Faculty, staff and students invited to join alumni to kick off MUSC Bicentennial at Alumni Weekend

The Medical University of South Carolina will kick off its bicentennial year with a first-of-its-kind event. Alumni Weekend, which will take place Feb. 29 through March 2, 2024, will bring alumni from all six colleges and every class year together. “We thought, ‘What better way to celebrate our alumni during the bicentennial year than to wrap our arms around all six colleges and celebrate them as one,’” said Kelly Duffy, senior associate director of Alumni Affairs.

Despite its name, the guest list for Alumni Weekend is not limited to alumni. Everyone who has helped to make MUSC what it is today is welcome to attend. That includes faculty, staff, students, family and friends of the University.

The three-day event, hosted by the MUSC Alumni Association, is part of a Universitywide initiative to break down silos, foster a greater sense of belonging and fully integrate our tripartite mission of academic health sciences education, research and patient care.

That initiative was top of mind in planning one of the weekend’s signature events: a daylong symposium highlighting research and innovation happening at MUSC. Depending on their interests, attendees can choose from three tracks, each worth up to 6.5 continuing education credits. Speaker topics include harnessing artificial intelligence, human-centered design in health care, drug discovery, cardiovascular genetics, palliative care, health care leadership and more.

“It was important to make the symposium relevant to all MUSC alumni, faculty, staff and students,” explained Zoher Kapasi, PT, Ph.D., dean of the College of Health Professions. Kapasi serves on the Alumni Weekend planning committee and was instrumental in identifying the concept for the symposium’s opening session: "A Case Study in Collaborative Care for Ehlers Danlos syndrome (EDS)."

The case study will be led by MUSC alumnus and neurosurgeon Sunil Patel, M.D., and Sydney Severance, who Patel diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) after she had endured months of excruciating pain and dozens of visits to specialists in search of answers.

EDS is a rare disease that weakens the connective tissues in the body. And since connective tissue affects every part of the body, multidisciplinary care is key for EDS patients. Patel and Severance’s presentation will incorporate unique perspectives from her spectrum of providers.

“Sydney’s case is an ideal example of how we sometimes must work together to reach the best outcomes for our patients,” Kapasi said.

Like the symposium, the new Alumni Bash will give alumni, faculty, staff and students from all colleges an opportunity to mix and mingle. The party starts Saturday evening, March 2, at The Shed Downtown.

“It’s going to be bigger and better than anything we’ve done in the past,” Duffy said, noting that the menu includes Lowcountry-inspired bites, an oyster roast and a generous buffet. Wine, beer and curated cocktails, crafted with locally distilled spirits, will also be available.

“Bring your dancing shoes,” Duffy said, “because we will have great live music, great food – it’s going to be the party of the year!”

There will also be opportunities to reconnect with individual colleges throughout the weekend. Each college will host a Welcome Back Barbecue and Breakfast with the Dean. There will also be time for more intimate class parties and reunions, hosted by volunteer class representatives like Patrick Kelly, M.D., ‘84.

“I felt like it would be an especially festive weekend, with our 40th reunion happening during the bicentennial,” Kelly said. “Most of us are retired or concluding our professional careers, so it’s less important to try to impress each other. We can just come and be collegial and reminisce.”

Throughout the weekend, students will offer campus tours. With the recent groundbreaking for a new College of Health Professions building and planning underway for a new College of Medicine building, even the most recent graduates may be surprised by how campus has changed.

“All our alumni are proud of their University,” Duffy said. “It’s exciting to watch them come back and see how campus has grown – to get a feel for MUSC now and where it’s going next.”

To purchase tickets, please visit the Alumni Weekend website and select “employee” when checking out to receive a 20% discount.

Please check the Bicentennial website for the latest information on events, activities and schedules.