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Championship Run: 2024 year in review
December 16, 2024
From a national championship and record research funding to a major engineering gift and a host of academic awards, 2024 was a banner year for USC.
December 16, 2024
From a national championship and record research funding to a major engineering gift and a host of academic awards, 2024 was a banner year for USC.
November 20, 2024, Megan Sexton
As the December Class of 2024 prepares to walk across the commencement stage, graduates leave the University of South Carolina with memories of enduring friendships, newfound passions, supportive mentors and life-changing experiences.
November 14, 2024, Gregory Hardy
Nursing students at the University of South Carolina are getting hands-on simulation training with the newest generation of portable ultrasound equipment this November. Associate Professor Amy Dievendorf led the first immersion training with graduate-level nurse practitioner students in November at the College of Nursing’s new Clinical Education Building.
November 11, 2024
More than a quarter of South Carolinians call a rural area home, but these populations have a higher incidence of medical emergencies and are at greater risk of death because of barriers to access to timely medical care. USC researchers and alumni are working to change that, both for the state’s communities and at the national level.
October 31, 2024, Laura Morris
More than a quarter of South Carolina residents live in rural areas and must overcome greater health care challenges than their urban counterparts. USC faculty members are available to offer their expertise in rural health services and research. To coordinate an interview, contact the staff member listed with each expert entry.
October 18, 2024, Communications and Marketing
There is also no doubt that nurses — an integral part of the nation's health care system — are in short supply. From opening a new building at Lexington Medical Center to being the home of the top-ranked online graduate program in nursing education, the University of South Carolina College of Nursing is committed to addressing the need.
October 09, 2024
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among American women, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The University of South Carolina has many faculty members who can offer expertise on this subject.
September 30, 2024, Laura Morris
Health science researchers from the University of South Carolina are taking a new approach to address chronic health conditions and reduce patient hardships across the state.
September 24, 2024, Nicole Meares
In a world of budding technology and virtual reality, there is an opportunity to view different perspectives on health disparities in new ways. That’s what the USC College of Nursing is aiming to do.
September 24, 2024, Laura Morris
In 2025, construction will begin on the College of Nursing's Biobehavioral Research Center that will provide dedicated space for faculty research, enhancing expertise and improving health outcomes for South Carolina and beyond.
September 23, 2024, Megan Sexton
Joynelle Jackson, an associate professor of nursing and the recipient of the university’s clinical practice teaching award, has been a full-time faculty member at the College of Nursing since 2007. But she’s been teaching much of her life.
September 23, 2024, Megan Sexton
The University of South Carolina is home to the nation’s top first-year student experience among public institutions, and its living-learning communities are ranked 10th best in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual undergraduate rankings released Sept. 24.
September 05, 2024, Megan Sexton
Betting on students who want to give back to society affords them more than a career path. It’s also a sound investment in our shared future.
August 19, 2024, Gregory Hardy
One of Susan Newman’s newest missions for improving the health of South Carolinians is to encourage more individuals with disabilities to explore nursing careers. The USC health sciences endowed professor joined the nursing faculty in July for a role that allows her to increase training opportunities for health care providers—particularly nurses who work with individuals with disabilities—and expand her research efforts.
August 12, 2024, Gregory Hardy
The University of South Carolina and Lexington Medical Center opened a new 52,000 square foot facility to train the next generation of nurses Monday (Aug. 12). Located on Lexington Medical Center’s West Columbia campus, the satellite clinical education building will be used primarily for the clinical training of the College of Nursing's third- and fourth-year nursing bachelor’s students as well as master’s program students.
July 11, 2024, Carol J.G. Ward
A team at the University of South Carolina College of Social Work has developed a series of online training sessions to combat health worker burnout.
April 25, 2024, Megan Sexton
As the Class of 2024 prepares to walk across the commencement stage, graduates leave the University of South Carolina with memories of enduring friendships, newfound passions, supportive mentors and life-changing experiences.
April 18, 2024, Communications and Marketing
While working on her degree in nursing, South Carolina Honors College student Natalie Trimble also served in various capacities in Student Government and worked in the larger Columbia community to improve the lives of students and residents. For her efforts, the Aberdeen, Maryland, resident is the recipient of the 2023 Steven N. Swanger Leadership Award.
March 06, 2024, Page Ivey
Growing up in the foster care system in Florida, Naida Rutherford found herself homeless with few prospects just two days after graduating from high school. But the faith of a classmate’s parents and her own determination to get a degree ultimately led her to a career in nursing. In 2020, Rutherford became the first woman, the first person of color and the first person with a medical background to be elected Richland County coroner.
March 01, 2024, Tisha Felder
Public health and nursing researchers Tisha Felder and Joynelle Jackson write for The Conversation about the benefits of breastfeeding.
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.
February 09, 2024, Gregory Hardy
February is American Heart Month. The University of South Carolina is home to many faculty members who are available to offer their expertise in cardio care and research.
February 05, 2024, Megan Sexton
For the fourth straight year, the University of South Carolina’s College of Nursing is ranked No. 1 in the country for its online master’s in nursing program, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual online program rankings released Wednesday (Feb. 7).
December 11, 2023, Gregory Hardy
Nearly 70 rising high school seniors from across the Midlands invested part of their summer vacation toward gaining in-depth insights into health science careers thanks to a partnership of the College of Nursing, the School of Medicine Columbia and Lexington Medical Center.
November 15, 2023, Gregory Hardy
Thursday (Nov. 16) is National Rural Health Day. The University of South Carolina has a number of faculty members who are available to offer their expertise in rural health services and research.
November 10, 2023
Living in a rural community brings lots of advantages: close-knit communities, easy access to nature, less noise and pollution, lower home prices. But a lack of population density also brings challenges, and access to health care is one of them. As daunting as the state’s health issues can seem, the University of South Carolina is well positioned to help.
November 06, 2023, Rebekah Friedman
South Carolina’s nursing shortage is an ongoing issue, and it is projected to worsen, particularly in the state’s rural areas. From Union to Walterboro, the USC system is on a mission to meet those needs.
October 10, 2023
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among American women, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The University of South Carolina has several faculty members who can offer expertise on the subject.
October 03, 2023, Laura Morris
The Palmetto State — facing physician and nursing shortages, an aging population and a growing number of children requiring welfare services — is partnering with universities and organizations to recruit and retain students interested in health care careers by reducing financial barriers.
September 15, 2023, Dan Cook
This is the fifth straight year that the University of South Carolina has been ranked as the No. 1 public institution for first-year experience and the 25th consecutive year that it has earned the top ranking in international business.
July 13, 2023
It's no secret that South Carolina has a nursing shortage. The University of South Carolina is working on all fronts to meet the challenge by attracting, retaining and better training the next generation of nurses. Here's a look at efforts to advance nursing education and help meet the need for more new nurses.
May 31, 2023, Laura Morris
Three University of South Carolina faculty members and five alumni are featured in the Top 50 Women in South Carolina list published May 22 by the website Women We Admire.
May 24, 2023, Lauryn Jiles
South Carolina nurses and nursing students learned from leading health professionals about the impact that underrepresented, minoritized and disadvantaged background nurses have on increasing health equity throughout the country during the College of Nursing’s StAND-UP: SC Conference on May 11.
May 22, 2023, Rebekah Friedman
When it comes to understanding the challenges related to pregnancy, birth and early childhood, USC’s researchers deliver answers.
April 24, 2023, Megan Sexton
The University of South Carolina’s master’s in international business program retained its spot as the best in the country for the 10th consecutive year, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School rankings released Tuesday (April 25).
April 20, 2023, Page Ivey
To combat South Carolina’s nursing shortage in the next few years will take a team effort, involving health care companies as well as universities who train the essential health care workers. Prisma Health is providing $5 million to five South Carolina schools, including USC Columbia and USC Upstate, which will receive $1.3 million each. The program also helps the next generation of South Carolina nurses understand their roles within a larger health care system.
February 21, 2023
Lexington Medical Center and the University of South Carolina broke ground on a new building to train nurses on the hospital campus in West Columbia. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
February 09, 2023, Nicole Meares
Gayenell Magwood focuses on community research and engagement, cardiometabolic risk and prevention, and cancer control and prevention. She is an endowed professor of nursing and is also passionate about her involvement with the American Heart Association and raising awareness for heart disease and stroke.
February 07, 2023, Communications and Marketing
Virtual care is playing a bigger and bigger role in health care. Lorie Donelle, Emily Myrtle Smith Endowed Professor of Nursing, wants to make sure it’s not just efficient but also effective and ethical. The goal? To help people avoid misinformation and disinformation that can have negative impacts on their health care decisions.
January 20, 2023, Megan Sexton
For the third straight year, the University of South Carolina’s College of Nursing is ranked No. 1 nationally for its online graduate nursing program, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual online programs rankings released Jan. 24.
November 10, 2022, Téa Smith
Scholarship recipient and graduate student Kayla Lee has seen firsthand the effect lack of access to quality health care can have on a community. She is happy to be furthering her career in nursing and helping to create accessible quality health care throughout the state.
October 12, 2022, Communications and Marketing
The National Institutes of Health has awarded the university $13.2 million to attract and retain diverse, early stage faculty.
October 03, 2022, Kyndel Lee
The University of South Carolina’s Columbia and Upstate campuses are recipients of an investment in scholarships by Prisma Health to help counter the state’s critical nursing shortage.
September 12, 2022, Téa Smith
The College of Nursing is slowly but surely taking steps toward making nursing education diverse.
September 09, 2022, Megan Sexton
The University of South Carolina has the top first-year student experience of any public college in the country and the best international business program, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual undergraduate rankings.
August 03, 2022, Craig Brandhorst
Assistant professor of nursing Michael Wirth is a busy man these days, with his hands on multiple projects. The overarching goal? Healthier diets and lifestyles for shift workers in high-stress occupations like nursing and law enforcement and better sleep for everyone.
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.
May 20, 2022, Alexis Watts
Spring break normally means a time for University of South Carolina students to say goodbye to hard work and relax for a week, but for the past 10 years, hundreds of students from the Capstone Scholars program have chosen to challenge themselves culturally.
May 12, 2022, Mollie Roe and Emily Miles
During his sophomore year, nursing student Bradley Quarles lost a family member to suicide. That experience, combined with the medical knowledge he learned in his studies, spurred Quarles to look for ways to prevent suicide and promote mental health on campus.
April 25, 2022, Craig Brandhorst
A lot happens over the course of an academic year, and there’s absolutely no way to highlight everything. So, no, don’t think of this as a Best Of list. This is merely a smattering of the achievements and memorable moments that defined 2021-22, a small taste of the year that was. Trust us, there’s plenty more where this came from — and plenty more to come.
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.
March 17, 2022, Megan Sexton
As a Ph.D. student in the College of Nursing, Chigozie Nkwonta studied cervical cancer prevention, with the goal to increase HPV vaccinations and cervical cancer screenings in her home country of Nigeria.
January 24, 2022, Megan Sexton
The University of South Carolina’s College of Nursing retained the No. 1 national ranking for its online graduate nursing program, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual online program rankings released Tuesday (Jan. 25).
December 08, 2021, Mollie Roe
At the College of Nursing, Gabs Amster used her personal journey to a healthy lifestyle to connect and empathize with her patients. After graduation this month, she will begin her career as a registered nurse in a critical care unit.
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.
October 04, 2021
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The University of South Carolina has a number of faculty members who are available to offer their expertise in breast cancer stories. To coordinate an interview, contact the staff member listed with each expert entry.
September 13, 2021, Megan Sexton
The University of South Carolina has the top first-year student experience of any public college in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual undergraduate rankings. UofSC also retained its No. 1 ranking in international business for the 23rd straight year.
August 18, 2021, Megan Sexton
Eboni Harris, a University of South Carolina alumna and associate professor in the College of Nursing, is the 2021 Clinical Practice Teaching Award winner.
August 12, 2021, Cam Adams
The University of South Carolina is expanding its degree offerings with 13 new programs set to launch this fall that will better prepare students for careers in cybersecurity, education, nursing, business and music among other fields.
May 25, 2021, Chris Horn
Demetrius Abshire has made plenty of hay in the field of rural health research in the four years since he joined the College of Nursing faculty.
April 05, 2021, Craig Brandhorst
When it comes to leadership, nursing professor and researcher Bernardine Pinto’s biggest impact might come in the form of her mentorship, which to her mind is almost as important as the work she does with cancer survivors themselves.
January 26, 2021, Tenell Felder
The University of South Carolina’s College of Nursing ranks No. 1 among all U.S. universities for its online graduate nursing program, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual online rankings.
January 14, 2021, Chris Horn
It’s estimated that the Palmetto State needs more than 800 additional primary care providers in the next 10 years just to keep pace with the needs of its growing and aging population. The College of Nursing is helping to fill the gap by training a new wave of family nurse practitioners for underserved communities.
December 18, 2020
It’s been a year — but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty to celebrate, recognize and honor at the University of South Carolina in 2020. UofSC rose to each and every challenge this year and raised the bar for the year to come.
December 15, 2020, Chris Horn
To earn a nursing degree, Thien Nguyen had to overcome a language barrier and financial hardship — a familiar tale for many young immigrants to the United States. But there’s much more to Nguyen’s story, and it began 20 years ago in Vietnam when he was 5 years old.
August 11, 2020, Craig Brandhorst
This spring, as COVID-19 spiked in New York City, the nation’s largest metropolitan area became the face of the U.S. pandemic. Nurses from across the U.S. — including UofSC alumni — descended on the region, enduring personal hardship and risking their own health to help stem the tide.
May 05, 2020, Tenell Felder
It’s a challenging time to be a nurse. Serving on the front lines of a pandemic, nurses are not only tasked with helping COVID-19 patients — they’re also tasked with doing it in full protective gear and while simultaneously managing non-COVID patients.
May 04, 2020, Cheedy Jaja
Since the beginning of the profession, nurses have played pivotal roles during outbreaks of disease, delivering care throughout even the bleakest of public health emergencies. College of Nursing professor Cheedy Jaja recalls for The Conversation his experience being on the front lines of Ebola.
April 21, 2020, Tenell Felder
Swann Arp Adams researches disparities in cancer prevention and screening. She has practiced in diabetes care, bone marrow transplant, mammography and oncology. Adams provides insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic might affect current or recovering cancer patients and their families.
April 14, 2020, Laura Kammerer
Cheedy Jaja, associate professor of nursing, in 2014 and 2015 treated patients during the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. He says health care workers caring for coronavirus patients are at risk for psychological trauma.
April 09, 2020, Caleigh McDaniel
We caught up with three students who have demonstrated resilience and resourcefulness when it comes to navigating their responsibilities during a pandemic.
April 06, 2020, Chris Horn
Some aspects of nursing education involve face-to-face interaction with patients, but virtual simulation is the next best thing during COVID-19 restrictions.
April 03, 2020, Tenell Felder
Alicia Ribar, clinical associate professor at the College of Nursing, provides insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic has and will affect the field of nursing. Ribar has practiced nursing for 26 years and has had active clinical practices in acute and primary care pediatric and family practice.
January 14, 2020, Tenell Felder & Amanda Hernandez
The University of South Carolina ranks No. 1 in the nation among public universities (No. 2 overall) for its online graduate nursing program, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual online rankings.
November 05, 2019
Attending college is a transformative experience, offering students the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills and experiences that lead them to a fuller life. We spoke to first-generation college students, faculty and alumni to learn about their experiences on campus and beyond.
September 27, 2019, Megan Sexton
Sheryl Mitchell still remembers the advice from her graduate school mentor while she was earning her nursing and nurse practitioner degrees from the University of South Carolina. Now as the nurse practitioner program director, Mitchell brings passion and experience to the online classroom.
September 25, 2019, Annika Dahlgren
Family Weekend is part of the university’s wide-ranging commitment to delivering a superior student experience in a welcoming, inclusive environment. It helps to connect a student’s personal support network to the university experience, so that family members can feel engaged in a student’s journey — and a student can feel a deep level of support both on- and off-campus.
September 04, 2019, David Lee
Benjamin D. Reese Jr., an internationally renowned scholar on the topic of implicit bias, is visiting the University of South Carolina to speak as part of the Finding Common Ground Lecture series.
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.
August 01, 2019, Megan Sexton
Sheryl Mitchell still remembers the advice from her graduate school mentor while she was earning her nursing and nurse practitioner degrees from the University of South Carolina. Now as the nurse practitioner program director, Mitchell brings passion and experience to the online classroom.
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.
February 28, 2019, Allen Wallace
A year ago, University of South Carolina Dance Marathon made history, raising more than a million dollars for the kids at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital (then known as Palmetto Health). Just days after that success, they began working to do it again. That yearlong effort concludes Saturday with the student organization’s annual Main Event.
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.
October 12, 2018
If you’re an upper division nursing student at the University of South Carolina, Karen Worthy has seen your file. For her dedication to her students, the five-time Carolina graduate is a 2018 Clinical Teaching Award winner.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
March 05, 2018, Laura Kammerer
After watching an extremely premature baby die following complications from hypothermia, Robin Dail has dedicated her career to understanding the impact of temperature on premature babies. Her research is influencing care practice standards and leading to new technologies.
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.
February 02, 2018, Laura Kammerer
Kristal Tribble and Tina Williamson enrolled in Carolina's online RN to BSN program thinking it would be a solitary endeavor. Instead, they found community and friendship, and the pair are now pursuing the College of Nursing's online master's of nursing program together.
January 11, 2018, John Brunelli
The Carolina Family Practice, operated by nursing faculty, has a new home to better serve its patients. In November, the clinic opened at 1410 Blanding St. in downtown Columbia as part of its new affiliation with Palmetto Health USC Medical Group.
November 28, 2017, Megan Sexton
A nursing degree from the University of South Carolina helped make Patricia Edens Eddy’s dreams come true. Now, she wants to help make that experience available for others. Eddy and her husband, Nelson, have established an endowed fund to award scholarships to College of Nursing students.
October 31, 2017, Chris Horn
Just because lung cancer patients are living longer and sometimes even cured of the disease, long-term survivors of the disease often cope with distressing symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, depression and anxiety. Karen Kane McDonnell, a nursing professor in USC’s College of Nursing, plans to test an intervention to reduce their symptom burden.
October 24, 2017, Page Ivey
Tisha Felder recently received funding from the National Cancer Institute to identify and test intervention strategies to improve adherence to hormonal therapy among disadvantaged breast cancer survivors who experience excess rates of breast cancer mortality.
October 17, 2017, John Brunelli
Improving rural health is a key focus for USC’s College of Nursing, which has initiatives in place to address rural health disparities, improve mental health access and respect cultural differences in health care decision making.
October 10, 2017, Melinda Waldrop
Kahlil Demonbreun always knew what he wanted to do, even if he couldn’t put an exact name to it. Demonbreun, the 2016 recipient of the University of South Carolina College of Nursing Alumni Award, grew up in Michigan surrounded by strong women whose influence led him down a somewhat unusual career path.
September 25, 2017, John Brunelli
May 2017 graduates of the University of South Carolina College of Nursing set a new record on the National Council Licensure Examination, the standardized test used for the licensing of nurses in the U.S. The cohort of 158 nursing students earned a pass rate of 99.3 percent. The year-to-date average for the college is 98.3 percent. The national average is approximately 83.6 percent.
September 25, 2017, Megan Sexton
Starting this fall, a cohort of nursing majors in the South Carolina Honors College will start on the path to a career that might include research and academia — along with clinical nursing practice. The Smart Start Nursing Program allows Honors College students to be automatically accepted into the upper division of the College of Nursing.