Board of Trustees supports efforts to achieve comprehensive cancer care status at MUSC

Vote to approve naming of Dr. Charles P. Darby Jr. Department of Pediatrics

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Dec. 8, 2023) – The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA)Boardof Trustees held their regularly scheduled committee sessions andboardmeeting on Dec. 7 and 8, respectively.

Hollings Cancer Center (HCC) director Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., presented to the board, emphasizing the recent National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) review. HCC is South Carolina’s only NCI-designated cancer center, and DuBois shared that achieving comprehensive cancer center status in 2028 is a major focus and priority. This elite recognition would be the first such designation in South Carolina and is a significant undertaking that requires commitment from leaders, care team members and researchers.

“There is a great sense of the momentum occurring in cancer care because of integrated leadership in this space,” said MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS. “We’ve identified strategic priorities at MUSC, and cancer is certainly at the top of that list. MUSC’s continued growth across the state provides a framework to synergize and align clinical trials, partnerships and clinical care to successfully achieve comprehensive cancer center status.”

The Board of Trustees approved the naming of Dr. Charles P. Darby Jr. Department of Pediatrics as a testament to Dr. Darby’s decades of service to children in the state of South Carolina. Funds committed to support this initiative have exceeded $10 million.

“I can’t overstate what a great man Dr. Darby is,” said board member and pediatrician Guy Castles III, M.D. “He’s a brilliant man. He loves children and has touched countless lives throughout his career. It is only fitting to have him as a namesake of the department he helped build. It is an honor that my mentor has this recognition.”

MUSC Health CEO Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., announced new plans to expand women’s health services in the Midlands. Labor and delivery services will be established at MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast. The facility will hire additional OB-GYNs and other women’s health specialists to serve the community. Outpatient obstetric services will remain in Kershaw County. The expansion is scheduled to be completed in summer 2024.

Carol Feghali Bostwick, Ph.D., the Kitty Trask Holt Endowed Chair for Scleroderma Research, presented her recent research efforts to the board. She highlighted discoveries around anti-fibrotic therapies that could advance treatments for people suffering from fibrosis-related organ disease.

“Curiosity creates cures,” said MUSC vice president of Research Lori McMahon, Ph.D. “Dr. Feghali Bostwick’s research proves discoveries in the lab can be translated to the clinic in an academic setting, here at MUSC. It starts at the research bench and can translate to new therapies for patients. It’s a beautiful example of basic, fundamental biology leading to a potential cure.”

Kate Azizi, vice president for Institutional Advancement, reported that nearly $59 million has been raised to date this fiscal year to support MUSC’s tripartite mission of research, education and clinical care; this represents almost two-thirds of the fiscal-year goal. She also shared that “MUSC Day,” otherwise known as Giving Tuesday, resulted in gifts from 526 donors from 26 states, totaling $724,465. 

The board unanimously approved several capital funding requests related to renovations and equipment upgrades at MUSC Health divisions throughout the state. Funding amounting to $1.7 million was designated to support the growth of surgical services in the Pee Dee. Funding for pediatric inpatient rehabilitation was also approved, thanks to $2.9 million in state appropriations.

Board members visited MUSC’s newly renovated virtual anatomy lab Friday to experience this training technology firsthand. Photos of their experiences are available here. 

The MUSC/MUHA Board of Trustees serve as separate bodies to govern the University and hospital system, normally holding two days of committee and board meetings six times a year. For more information about the MUSC Board of Trustees, visit academicdepartments.musc.edu/leadership/board/index.html. 

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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. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

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 No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

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.