USC, Prisma Health partner to improve neurological care in South Carolina
March 12, 2026
The University of South Carolina and Prisma Health are partnering to offer state-of-the-art care and diagnostics to patients with complex neurological conditions at the new Brain Health Center in Columbia.
Opening later this spring, the Brain Health Center will provide patients and caregivers across the state access to advanced technologies, specialized clinical and support staff, and leading-edge diagnostics and treatments, including promising new infusion therapies. The center will house a 3 Tesla MRI scanner and the state’s first 7 Tesla MRI scanner, enabling high-resolution imaging capable of detecting minute brain lesions associated with epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
The partnership between USC and Prisma Health is a co-management agreement with joint oversight of the clinical services and academic activities delivered at the Brain Health Center. In addition to advanced diagnostics and therapies, the center will offer structured lifestyle programs aimed at supporting cognitive disease prevention and symptom reduction, as well as patient and caregiver support, group classes and community education. Scholarly activities will include cutting-edge research and unique training opportunities for medical students, residents and fellows.
“We’re proud to partner with Prisma Health to bring world-class care to South Carolinians with complex neurological conditions,” said Sarah Kirby, associate vice president for clinical affairs at USC. “Working together, we will improve diagnoses, make groundbreaking treatments available to patients and provide much-needed support to families caring for loved ones.”
“Supporting brain health is fundamental to preserving the essential capacities that allow individuals to lead meaningful lives, contribute productively to society, and adapt in a rapidly changing world,” said Dr. Tony Asher, president of the Prisma Health Neurosciences Institute. “I’m tremendously excited to work with our partners at USC to promote vitality and resilience in the communities we together serve by protecting and—whenever possible—enhancing brain and neurological health.”
The Brain Health Center is located at 3555 Harden St. Extension, near Prisma Health Richland Hospital and USC’s developing Health Sciences Campus in the Bull Street District. The renovated 65,000-square-foot building will serve as a location for USC’s Brain Health Network, which provides timely cognitive screenings, evaluations and community-based support services for patients in seven underserved areas across South Carolina.
About USC
The University of South Carolina is a globally recognized, high-impact research university committed to a superior student experience and dedicated to innovation in learning, research and community engagement. Founded in 1801, the university is a top-tier Carnegie Foundation research institution offering more than 350 academic degree programs, including distinguished programs in engineering, law, medicine, nursing, public health and the arts. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of 20 locations throughout the state, including the research campus in Columbia. With the nation’s top first-year experience, best public honors college and 60 nationally ranked academic programs — including top-ranked programs in international business — the university is helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and around the world.
About Prisma Health
Recognized as one of “America’s Most Innovative Companies” by Fortune magazine, Prisma Health is a private, nonprofit health company with more than 33,000 team members, 20 acute and specialty hospitals, 3,166 licensed beds, 490 practice sites, and more than 6,400 employed and independent clinicians across its clinically integrated inVio Health Network. Each year, Prisma Health serves more than 1.6 million patients in South Carolina and Tennessee. Connect with Prisma Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitt
