Board approves executive VP for finance and operations, receives report of record-breaking research funding

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Oct. 8, 2021) – The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) Board of Trustees held their regularly scheduled committee sessions and board meeting on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 7-8, respectively. The meetings were held in the MUSC board room with a limited number of attendees physically present in observance of COVID-19 protocols. Additional participants joined the meetings via video conference.

In his report to the board, MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS, discussed two recently announced strategic alignments. The first collaboration is a definitive agreement with Helix, a national leader in gene sequencing. The joint effort between MUSC and Helix will help advance cutting-edge genomic research and accelerate the integration of genomic data into clinical care. The other collaboration is a letter of intent signed with Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC), an organization that advances medical genetics and cares for families affected by genetic disease and birth defects. The venture between MUSC and GGC is intended to help enhance genetic counseling and patient care access, increase access to a broader range of educational opportunities and position both organizations to take advantage of future strategic research initiatives.  

“Precision medicine is the future of health care. It revolves around patients understanding their DNA fingerprint and, therefore, their health risks. That knowledge will give health care providers the ability to get upstream of those genetic predispositions,” Cole said. “Every domain of medicine is now pushing toward understanding what the genetics mean. The collaborations with Helix and GGC give us the opportunity to further improve access to high-quality, coordinated and cost-effective genetic services that we can offer to citizens across our state. Those services include genetic counseling, diagnostics and treatment,” he noted. 

Cole continued, “It will also create a broader range of educational opportunities for MUSC and GGC students, and will drive innovation in genetics research. We also see potential partnership opportunities with Clemson, which has an emerging and significant presence in the area of genetics.”

To read more about the MUSC collaborations visit:

Helix

GGC

The trustees voted to approve the appointment of Richard L. Anderson as executive vice president of Finance and Operations. With a start date of Nov. 1, Anderson will be the university’s senior financial and administrative officer, directly responsible for a number of units that deliver services to various departments and offices, including engineering and facilities, university finance, university operations, enterprise risk management, and strategic analytics and process improvement. 

“We look forward to welcoming Rick to the MUSC team,” Cole said. “His deep experience and talent as a leader, administrator and business partner make him a solid choice for this challenging, multi-faceted position.” 

Anderson will report directly to President Cole and serve as a member of the president’s council, participating in all major decisions that affect the university. To learn more about Anderson and his new role, visit this page. 

Lori McMahon, Ph.D., vice president for Research, reported that for fiscal year 2021, which ended June 30, the MUSC research enterprise received more than $328 million in total sponsored extramural funding, setting a new benchmark for the institution. MUSC remains the leading funded research university in the state.

“Reaching this new milestone in research funding is a clear indication that our energetic and talented faculty have done an outstanding job pivoting to refocus their efforts and successfully address the many challenges of the past year,” said McMahon. “Their investigative work continues to include a wide variety of diverse and important research questions that lead to discoveries and advances that improve how we serve patients. In addition, many faculty members have realigned their research around aspects of COVID-19, including engagement in groundbreaking clinical trials that are helping to forge our clinical care responses to this virus,” she added. 

The board of trustees also voted for MUSC Health, the patient care system of the MUSC enterprise, to move forward with the construction of a 90,000-square-foot MUSC Health Medical Office Building (MOB) in Indian Land. The MOB is expected to house a variety of clinicians to serve the many needs of the expanding community. The planned opening date for the MOB is mid-2023. MUSC Health also plans to build a new hospital in the Indian Land region, which is expected to open in the fall of 2025.  

In other business, the 16-member MUSC/MUHA board also voted to approve the following items:

The MUSC/MUHA Board of Trustees serves as separate bodies to govern the university and hospital, normally holding two days of committee and board meetings six times a year. For more information about the MUSC Board of Trustees, visit this page.

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About the Medical University of South Carolina 

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is home to the oldest medical school in the South as well as the state’s only integrated academic health sciences center, with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 residents in six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. MUSC brought in more than $327.6 million in biomedical research funds in fiscal year 2021, continuing to lead the state in obtaining federal and National Institutes of Health funding, with more than $220 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu. 

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality and safe patient care while training generations of compassionate, competent health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Close to 25,000 care team members provide care for patients at 14 hospitals with approximately 2,500 beds and 5 additional hospital locations in development, more than 300 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in the Lowcountry, Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate regions of South Carolina. In 2021, for the seventh consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $4.4 billion. The more than 25,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care.