2018 Archive

Aalia Soherwardy

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.

Clark West and Elliott Mitchell

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.

Saurabh Chatterjee

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.

Susan Wood

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.

cancer research

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.

Black hawk helicopter over campus on Engineering Day

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.

Student in lab

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.

migraine illustration

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.

Karen McDonnell

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.

Scott Salters

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.

Brooks Herring

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.

Mitzi Nagarkatti

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.

South Carolina Sunset

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.

Parastoo Hashemi

Breakthrough Star: Parastoo Hashemi

April 20, 2018, Chris Horn

Parastoo Hashemi wants to know what's going on inside our heads — neurochemically speaking, that is — and she and her research team are well on their way toward figuring out how to do it. Her pioneering research on measuring neurochemical levels in the brain have far-reaching implications for treatment of depression and other neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease.

Johnie Hodge

A dual purpose

March 26, 2018, Megan Sexton

Johnie Hodge is undertaking the challenge of becoming a physician-scientist by earning both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. The number of physician-scientists has steadily declined in recent years, but those who remain are helping translate research discoveries into changes in patient care.

Galen Health Fellows

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.

Dr. Todd Crump

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.

joseph parks

Medical researchers work together to improve South Carolina's health

February 08, 2018, John Brunelli

National Council for Behavior Health medical director Joseph Parks will be the keynote speaker at the Integrated Behavioral Health Symposium spearheaded by the College of Social Work. The symposium will be held Monday (Feb. 12) at the Alumni Center.

ultrasound education

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.