Two New Members Join MUSC's FRD Board

FRD Contact: Harriette Bayse
843-876-1901
bayse@musc.edu

May 25, 2017

CHARLESTON, SC – MUSC Foundation for Research Development (FRD) has announced the appointment of two new members to its board of directors, as well as the full slate of directors for 2017-2018.

Joining the board are William (Bill) Himmelsbach, MPH, FACHE and Julia (Julie) Barnes-Weise, JD, CLP. "Julie and Bill are highly accomplished health care executives with relevant experience and accomplishments to guide FRD as we continue to bring forward technologies in support of the MUSC mission to help patients,” said Arlene Morris, newly-elected chair of the FRD board. “We look forward to their insights and contributions in support of the FRD mission, and welcome Bill and Julie to the board.”

Himmelsbach chairs the board of directors at the Zucker Institute of Applied Neurosciences at MUSC and serves as vice chairman of the board of trustees of Beaufort Memorial Hospital in South Carolina. He retired in 2012 as president and CEO of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) in New York City. Prior to joining CRF, he was senior vice president at the Voluntary Hospital Association (VHA) and executive officer of its New York-based VHA Metro. Before that, he held president and CEO positions at several hospitals and health care systems. He is currently a guest lecturer in the Master of Health Administration program at MUSC and remains on the board of CRF.

Himmelsbach holds a bachelor’s degree in labor-management relations and economics from Penn State University and a Master in Public Health in health care administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He is also a fellow of the American College of Health care Executives.

Of his recent appointment, Himmelsbach said, “It is a privilege to serve such an outstanding organization that is involved in advancing science to the bedside.”

Barnes-Weise is the founder and executive director of the Global Health care Innovation Alliance Accelerator. She has been a visiting associate professor of the practice at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and director of the Innovation, Technology, and Policy Project. She also served as a consultant and lecturer for the Duke Law School Access to Medicines course.

A lawyer, entrepreneur and certified licensing professional, Barnes-Weise was formerly a director of Business Development at Glaxo Wellcome (now GSK), an attorney at the SAS Institute, and has consulted for BioMatch, LLC, for many years. She received a bachelor’s degree in economics and literature from Ohio Wesleyan University, a juris doctorate from the University of North Carolina School of Law, and completed a year long program in international trade from Notre Dame’s London Law Centre and a program in international marketing at the Duke University-London Business School Joint International Marketing program.

“I am honored to join this experienced and talented board to work together to build and expand the capabilities of the FRD,” Barnes-Weise said.

For a complete list of individuals serving on the FRD board of directors, please visit Foundation for Research Development.

About MUSC Foundation for Research Development

FRD has served as MUSC’s technology transfer office since 1998. During that period, FRD has filed patent applications on more than 400 technologies, resulting in over 150 U.S. issued patents. Additionally, FRD has executed more than 150 licenses and spun out more than 50 startup companies. MUSC startups have had products approved by the Food and Drug Administration and acquired by publicly traded corporations while attracting substantial investment dollars to South Carolina. Innovations from MUSC, including medical devices, therapies, and software, are positively impacting health care worldwide. Please visit us online at Foundation for Research Development.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state's only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $300 million in research funds in fiscal year 2023, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding. Learn more about our academic programs.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (includes owned or governing interest), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2023, for the ninth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the Number 1 hospital in South Carolina. Learn more about our patient services.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $5.9 billion. The nearly 26,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.