Recent Stories

Multicolored brain scan on computer screen

USC researchers work to better understand the human brain

August 14, 2026, Communications and Marketing

Understanding how the brain works and improving outcomes for patients are major priorities for USC researchers. That work gained momentum this year with the opening of the new Brain Health Center, which is just one of the ways the university is concentrating on the brain.

bold garnet USC letters outside of a gray building with students walking by
Artist rendering of a new student residence at the McBryde site

USC Board of Trustees receives master plan updates, formally approves hospital and other projects, honors US and USC anniversaries

March 19, 2026, Andy Shain

The USC Board of Trustees formally approved a number of new construction and renovation projects, including a neurological hospital and rehabilitation center, and received updates on the university’s master plan, including redeveloping the student union and developments on South Main Street. Trustees also adopted a resolution in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the 225th anniversary of the founding of USC.

University and South Carolina leadership cut a “USC Brain Health” ribbon outside the Brain Health Center, flanked by garnet, black and white balloons.

USC's new Brain Health Center brings leading-edge brain imaging, cognitive care under one roof

March 17, 2026, Gregory Hardy

USC marked a major milestone in providing specialized cognitive care at a ribbon cutting for its Brain Health Center on the Health Sciences Campus on Wednesday. The facility is designed to deliver exceptional diagnostic, treatment and support for patients living with cognitive conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

flowers blooming in front of house with state and american flag

USC, Prisma Health partner to improve neurological care in South Carolina

March 11, 2026, Jeff Stensland

The University of South Carolina and Prisma Health are partnering to provide specialized care for patients with complex neurological conditions at the new Brain Health Center in Columbia. The center will expand statewide access to advanced technology, expert care teams and innovative treatments.

Rendering of USC's Brain Health Center

Board of Trustees updated on USC's comprehensive brain health initiative

February 20, 2026, Andy Shain

Sarah Kirby, USC’s associate vice president for clinical affairs, briefed the Board of Trustees on Friday (Feb. 20) on the university’s efforts to develop a comprehensive system of care that could transform health care in the state — a statewide network of brain health clinics, a brain health center and South Carolina’s first stand-alone neurological and rehabilitation hospital.

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.

three students smiling in class

Interdisciplinary initiative teaches medical students how to use AI productively and safely

July 24, 2025, Chris Horn

The University of South Carolina’s School of Medicine has begun preparing its students to understand AI’s potential — and its shortcomings. The medical school in Columbia partnered last year with the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing to launch the AI in Medicine Extracurricular Track.

A headshot of Katy Close in black & white.

School of Medicine alum treats patients in underserved communities around the world

May 12, 2025, Craig Brandhorst

USC’s impact on health care is improving lives throughout the Palmetto State, but our graduates take their knowledge around the world. For School of Medicine Columbia graduate Katy Close, that has meant treating patients in underserved communities from El Salvador to Haiti to Liberia.

A South Carolina road with a “Welcome to South Carolina” sign

USC health sciences graduates have major impact in rural areas

May 02, 2025, Rebekah Friedman / photos by Kim Truett

From obstetricians and nurses to social workers and psychiatrists, University of South Carolina graduates are especially needed in rural areas, where more than a quarter of the state’s residents live. And the impact isn’t only felt by the patient; it’s also felt by the communities themselves. Carolinian visited several alumni whose small-town efforts are having a big impact. These proud health care workers showed us the meaning of dedication and their commitment to the people and communities they serve.

Gates to Horseshoe of USC campus

2025 Autism Acceptance Month: USC faculty experts list

April 04, 2025, Communications and Marketing

April is Autism Acceptance Month. The CDC estimates that one out of every 36 eight-year-olds and one in 45 adults 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.

Female student using a camera

USC youth summer camps 2025

March 03, 2025, Téa Smith

With only a few short months until summer, it’s time for parents to find summer activities for their children. USC offers a wide variety of summer camps for all ages and all interests from music to soccer, dance and engineering.

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.

Students perform during summer conservatory

USC youth summer camps 2024

March 01, 2024, Communications and Marketing

With only a few short months until summer, it’s time for parents to find summer activities for their children. USC offers a wide variety of summer camps for all ages and all interests from music to soccer, dance and engineering.

a person points at a scan on a computer screen

Improving care in the Stroke Belt

February 19, 2024, Communications and Marketing

As the state’s flagship institution, the University of South Carolina is well has many strengths in both research and treatment of stroke and aphasia — a common consequence of stroke characterized by difficulty speaking or understanding others’ speech. The research is critically important in the state with the seventh-highest incidence of stroke mortality in the U.S.

Physician and medical student look at computer screen

Pediatric subspecialists move beyond urban hubs to visit rural patients

November 03, 2023, Megan Sexton

The South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare at the USC School of Medicine Columbia. works to improve health care delivery for rural communities by operating and facilitating a range of programs. Through one, the Department of Pediatrics sends subspecialists into areas outside the state’s urban hubs.

artist rendering of new UofSC nursing facility at Lexington Medical Center

UofSC, Lexington Medical Center enter new partnership

July 05, 2022, Kyndel Lee

The University of South Carolina College of Nursing and Lexington Medical Center have partnered to build a state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab and teaching space to provide clinical training for UofSC’s growing nursing student population.

UofSC Horseshoe

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.

Family nurse practitioner Tamieka Alston-Gibson

USC graduates help fill the gaps in rural health care

November 16, 2021, Megan Sexton

As the country marks Rural Health Day this week, the University of South Carolina works — through its School of Medicine, College of Nursing, Arnold School of Public Health and other areas — to understand and improve the delivery of health care in rural and underserved communities.

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.

plasma donation

COVID-19 response: UofSC partners with The Blood Connection to collect plasma donations from recovered patients

May 11, 2020

A national study sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Mayo Clinic is examining the use of plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients, known as convalescent plasma, to treat patients who are currently suffering from the virus. Physicians hope the antibodies in the donor plasma will neutralize the virus in these ill patients and improve outcomes.

Darwin

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.

UofSC faculty experts on coronavirus

March 17, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

The University of South Carolina’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs has compiled a list of faculty experts who can discuss topics relevant to the coronavirus pandemic.

Illustration of the DNA helix.

Genetic counseling program produces impactful leaders

February 14, 2020, Margaret Gregory

Alumni of the genetic counseling program at University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia are making a major impact on their field. More than 25 percent of the nation's genetic counseling training programs have had School of Medicine alumni in leadership roles and five programs were founded by South Carolina graduates.

Neema Patel and the Gibbs Family

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.

James Cutsinger

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.

women's soccer celebrating with the SEC championship trophy
women's soccer celebrating with the SEC championship trophy
women's soccer celebrating with the SEC championship trophy
women's soccer celebrating with the SEC championship trophy
women's soccer celebrating with the SEC championship trophy
Dr. Patterson and patient

UofSC center brings health care to those in need

November 20, 2019, Margaret Gregory

In South Carolina, a majority of the 46 counties are considered to be medically underserved. The South Carolina Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare is working to improve access to quality care through training programs that are helping grow the health care workforce.

Students in Sim Lab

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.

2015 flood

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.

Alexandra Vezzetti

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.

Tarak Patel

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.

Katy Pilarzyk in the lab

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.

Laine Way and Parker Edison

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.

Maxcy Monument on the UofSC Horseshoe

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dr. Lawrence Hill

Creating opportunities

November 08, 2017, Megan Sexton

Lawrence Hill arrived in Columbia in the summer of 1977 as a student in the first-ever class at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Now, the Greenville urologist is making a gift to ensure other students will have the same opportunities to receive a top-rate medical education. His planned gifts of $3 million to the School of Medicine Columbia and $3 million to the School of Medicine Greenville will be used for scholarships.

Kandy Velázquez

Easing the pain

October 27, 2017, Alyssa Yancey

Inspired by the loss of her aunt to breast cancer, Kandy Velázquez decided to pursue research on how to ease pain. Velázquez, an alumna of the Arnold School of Public Health and a current post doctoral fellow in the School of Medicine, will receive nearly $1 million from the National Institutes of Health over the next five years to fund her research.

Emily Suski and Lisa Martin

Clinical approach

September 19, 2017, Chris Horn

The School of Law is launching two new legal clinics this academic year. A medicolegal clinic will team law students with medical students, medical residents and physicians to improve health outcomes for pediatric patients, while a domestic violence clinic will focus on protection, advocacy and community education.

Ken Lowden

Running for his life

May 17, 2017, Melinda Waldrop

Ken Lowden took up running 40 years ago to beat a family history of heart disease. He ended up needing heart surgery, but his healthy lifestyle and awareness of his risk factors helped him recover quickly and get back to the things he loves.

nsf grant

USC researchers land $1.3 million grant to enhance STEM education

May 03, 2017, Kathryn McPhail

Researchers from the School of Medicine and College of Education recently received a $1.3 million National Science Foundation grant to study the best ways to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through participation at informal learning sites.

Norma Frizzell

Breakthrough Star: Norma Frizzell

March 24, 2017, Chris Horn

If a key component in a car goes bad, the car won’t go for long. That’s roughly what happens in the human body when mutations and other insults disrupt the mitochondria, the essential energy-making components of human cells. Norma Frizzell has devoted much of her career to understanding how and why mitochondria go haywire and sometimes lead to fatal maladies.

Year end review