Stories for Parents

Should you get a COVID-19 booster shot now or wait until fall?

June 28, 2022, Prakash Nagarkatti, Mitzi Nagarkatti

As COVID-19 vaccines continue to be effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths, many people have found themselves unsure whether to wait on new, updated formulations of the COVID-19 vaccines or to mix and match combinations of the original vaccine strains. School of Medicine Columbia professors Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti write for The Conversation on whether you should get a COVID-19 booster now or wait until fall.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia)

Why we can't 'boost' our way out of the COVID-19 pandemic for the long term

April 19, 2022, Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti

As mRNA vaccines used in the U.S. against COVID-19 have been successful at preventing hospitalization and death, the vaccines have failed to provide long-term protective immunity to prevent breakthrough infections. School of Medicine Columbia professors Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti write for The Conversation on the COVID-19 booster and retooling existing vaccines to increase the duration of protection.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, COVID-19, Medicine (Columbia)

US News rankings: UofSC tops in International MBA, med school grads in underserved areas

March 28, 2022, Megan Sexton

The University of South Carolina’s international business program retained its spot as the best in the country, while the School of Medicine Columbia remained the best school for graduates practicing in underserved areas, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School rankings.

Topics: Students, Academics, graduate-studies, Recognition, Careers, Darla Moore School of Business, The Graduate School, School of Law, Medicine (Columbia), College of Nursing, Arnold School of Public Health

What is the new COVID-19 variant BA.2, and will it cause another wave of infections in the US?

March 22, 2022, Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti

The COVID-19 omicron variant has been the predominant source of rising infections around the world. BA.2 is the latest subvariant of omicron and is spreading quickly in many countries. School of Medicine Columbia professors, Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti, write for The Conversation on this new strain, if there will be another surge in the U.S. and how to protect yourself.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, COVID-19, Medicine (Columbia)

Is the omicron variant Mother Nature's way of vaccinating the masses?

February 01, 2022, Prakash Nagarkatti, Mitzi Nagarkatti

The characteristics of the COVID-19 omicron variant has many people wondering if it could act as a vaccine of sorts, inoculating enough people to effectively bring about herd immunity. School of Medicine Columbia professors Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti write for The Conversation about immune response to COVID-19.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia)

UofSC med school leads nation for grads practicing in underserved areas

March 29, 2021, Megan Sexton

The School of Medicine Columbia is the top medical program in the country for graduates who are practicing in areas where there is a shortage of health care professionals, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School rankings. The rankings also show that UofSC is now home to more than 60 nationally ranked programs.

Topics: Academics, Research, graduate-studies, Recognition, College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Engineering and Computing, The Graduate School, College of Information and Communications, School of Law, Medicine (Columbia)

Match Day 2021

March 15, 2021

School of Medicine Columbia and School of Medicine Greenville students answers what Match Day means to them as they look towards the future.

Topics: Students, Medicine (Columbia), Medicine (Greenville)

A podcast for every Gamecock ear

March 04, 2021, Chris Horn

The steady rise in podcast popularity has produced a bountiful crop of shows for listeners worldwide — 1.75 million and counting — including a growing list of podcasts produced by University of South Carolina faculty, staff and students.

Topics: Diversity, History, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, College of Information and Communications, School of Law, Medicine (Columbia)

UofSC center improving access to health care in rural communities

November 17, 2020, Alyssa Yancey

A center based at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia is working to put boots on the ground to improve access to health care for South Carolinians in rural communities.

Topics: Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia)

VA program helps veterans transition to medical careers

November 09, 2020, Margaret Gregory

Two members of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia Class of 2024 are bringing unique perspectives as they train for their future careers in medicine. Before entering medical school, Ian MacLeod and Shane Weatherford served their country in the U.S. armed services. Both are able to pursue their education thanks to the Veterans Healing Veterans Scholarship.

Topics: Students, Scholarships, Philanthropy, Partnerships, Health Sciences, Service, Careers, Medicine (Columbia)

Doctor, educator, mentor

October 30, 2020, Chris Horn

Patricia Wilson Witherspoon and her siblings might never have made it to college had it not been for their father’s resolve that his children would get a better education than he did, no matter what. Patricia didn't stop until she had earned a medical degree.

Topics: Faculty, Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia)

How a village of scientists created better testing for COVID-19

August 23, 2020, Chris Horn

Development of a saliva COVID-19 test might never have happened if not for the efforts of a spontaneous coalition of scientists in South Carolina and across the country who worked nearly nonstop and shared results and materials with one another in the weeks before and after the initial lockdown in March.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia), College of Pharmacy

Fast track to MD

June 08, 2020, Megan Sexton

Ashley Fellers is finishing her first year at the School of Medicine, a program she entered a year early through the South Carolina Honors College's BARSC-MD program.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, Scholarships, Undergraduate Admissions, Initiatives, Health Sciences, Student Voices, Medicine (Columbia), South Carolina Honors College

COVID-19 impact: Pandemic alters health care landscape in SC

May 27, 2020, Tenell Felder

UofSC Today reached out to University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia alumni Dr. David Ford and Dr. Cedric Rivers for insight into how COVID-19 has impacted health care in South Carolina, as well as how the state might move forward in upcoming months. Both Ford and Rivers work at hospitals in Columbia, treating patients with COVID-19.

Topics: Alumni, Health Sciences, COVID-19, Medicine (Columbia)

COVID-19 impact: What does 'survival of the fittest' mean in the coronavirus pandemic?

April 30, 2020, Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti

In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, who is the “fittest”? This is a challenging question. But as immunology researchers at the University of South Carolina, we can say one thing is clear: With no effective treatment options, survival against the coronavirus infection depends completely on the patient’s immune response. School of Medicine Columbia professors Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti write for The Conversation about immune response to COVID-19.

Topics: Health Sciences, COVID-19, Medicine (Columbia)

COVID-19 impact: Coronavirus may hit rural residents hard

April 14, 2020, Kevin Bennett

Director of Research & Evaluation for the Center for Rural & Primary Healthcare Kevin Bennett, School of Medicine Columbia, writes for The Conversation on how COVID-19 could impact rural health care.

Topics: Health Sciences, COVID-19, Medicine (Columbia)

Scholarship transforms heartbreak into hope

December 11, 2019, Margaret Gregory

In 2002, 8-year-old Wanda Gibbs died after being hit by a car at her bus stop. After her tragic passing, the community came together and launched a fundraising initiative to ensure Wanda’s memory would live on. Their efforts established the Wanda Gibbs Scholarship at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia, which was awarded for the first time earlier this year.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Scholarships, Diversity, Recognition, Health Sciences, Careers, College of Arts and Sciences, Medicine (Columbia)

Professor helped students find the light within

December 02, 2019, Chris Horn

Not many professors inspire lofty tribute. Some we forget and others are scarcely remembered. James Cutsinger, a religious studies professor who taught at the university for 37 years, earned the respect and admiration of students for decades while helping them to achieve the most noble of goals: the ability to think.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Law, Medicine (Columbia), South Carolina Honors College

20 in '19

December 02, 2019, Communications and Public Affairs staff

There was plenty to be proud of at the University of South Carolina in 2019, with accomplishments from the classroom to the research lab to the athletic field.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, University President, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, College of Engineering and Computing, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, College of Information and Communications, Medicine (Columbia), South Carolina Honors College, University Libraries

High-tech center helps students prepare for patient care

September 26, 2019, Alyssa Yancey

The new Simulation and Interactive Learning Center is giving medical and advanced practice students at the School of Medicine Columbia a unique opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom with the goal of further strengthening patient care for South Carolina and beyond.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Experiential Learning, graduate-studies, Health Sciences, Careers, Medicine (Columbia)

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.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, Academics, Experiential Learning, graduate-studies, Health Sciences, Leadership, Careers, Medicine (Columbia)

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.

Topics: Students, Experiential Learning, Scholarships, graduate-studies, Health Sciences, Service, Careers, Student Voices, Medicine (Columbia)

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.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, graduate-studies, Health Sciences, Careers, Student Voices, College of Engineering and Computing, Medicine (Columbia)

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.

Topics: Students, Academics, Experiential Learning, graduate-studies, Health Sciences, Service, Careers, College of Arts and Sciences, Medicine (Columbia), South Carolina Honors College

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.

Topics: Signature Events, Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia), Medicine (Greenville)

UofSC's Excellence Initiative launches eight new high-impact projects

April 02, 2019, Jeff Stensland

Eight new research and outreach projects have been selected for funding as a part of the Excellence Initiative, a competitive grant program launched by the Board of Trustees last year to identify and fund proposals with the potential to be transformative and have a lasting impact on the university.

Topics: Research, Initiatives, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, College of Engineering and Computing, Medicine (Columbia), Arnold School of Public Health, South Carolina Honors College

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.

Topics: Students, Academics, Undergraduate Admissions, graduate-studies, Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia), South Carolina Honors College

Shared Commitment

November 16, 2018, Alyssa Yancey

Inspired by the University of South Carolina's inclusive environment, donors Clark West and Elliott Mitchell agreed to establish a $500,000 endowment to support scholarships for USC School of Medicine students. West and Mitchell also established a $500,000 endowment to support scholarships for students attending associate degree-granting institutions in South Carolina who wish to transfer to one of the Palmetto State’s baccalaureate-granting colleges or universities, including USC.

Topics: University Leadership, Scholarships, graduate-studies, Diversity, Philanthropy, Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia)

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.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Experiential Learning, Initiatives, Philanthropy, Health Sciences, Service, Leadership, Medicine (Columbia), Arnold School of Public Health

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.

Topics: Faculty, University Leadership, Research, graduate-studies, Recognition, Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia)

Galen Fellows

March 19, 2018, Megan Sexton

The first class of Galen Health Fellows arrived on campus in August, a group of more than 450 first-year students with dreams of careers in the health sciences.

Topics: Students, Faculty, University Leadership, Academics, Experiential Learning, Undergraduate Admissions, Initiatives, Health Sciences, Service, Careers, Student Voices, College of Arts and Sciences, Medicine (Columbia), College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, Arnold School of Public Health, College of Social Work

Futures Revealed

March 08, 2018, Alyssa Yancey

Eighty-three School of Medicine students will learn the results of their residency interviews during Match Day at The Zone on March 16. The event is the culmination of four years of medical school, and the results will determine where the students will spend the next three to seven years of their lives training in their chosen specialty.

Topics: Students, Academics, graduate-studies, Health Sciences, Careers, Medicine (Columbia)

Committed to Care

February 26, 2018, Alyssa Yancey

Students, faculty members and alumni from the USC School of Medicine are making a difference in the Midlands by volunteering at two local free medical clinics. Students also work to support The Free Medical Clinic financially through the Black Tie White Coat Gala, an annual fundraising event.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, Experiential Learning, graduate-studies, Diversity, Partnerships, Health Sciences, Service, College of Arts and Sciences, Medicine (Columbia), Arnold School of Public Health

Act 2

January 26, 2018, Alyssa Yancey

Christopher Wach planned to make a career in military, but injuries sustained in Afghanistan earned him two Purple Hearts and a medical discharge. He was able to find a second home and a new career path at the University of South Carolina.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Academics, graduate-studies, Diversity, Health Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Medicine (Columbia)

The curious case of Marcus Brown

January 09, 2018, Chris Horn

Marcus Brown is a fictional high school student athlete whose medical history is the centerpiece of a teaching module in anatomy and biology courses at 20 middle and high schools that participated in a joint venture with USC’s School of Medicine and the College of Education. The project gives students an interesting case study that guides them through an exploration of various physiological conditions that might have contributed to the star athlete’s untimely death.

Topics: Faculty, Experiential Learning, Partnerships, Health Sciences, College of Education, Medicine (Columbia)

'If I can help spare one family...'

July 19, 2017, Page Ivey

After watching Alzheimer’s disease rob her and her husband of their golden years, Patricia Beckler is supporting research efforts at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia to find a treatment or a cure for the devastating disease.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Philanthropy, Careers, Medicine (Columbia)

PTSD's inflammatory pathway

June 08, 2017, Chris Horn

Mitzi Nagarkatti at the School of Medicine Columbia has launched a five-year study to investigate how PTSD affects the immune system, particularly the inflammation cascade that can lead to cardiovascular disease, obesity or diabetes.

Topics: Research, Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia)

Fostering a passion for global health

March 28, 2017, Megan Sexton

University of South Carolina students travel to developing countries to understand and tackle global health issues

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Initiatives, Philanthropy, Health Sciences, Service, Leadership, Student Voices, Medicine (Columbia), College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, Arnold School of Public Health, College of Social Work

Twenty-Sixteen: By the Letters

December 15, 2016, USC Times

A is for alphabet, at least according to USC Times. To help close out 2016, the University of South Carolina’s monthly magazine for faculty and staff devoted its entire December issue to the ABCs of 2016 — with each letter representing a different accomplishment, announcement or notable arrival from the past year.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, University Leadership, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Education, College of Engineering and Computing, The Graduate School, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, College of Information and Communications, School of Law, Medicine (Columbia), Medicine (Greenville), School of Music, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, Arnold School of Public Health, College of Social Work, South Carolina Honors College, University System, University Libraries

Brains on the brain

August 03, 2016, Craig Brandhorst

Aphasia, a communication disorder caused by damage to the left hemisphere of the brain, robs people of their ability to process language. A team of researchers led by SmartState Endowed Chair of Memory and Brain Function Julius Fridriksson is using state-of-the-art MRI, machine learning and new therapies to help those people find their words again.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, Medicine (Columbia), Arnold School of Public Health