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January 20, 2026 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Caroline Rudisill, a professor in the Arnold School’s Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior and Academic Director of the USC-Prisma Health partnership, received the Academic Partner Research Award at the 2025 Prisma Health Education and Research Institute Showcase. The honor is a reflection of her ongoing efforts to coordinate joint research projects by connecting USC faculty and Prisma Health colleagues, supporting teams to help them overcome various challenges, and strengthening the program overall.
“I enjoy working in an environment characterized by growth and collaboration and have learned a great deal about where to focus my energy and various partner synergies to make the greatest impact,” Rudisill says. “It’s been rewarding to see the expansion of joint health research over the years and to see the benefits of patient-centered health research on patients, students and colleagues.”
A health economist who joined the Arnold School in 2018, Rudisill’s research looks at individual decision-making regarding health-related behaviors (e.g., treatment choices, preventive behaviors). She also examines the use of demand-side financial incentives in preventive and primary care settings, risk perceptions about health care, and behaviors connected with public health risks (e.g., smoking, avian flu). Another area of interest is the use of economic evaluations to support intervention feasibility and scalability in preventive health contexts (e.g. diet, physical activity).
One of Rudisill’s current projects, which is funded by The Duke Endowment and partners with Prisma’s Department of Community Health, is working to implement scalable strategies to support patients with social needs. This cluster randomized clinical trial engages internal and family medicine practices across the state to assess the role of community health workers in providing tailored support to individual patients while also evaluating health outcomes and health care costs.
“Dr. Rudisill’s extensive experience in health economics places her at the forefront of understanding how people interact with health care systems and the associated resource implications,” Prisma Health stated in a recent newsletter. “By combining economic insights with real-world clinical partnerships, she is helping shape research that improves health outcomes, informs better policy, and strengthens how health systems serve communities.”
Prisma Health annually recognizes someone from each academic partner to highlight the contributions made to the partnership. Rudisill's commitment to her USC colleagues' research efforts with Prisma Health, building the operational features of the partnership and her own research within the system were recognized with this award.
“In her leadership role, Dr. Rudisill has built the framework and relationships that allow team science to thrive,” says Daniela Friedman, an HPEB professor and associate dean for research and leadership development. “While her own research is innovative and impactful in its own right, she is deeply committed to elevating others by building connections and strengthening partnerships to improve population health.”