Two MUSC researchers recognized with Translational Science awards

Medical University of South Carolina researchers Carol Feghali-Bostwick, Ph.D., and ReJoyce Green, Ph.D., were each recognized with a prestigious Translational Science Award at the Translational Science conference in Washington, D.C., on April 18. The Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS), a nonprofit membership association of translational scientists from the nation’s leading academic medical centers, hosts the conference and presents the annual awards to recognize investigators for their outstanding contributions to clinical research and translational science.

"The ACTS awards recognize talented investigators who translate their findings ultimately from the bench to the community. Awardees are in all phases of studies and disciplines throughout the workforce, which includes investigators, trainees, educators and research teams as well as the advancement of diversity, inclusion and health equity,” said ACTS president Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D.

Feghali-Bostwick received the award for Contributing to the Diversity and Inclusiveness of the Translational Workforce. The award recognizes individuals who, through their careers of mentoring, policymaking or team building, have contributed to a more inclusive and diverse workforce.

“Dr. Feghali-Bostwick is an incredible mentor and advocate for individuals in clinical and translational science,” said South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research (SCTR) Institute co-director Kathleen Brady, M.D., Ph.D. “She has worked tirelessly and with enthusiasm to increase diversity and inclusion in the clinical and translational workforce. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.”

“Dr. Feghali-Bostwick is an incredible mentor and advocate for individuals in clinical and translational science. She has worked tirelessly and with enthusiasm to increase diversity and inclusion in the clinical and translational workforce. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.”

-- SCTR co-director Dr. Kathleen Brady

Feghali-Bostwick is an internationally recognized translational researcher and leader in the field of scleroderma and systemic sclerosis and the SmartState and Kitty Trask Holt Endowed Chair for Scleroderma Research. She is also passionate about ensuring that the next generation of translational researchers are well-trained and reflect the diversity of the community. She has mentored more than 30 young researchers, many of them physician-scientists, and was awarded the prestigious Peggy Schachte Research Mentor Award in 2018. She directs both SCTR’s Translational Workforce Development program, which offers cutting-edge training to clinical and translational research professionals, and SCTR’s TL1 program, a mentored research training program for predoctoral students with strong interests in pursuing careers in clinical and/or translational research. She also previously co-directed SCTR’s KL2 mentoring program, which aims to transition early-stage investigators to an independent research career. She leads the Advancement, Recruitment, and Retention of Women (ARROW) program at MUSC. Since the creation of ARROW, the number of women faculty in the College of Medicine has increased substantially as has the number of women faculty earning senior faculty appointments and tenure. She also directs STEM-Coaching and Resources for Entrepreneurial Women (CREW), which offers mentorship, coaching and training opportunities to increase the number of women, especially underserved minority women, who not only become entrepreneurs but remain engaged in entrepreneurial activities throughout their careers.

“I am deeply honored to receive the award,” said Feghali-Bostwick. “I am especially grateful for the MUSC Translational Workforce Development and ARROW teams who continue to work tirelessly to promote equity.”

Dr. Green is an outstanding clinician-scientist, who has developed a unique mix of clinical and methodological skills and has a vision for applying them to impact public health. This prestigious award is a testament to the national impact of Dr. Green’s work as a translational scientist and postdoctoral scholar at MUSC."

-- SCTR associate director Dr. Kevin Gray

Green received the 2023 ACTS Outstanding Trainee: Post-Doctoral Award. The award recognizes high productivity and impact of postdoctoral work with potential for changing care or health policy.

“Dr. Green is an outstanding clinician-scientist, who has developed a unique mix of clinical and methodological skills and has a vision for applying them to impact public health,” said SCTR associate director and substance use investigator Kevin Gray, M.D., who nominated Green for the award. “This prestigious award is a testament to the national impact of Dr. Green’s work as a translational scientist and postdoctoral scholar at MUSC.” Gray, along with Lindsay Squeglia, Ph.D., co-directs MUSC’s Youth Collaborative, which offers clinical services, research opportunities and education programs focused on preventing and addressing youth substance use.

Green, who completed her graduate work in clinical psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, is the author of more than 30 peer-reviewed publications. She first came to MUSC to complete the clinical internship requirement of her doctoral degree and has since joined the Squeglia Laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow. She opted to come to MUSC because she wanted to take a more lifespan approach to substance use disorder, studying not only adults but also children and adolescents. She has become a vital team member of the Youth Collaborative, providing important insights by applying her robust statistical models to large datasets. Green believes that such rigorous statistical analysis can point the way forward for clinical care of substance use disorder.  

“If we're able to better identify some of the top factors that contribute to a child initiating substance use, then those might be factors we can target with an intervention or maybe our prevention efforts could address a particular factor that we're seeing the most often,” said Green.