of American health care practice for Tyvek bodysuits and chlorine baths. Now the Sierra Leonean native is committed to a new mission: to bolster the early diagnosis and treatment of sickle cell disease in children.
Fast track to success
December 14, 2018, Alyssa Yancey
The BARSC-MD program, a joint initiative between the University of South Carolina Honors College and the USC School of Medicine, allows a select group of students to complete an undergraduate degree and their medical degree in just seven years. The students receive conditional acceptance to medical school as freshmen, and then enter medical school after their third year of undergraduate coursework.
No bigger than a minnow
November 20, 2018, Chris Horn
Alzheimer’s, autism and schizophrenia are very different neural disorders but they have this in common — scientists are learning more about each condition by studying the neural development of a fish that's barely the size of a small minnow.
Recovery starts here
November 14, 2018, Megan Sexton
South Carolina’s high stroke rate is not good news for the state, but it makes researcher Julius Fridriksson’s work particularly relevant.
An early start
November 08, 2018, John Brunelli
More than 40 middle school students visited the College of Pharmacy to envision what their future could be. Most of the students were female and African-American, part of the college’s efforts to attract underrepresented minorities to the profession.
Gut feeling
November 07, 2018, Chris Horn
In the nearly 30 years since the first Gulf War in Kuwait and Iraq, medical professionals have struggled to identify the cause for symptoms collectively referred to as Gulf War illness that have persisted among a quarter-million military veterans. Saurabh Chatterjee can’t identify the cause, but he thinks his research team at USC’s Arnold School of Public Health has found the locus of medical dysfunction.
Fire alarm
October 30, 2018, Chris Horn
A team of scientists at USC's Arnold School of Public Health have zeroed in on the diet-inflammation link, identifying 45 food and food components associated with biomarkers of inflammation in studies of humans, laboratory animals and even cells in culture.
Jeté to the top
September 26, 2018, Chris Horn
A diagnosis of scoliosis put the brakes on 12-year-old Abbie Digby’s aspirations as a ballet dancer, but her subsequent surgery and recovery sparked a desire to pursue a career in medicine. She's now a freshman pre-med student at Carolina.
Meet new faculty member Jessica Bradshaw
September 24, 2018, Chris Horn
The university has recruited many new faculty members this semester. Meet Jessica Bradshaw, an assistant professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences.
All heart
August 27, 2018, Annika Dahlgren
School of Medicine student Alison “Allie” Augsburger has wanted to be a doctor for as long as she can remember, but working with her mentor and completing a prestigious summer program has helped focus her sights on the rigorous field of cardiothoracic surgery.
Microbial mashup
August 07, 2018, Chris Horn
Alan Decho’s research sometimes takes him to the tropics to study thick, slimy mats of bacteria that survive in extreme heat and drought. Turns out, the conditions those hardy bacterial colonies call home might provide clues in the search for life on other planets.
Breakthrough Star: Brie Turner-McGrievy
July 30, 2018, Megan Sexton
Brie Turner-McGrievy’s research focuses on obesity prevention and treatment. She examines the use of plant-based diets in place of calorie restrictions to promote weight loss, and uses technology and mobile health to deliver interventions and facilitate social support and self-monitoring.
Stressed out
July 20, 2018, Page Ivey
We’ve all heard the health warnings about stress, but just how, exactly, does stress damage a healthy person? And what is it that allows some people to be resilient while others exhibit a vexing trail of cytokines, inflammation and other biochemical responses to trauma and other stressors? School of Medicine researcher Susan Wood is trying to figure out just that.
Research leads to potential treatment for rare disease
July 19, 2018, Alyssa Yancey
Research from University of South Carolina School of Medicine researchers Drs. Mitzi Nagarkatti and Prakash Nagarkatti has led to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic compound found in cannabis, as a treatment for autoimmune hepatitis.
Food is medicine
July 18, 2018, Megan Sexton
FoodShare South Carolina, a University of South Carolina program that works to expand access to fresh produce and nutrition education for low-income families in the Columbia area.
Heating up cancer treatment research
July 12, 2018, Annika Dahlgren
Researchers with the College of Engineering and Computing have created a new way to destroy cancer cells in two days. The research team — made up of electrical engineering professor Seongtae Bae, postdoc fellow Jung-tak Jang and undergrad (Eric) Sang Hoon Ju — uses a nanomaterial and an alternating current (AC) magnetic field generator to super heat the cells.
Age-old compound, modern-day use
July 03, 2018, Chris Horn
Biomedical scientists at USC’s School of Medicine are studying the extent to which emodin, a natural compound found in rhubarb, could help relieve some side effects of a common chemotherapy drug.
Breakthrough Leader: Janice Probst
June 29, 2018, Craig Brandhorst
As director of the S.C. Rural Health Research Center since 2003 — and prior to that, as the center’s deputy director — Jan Probst has played an integral role in promoting the work of other investigators in public health, nursing, medicine and other disciplines.
Big data to the rescue
June 26, 2018, Chris Horn
University of South Carolina researchers across multiple disciplines are putting data analytics to work to tackle an array of real-world challenges — from keeping helicopters flying safely to improving health care and detecting deadly fungal outbreaks in corn.
No rest for the curious
June 22, 2018, Alyssa Yancey
Over the last few years the University of South Carolina's School of Medicine has doubled its summer research opportunities for rising second-year medical students. This year more than half of the Class of 2021 (M.D.) applied for the program, and 24 students are currently completing research experiences in clinical and translational research.
No pain, no migraine
June 21, 2018, Chris Horn
Michelle Androulakis understands the debilitating pain of migraine headaches and is looking for ways to help fellow sufferers. The neurologist and med school professor has conducted clinical trials for a non-invasive migraine procedure involving a tiny nasal catheter as well as for a new migraine drug.
Breakthrough Star: Karen McDonnell
June 15, 2018, Julie Smith-Turner
Karen McDonnell didn’t want to be a nurse. In fact, she turned down a nursing scholarship after high school in favor of studying biology and chemistry. After graduation, she went to work in a research lab. Although she enjoyed her work, something about it didn’t quite fit. That’s when McDonnell discovered her true calling in a most unusual place.
Transforming professionals through human interaction
June 08, 2018, John Brunelli
The University of South Carolina became one of the first nursing programs in the state to start a simulated participant — or SP program. More than a dozen actors feign ailments to better prepare Carolina nurses.
Overcoming grief through music
May 25, 2018, John Brunelli
Sarah Louise Faulkner combined her love of music with her studies to become a nurse to study the healing power of music.
Reading, writing, arithmetic - and running
May 23, 2018, Megan Sexton
Education professor Collin Webster works with classroom teachers and others to integrate more physical activity by students throughout the school day.
No dream too big
May 09, 2018, Page Ivey
Scott Salters thought his dream of being a physician in his hometown of Greenville — helping folks and being a role model for other young black men — was too big a dream. Now after two years at Carolina, Salters graduates in May with leadership distinction, a long list of accomplishments and activities, and a plan to attend medical school.
A perfect ending
May 09, 2018, Marjorie Riddle Duffie
While he was an undergraduate, Brooks Herring worked tirelessly to improve the student veteran experience at the University of South Carolina, while also maintaining a perfect GPA, being a father to two sons, working part time as a bartender and personal trainer, regularly performing as a solo singer/guitarist and taking on multiple leadership roles on campus.
Hop, skip and jump
April 30, 2018, Megan Sexton
Ali Brian, a physical education researcher in the College of Education, helps young children and adolescents with and without disabilities improve their gross motor skills — their ability to run, jump, hop, throw, catch and bounce a ball.
Breakthrough Leader: Mitzi Nagarkatti
April 27, 2018, Chris Horn
When Mitzi Nagarkatti joined the School of Medicine as chair of pathology, microbiology and immunology in 2005, the department was bringing in about $600,000 a year in NIH funding, 81st among all such departments across the nation. The department now garners some $9.5 million per year in NIH grants (No. 17 in the country) and Nagarkatti continues to build research capacity not only in that unit but in the entire School of Medicine and across the university.
Building a healthier South Carolina
April 20, 2018, Alyssa Yancey
The staff of the SC Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare at the USC School of Medicine is working to improve access to care in rural South Carolina. Created with state funding in 2017, the center has a number of initiatives underway, including a loan program to encourage health profession students to practice in rural settings, research grant programs and partnerships helping put providers on the ground in critical need areas.