USC women honored on leadership list
May 31, 2023, Laura Morris
Three University of South Carolina faculty members and five alumni are featured in the Top 50 Women in South Carolina list published May 22 by the website Women We Admire.
Recent Stories
Nursing program increases health equity for South Carolinians
May 24, 2023, Lauryn Jiles
South Carolina nurses and nursing students learned from leading health professionals about the impact that underrepresented, minoritized and disadvantaged background nurses have on increasing health equity throughout the country during the College of Nursing’s StAND-UP: SC Conference on May 11.
US News rankings: USC tops in International MBA
April 24, 2023, Megan Sexton
The University of South Carolina’s master’s in international business program retained its spot as the best in the country for the 10th consecutive year, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School rankings released Tuesday (April 25).
Prisma Health makes key investment in SC nurses
April 20, 2023, Page Ivey
To combat South Carolina’s nursing shortage in the next few years will take a team effort, involving health care companies as well as universities who train the essential health care workers. Prisma Health is providing $5 million to five South Carolina schools, including USC Columbia and USC Upstate, which will receive $1.3 million each. The program also helps the next generation of South Carolina nurses understand their roles within a larger health care system.
USC and Lexington Medical Center break ground on new building to train nurses
February 21, 2023
Lexington Medical Center and the University of South Carolina broke ground on a new building to train nurses on the hospital campus in West Columbia. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Finding joy at USC
February 09, 2023, Nicole Meares
Gayenell Magwood focuses on community research and engagement, cardiometabolic risk and prevention, and cancer control and prevention. She is an endowed professor of nursing and is also passionate about her involvement with the American Heart Association and raising awareness for heart disease and stroke.
New nursing research chair has big aspirations for health care technology
February 07, 2023, Communications and Marketing
Virtual care is playing a bigger and bigger role in health care. Lorie Donelle, Emily Myrtle Smith Endowed Professor of Nursing, wants to make sure it’s not just efficient but also effective and ethical. The goal? To help people avoid misinformation and disinformation that can have negative impacts on their health care decisions.
U.S. News rankings: USC keeps top spot in online graduate nursing programs
January 20, 2023, Megan Sexton
For the third straight year, the University of South Carolina’s College of Nursing is ranked No. 1 nationally for its online graduate nursing program, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual online programs rankings released Jan. 24.
USC researchers, graduates work to fill health care needs in rural areas
November 10, 2022
It’s no secret that South Carolina faces a litany of health care challenges, and that these challenges hit especially hard in rural areas. With its comprehensive portfolio of health science and health care offerings, the University of South Carolina is well positioned to help. Here are some of the ways in which university researchers and graduates are working to advance the health of South Carolina residents.
College of Nursing grant will increase family nurse practitioner workforce in rural, underserved areas
November 10, 2022, Téa Smith
Scholarship recipient and graduate student Kayla Lee has seen firsthand the effect lack of access to quality health care can have on a community. She is happy to be furthering her career in nursing and helping to create accessible quality health care throughout the state.
NIH funding will support diversity initiative
October 12, 2022, Communications and Marketing
The National Institutes of Health has awarded the university $13.2 million to attract and retain diverse, early stage faculty.
Columbia, Upstate campuses to receive Prisma Health funding for nursing programs
October 03, 2022, Kyndel Lee
The University of South Carolina’s Columbia and Upstate campuses are recipients of an investment in scholarships by Prisma Health to help counter the state’s critical nursing shortage.
Nursing initiatives embrace academic excellence, service to South Carolina
September 19, 2022
It's no secret that South Carolina has a nursing shortage. The University of South Carolina is working on all fronts to meet the challenge by attracting, retaining and better training the next generation of nurses. Here's a look at efforts to advance nursing education and help meet the need for more new nurses.
One size / color does not fit all
September 12, 2022, Téa Smith
The College of Nursing is slowly but surely taking steps toward making nursing education diverse.
U.S. News rankings: UofSC retains top spot in international business, first-year student experience
September 09, 2022, Megan Sexton
The University of South Carolina has the top first-year student experience of any public college in the country and the best international business program, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual undergraduate rankings.
Eat, sleep, be healthy
August 03, 2022, Craig Brandhorst
Assistant professor of nursing Michael Wirth is a busy man these days, with his hands on multiple projects. The overarching goal? Healthier diets and lifestyles for shift workers in high-stress occupations like nursing and law enforcement and better sleep for everyone.
UofSC, Lexington Medical Center enter new partnership
July 05, 2022, Kyndel Lee
The University of South Carolina College of Nursing and Lexington Medical Center have partnered to build a state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab and teaching space to provide clinical training for UofSC’s growing nursing student population.
Students, alumni work to transform health care in rural Guatemala
May 20, 2022, Alexis Watts
Spring break normally means a time for University of South Carolina students to say goodbye to hard work and relax for a week, but for the past 10 years, hundreds of students from the Capstone Scholars program have chosen to challenge themselves culturally.
Nursing alumnus, medical grad student honored for work on suicide prevention
May 12, 2022, Mollie Roe and Emily Miles
During his sophomore year, nursing student Bradley Quarles lost a family member to suicide. That experience, combined with the medical knowledge he learned in his studies, spurred Quarles to look for ways to prevent suicide and promote mental health on campus.
The Best of Times?
April 25, 2022, Craig Brandhorst
A lot happens over the course of an academic year, and there’s absolutely no way to highlight everything. So, no, don’t think of this as a Best Of list. This is merely a smattering of the achievements and memorable moments that defined 2021-22, a small taste of the year that was. Trust us, there’s plenty more where this came from — and plenty more to come.
US News rankings: UofSC tops in International MBA, med school grads in underserved areas
March 28, 2022, Megan Sexton
The University of South Carolina’s international business program retained its spot as the best in the country, while the School of Medicine Columbia remained the best school for graduates practicing in underserved areas, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School rankings.
Nursing Ph.D. graduate works to improve understanding of cervical cancer causes
March 17, 2022, Megan Sexton
As a Ph.D. student in the College of Nursing, Chigozie Nkwonta studied cervical cancer prevention, with the goal to increase HPV vaccinations and cervical cancer screenings in her home country of Nigeria.
UofSC ranks No. 1 in online graduate nursing program
January 24, 2022, Megan Sexton
The University of South Carolina’s College of Nursing retained the No. 1 national ranking for its online graduate nursing program, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual online program rankings released Tuesday (Jan. 25).
Nursing graduate shares her journey to a healthy lifestyle
December 08, 2021, Mollie Roe
At the College of Nursing, Gabs Amster used her personal journey to a healthy lifestyle to connect and empathize with her patients. After graduation this month, she will begin her career as a registered nurse in a critical care unit.
USC graduates help fill the gaps in rural health care
November 16, 2021, Megan Sexton
As the country marks Rural Health Day this week, the University of South Carolina works — through its School of Medicine, College of Nursing, Arnold School of Public Health and other areas — to understand and improve the delivery of health care in rural and underserved communities.
2021 UofSC breast cancer faculty experts list
October 04, 2021
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The University of South Carolina has a number of faculty members who are available to offer their expertise in breast cancer stories. To coordinate an interview, contact the staff member listed with each expert entry.
UofSC retains top spots for first-year student experience, international business
September 13, 2021, Megan Sexton
The University of South Carolina has the top first-year student experience of any public college in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual undergraduate rankings. UofSC also retained its No. 1 ranking in international business for the 23rd straight year.
Clinical teaching award: Eboni Harris
August 18, 2021, Megan Sexton
Eboni Harris, a University of South Carolina alumna and associate professor in the College of Nursing, is the 2021 Clinical Practice Teaching Award winner.
New degree programs debut in Fall '21
August 12, 2021, Cam Adams
The University of South Carolina is expanding its degree offerings with 13 new programs set to launch this fall that will better prepare students for careers in cybersecurity, education, nursing, business and music among other fields.
Breakthrough Star: Demetrius Abshire
May 25, 2021, Chris Horn
Demetrius Abshire has made plenty of hay in the field of rural health research in the four years since he joined the College of Nursing faculty.
Breakthrough Leader: Bernardine Pinto
April 05, 2021, Craig Brandhorst
When it comes to leadership, nursing professor and researcher Bernardine Pinto’s biggest impact might come in the form of her mentorship, which to her mind is almost as important as the work she does with cancer survivors themselves.
UofSC ranks No. 1 in Nursing
January 26, 2021, Tenell Felder
The University of South Carolina’s College of Nursing ranks No. 1 among all U.S. universities for its online graduate nursing program, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual online rankings.
Nursing college makes push to place more primary care providers
January 14, 2021, Chris Horn
It’s estimated that the Palmetto State needs more than 800 additional primary care providers in the next 10 years just to keep pace with the needs of its growing and aging population. The College of Nursing is helping to fill the gap by training a new wave of family nurse practitioners for underserved communities.
Character Counts: 2020 in Review
December 18, 2020
It’s been a year — but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty to celebrate, recognize and honor at the University of South Carolina in 2020. UofSC rose to each and every challenge this year and raised the bar for the year to come.
Nursing graduate found his purpose in Vietnam
December 15, 2020, Chris Horn
To earn a nursing degree, Thien Nguyen had to overcome a language barrier and financial hardship — a familiar tale for many young immigrants to the United States. But there’s much more to Nguyen’s story, and it began 20 years ago in Vietnam when he was 5 years old.
Heroes wear masks
August 11, 2020, Craig Brandhorst
This spring, as COVID-19 spiked in New York City, the nation’s largest metropolitan area became the face of the U.S. pandemic. Nurses from across the U.S. — including UofSC alumni — descended on the region, enduring personal hardship and risking their own health to help stem the tide.
COVID-19 response: UofSC nurses battle pandemic on front lines
May 05, 2020, Tenell Felder
It’s a challenging time to be a nurse. Serving on the front lines of a pandemic, nurses are not only tasked with helping COVID-19 patients — they’re also tasked with doing it in full protective gear and while simultaneously managing non-COVID patients.
Nurses need support for the trauma and pain they experience
May 04, 2020, Cheedy Jaja
Since the beginning of the profession, nurses have played pivotal roles during outbreaks of disease, delivering care throughout even the bleakest of public health emergencies. College of Nursing professor Cheedy Jaja recalls for The Conversation his experience being on the front lines of Ebola.
COVID-19 impact: Cancer patients and their families
April 21, 2020, Tenell Felder
Swann Arp Adams researches disparities in cancer prevention and screening. She has practiced in diabetes care, bone marrow transplant, mammography and oncology. Adams provides insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic might affect current or recovering cancer patients and their families.
COVID-19 impact: Clinician trauma and other lessons from the Ebola epidemic
April 14, 2020, Laura Kammerer
Cheedy Jaja, associate professor of nursing, in 2014 and 2015 treated patients during the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. He says health care workers caring for coronavirus patients are at risk for psychological trauma.
Q&A: Students exemplifying resilience during COVID-19 pandemic
April 09, 2020, Caleigh McDaniel
We caught up with three students who have demonstrated resilience and resourcefulness when it comes to navigating their responsibilities during a pandemic.
COVID-19 response: Virtual simulation keeps nursing students on track for graduation
April 06, 2020, Chris Horn
Some aspects of nursing education involve face-to-face interaction with patients, but virtual simulation is the next best thing during COVID-19 restrictions.
COVID-19 impact: Nurses work on front lines of pandemic
April 03, 2020, Tenell Felder
Alicia Ribar, clinical associate professor at the College of Nursing, provides insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic has and will affect the field of nursing. Ribar has practiced nursing for 26 years and has had active clinical practices in acute and primary care pediatric and family practice.
UofSC climbs in nursing, education rankings
January 14, 2020, Tenell Felder & Amanda Hernandez
The University of South Carolina ranks No. 1 in the nation among public universities (No. 2 overall) for its online graduate nursing program, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual online rankings.
First-generation students, faculty and alumni reflect on their college experiences
November 05, 2019
Attending college is a transformative experience, offering students the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills and experiences that lead them to a fuller life. We spoke to first-generation college students, faculty and alumni to learn about their experiences on campus and beyond.
Clinical Practice Teaching Award: Sheryl Mitchell
September 27, 2019, Megan Sexton
Sheryl Mitchell still remembers the advice from her graduate school mentor while she was earning her nursing and nurse practitioner degrees from the University of South Carolina. Now as the nurse practitioner program director, Mitchell brings passion and experience to the online classroom.
Family Weekend plays important role in student support
September 25, 2019, Annika Dahlgren
Family Weekend is part of the university’s wide-ranging commitment to delivering a superior student experience in a welcoming, inclusive environment. It helps to connect a student’s personal support network to the university experience, so that family members can feel engaged in a student’s journey — and a student can feel a deep level of support both on- and off-campus.
Implicit bias expert brings insights to UofSC
September 04, 2019, David Lee
Benjamin D. Reese Jr., an internationally renowned scholar on the topic of implicit bias, is visiting the University of South Carolina to speak as part of the Finding Common Ground Lecture series.
Changing triage procedures
August 05, 2019, Megan Sexton
University of South Carolina researchers are working to study and improve the way patients are examined and treated in the aftermath of a chemical mass casualty event, such as the 2005 train collision in Graniteville, South Carolina.
Preparing the providers
August 01, 2019, Megan Sexton
Sheryl Mitchell still remembers the advice from her graduate school mentor while she was earning her nursing and nurse practitioner degrees from the University of South Carolina. Now as the nurse practitioner program director, Mitchell brings passion and experience to the online classroom.
Breakthrough Star: Tisha Felder
March 22, 2019, Page Ivey
In the fight against breast cancer, there are two distinct lines of research: treatment and prevention. Breakthrough Star Tisha Felder, an assistant professor and researcher in the College of Nursing and Cancer Prevention and Control Program in the Arnold School of Public Health, finds herself at the crossroads of those two lines.
For the Kids
February 28, 2019, Allen Wallace
A year ago, University of South Carolina Dance Marathon made history, raising more than a million dollars for the kids at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital (then known as Palmetto Health). Just days after that success, they began working to do it again. That yearlong effort concludes Saturday with the student organization’s annual Main Event.
Committed to service
February 08, 2019, Laura Kammerer
At the height of the Ebola epidemic in 2014, Cheedy Jaja traded the relative comforts of American health care practice for Tyvek bodysuits and chlorine baths. Now the Sierra Leonean native is committed to a new mission: to bolster the early diagnosis and treatment of sickle cell disease in children.
A Worthy example
October 12, 2018
If you’re an upper division nursing student at the University of South Carolina, Karen Worthy has seen your file. For her dedication to her students, the five-time Carolina graduate is a 2018 Clinical Teaching Award winner.
Big data to the rescue
June 26, 2018, Chris Horn
University of South Carolina researchers across multiple disciplines are putting data analytics to work to tackle an array of real-world challenges — from keeping helicopters flying safely to improving health care and detecting deadly fungal outbreaks in corn.
Breakthrough Star: Karen McDonnell
June 15, 2018, Julie Smith-Turner
Karen McDonnell didn’t want to be a nurse. In fact, she turned down a nursing scholarship after high school in favor of studying biology and chemistry. After graduation, she went to work in a research lab. Although she enjoyed her work, something about it didn’t quite fit. That’s when McDonnell discovered her true calling in a most unusual place.
Transforming professionals through human interaction
June 08, 2018, John Brunelli
The University of South Carolina became one of the first nursing programs in the state to start a simulated participant — or SP program. More than a dozen actors feign ailments to better prepare Carolina nurses.
Overcoming grief through music
May 25, 2018, John Brunelli
Sarah Louise Faulkner combined her love of music with her studies to become a nurse to study the healing power of music.
Galen Fellows
March 19, 2018, Megan Sexton
The first class of Galen Health Fellows arrived on campus in August, a group of more than 450 first-year students with dreams of careers in the health sciences.
Fighting for the fragile
March 05, 2018, Laura Kammerer
After watching an extremely premature baby die following complications from hypothermia, Robin Dail has dedicated her career to understanding the impact of temperature on premature babies. Her research is influencing care practice standards and leading to new technologies.
Medical researchers work together to improve South Carolina's health
February 08, 2018, John Brunelli
National Council for Behavior Health medical director Joseph Parks will be the keynote speaker at the Integrated Behavioral Health Symposium spearheaded by the College of Social Work. The symposium will be held Monday (Feb. 12) at the Alumni Center.
Stronger together
February 02, 2018, Laura Kammerer
Kristal Tribble and Tina Williamson enrolled in Carolina's online RN to BSN program thinking it would be a solitary endeavor. Instead, they found community and friendship, and the pair are now pursuing the College of Nursing's online master's of nursing program together.
Nursing works with other health disciplines to improve SC's health
January 11, 2018, John Brunelli
The Carolina Family Practice, operated by nursing faculty, has a new home to better serve its patients. In November, the clinic opened at 1410 Blanding St. in downtown Columbia as part of its new affiliation with Palmetto Health USC Medical Group.
Making dreams come true
November 28, 2017, Megan Sexton
A nursing degree from the University of South Carolina helped make Patricia Edens Eddy’s dreams come true. Now, she wants to help make that experience available for others. Eddy and her husband, Nelson, have established an endowed fund to award scholarships to College of Nursing students.
Breathe easier
October 31, 2017, Chris Horn
Just because lung cancer patients are living longer and sometimes even cured of the disease, long-term survivors of the disease often cope with distressing symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, depression and anxiety. Karen Kane McDonnell, a nursing professor in USC’s College of Nursing, plans to test an intervention to reduce their symptom burden.
Stick with the program
October 24, 2017, Page Ivey
Tisha Felder recently received funding from the National Cancer Institute to identify and test intervention strategies to improve adherence to hormonal therapy among disadvantaged breast cancer survivors who experience excess rates of breast cancer mortality.
A rural outreach
October 17, 2017, John Brunelli
Improving rural health is a key focus for USC’s College of Nursing, which has initiatives in place to address rural health disparities, improve mental health access and respect cultural differences in health care decision making.
Destined to help
October 10, 2017, Melinda Waldrop
Kahlil Demonbreun always knew what he wanted to do, even if he couldn’t put an exact name to it. Demonbreun, the 2016 recipient of the University of South Carolina College of Nursing Alumni Award, grew up in Michigan surrounded by strong women whose influence led him down a somewhat unusual career path.
Choosing right, when all the choices are correct
September 25, 2017, John Brunelli
May 2017 graduates of the University of South Carolina College of Nursing set a new record on the National Council Licensure Examination, the standardized test used for the licensing of nurses in the U.S. The cohort of 158 nursing students earned a pass rate of 99.3 percent. The year-to-date average for the college is 98.3 percent. The national average is approximately 83.6 percent.
A Smart Start to a nursing career
September 25, 2017, Megan Sexton
Starting this fall, a cohort of nursing majors in the South Carolina Honors College will start on the path to a career that might include research and academia — along with clinical nursing practice. The Smart Start Nursing Program allows Honors College students to be automatically accepted into the upper division of the College of Nursing.
Creating a way
September 06, 2017, Jalesa Cooley
Nursing student Shannon Eichorst has been crafting ceramics since her freshman year of high school. Now, as a junior, she is reaping the benefits of her creations as a way to send local students to Young Life summer camp.
Researching new triage methods to save lives
April 05, 2017, John Brunelli
Nursing faculty and students participated in a mass casualty incident exercise as part of a study to determine new triage methods.
Fostering a passion for global health
March 28, 2017, Megan Sexton
University of South Carolina students travel to developing countries to understand and tackle global health issues
The timely promise of telehealth
March 21, 2017, Chris Horn
Clinical faculty at the University of South Carolina are using technology and innovation to change the way health care is delivered and improve the wellbeing of the state’s rural population.
Twenty-Sixteen: By the Letters
December 15, 2016, USC Times
A is for alphabet, at least according to USC Times. To help close out 2016, the University of South Carolina’s monthly magazine for faculty and staff devoted its entire December issue to the ABCs of 2016 — with each letter representing a different accomplishment, announcement or notable arrival from the past year.
Nursing student realizes dream with graduation
December 12, 2016, Megan Sexton
When Emily Bethea walked across the commencement stage Monday, it marked the completion of a dream that began more than a decade ago, as she watched over her mother and infant brother in the hospital.
Training leaders, harnessing data for better health
September 26, 2016, Dan Cook
Ronda Hughes, director of the Center for Nursing Leadership, has noticed that health care systems are good at generating data — but, so far, not very good about using it to improve patient outcomes. She wants to change that.
Soft skills, holistic approach key to well-trained nurses
June 22, 2016, Dan Cook
Training nurses is no easy task. Yes, students need to absorb medical information and learn procedures — but soft skills like communication and diplomacy are important, too. Luckily for students, Clinical Practice Teaching Award winner Selina Hunt McKinney has thought long and hard about how to prepare nurses for the world beyond the classroom.
Reaching across the continents
May 10, 2016
The College of Nursing’s Global Health initiatives include improving Latino and children’s mental health and expanding study abroad opportunities.
Cockroft Leadership Program fulfills founder's vision
March 21, 2016
Amy V. Cockcroft was a leader in nursing, always pushing for better-educated and better-prepared nurses and then for nurses who were ready to take on leadership positions. It’s why she established the College of Nursing’s Nursing Leadership Development program more than 20 years ago, to provide nurses with the skills, strategies, knowledge and techniques in becoming successful health care leaders within a generation of rapid change.
Cultural health diplomacy
March 04, 2016, Steven Powell
Growing up the daughter of an itinerant Israeli ambassador, Ronit Elk can count India, Turkey and Uganda, among other countries, as childhood homes. The College of Nursing professor is applying what she has learned from years of observing how cultures collide to address long-standing ethnic differences in end-of-life care in rural South Carolina.
Moving beyond cancer
February 18, 2016, Steven Powell
The College of Nursing's Bernardine Pinto is spearheading a research study aimed at getting breast cancer survivors a healthy dose of exercise. Getting them in touch with fellow survivors as mentors was a key element of the success of an earlier iteration of the study.
Thriving while surviving
January 22, 2016, Steven Powell
The College of Nursing’s Cancer Survivorship Center is focused on helping improve life for survivors of every manner of cancer, both in years lived and in the quality of those years. Co-directors Sue Heiney (pictured) and Swann Arp Adams lead a diverse faculty research group that covers the entire trajectory of the disease.
Q&A with Nursing Dean Andrews
January 11, 2016, April Blake
The University of South Carolina’s online graduate program in nursing started 15 years ago. The curriculum was one of the first online programs the university offered, targeting working nurses who wanted to join the ranks of nurse leaders, conduct research and teach. We sat down with College of Nursing Dean Jeannette Andrews to discuss the program's success and plans for the future.
The power of nursing
November 10, 2015, Page Ivey
When alumni Earl and Barbara Huitt Lovelace were caring for their aging parents, they saw first-hand how important nurses are to families in need. Now the couple has created a scholarship to help nursing students in need.