Health Sciences South Carolina Welcomes Pate to Policy Steering Committee
May 5, 2009
COLUMBIA, SC – May 5, 2009 – Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) has named Russell R. Pate, PhD, to its Policy Steering Committee, representing the University of South Carolina. Dr. Pate is the vice provost for Health Sciences and professor of Exercise Science at USC. He replaces Mark Becker, PhD. For 30 years he’s had his fingers on the pulse of South Carolina and its health challenges, which makes him an excellent addition to the Policy Steering Committee, formerly known as the Scientific Steering Committee.
HSSC is a dynamic statewide collaborative composed of three South Carolina public research universities and four health systems that seeks to improve health and economic wellbeing of the state through advances in research, education and clinical care. Composed of researchers from each HSSC partner, the Policy Steering Committee provides guidance to the research effort, helps determine goals of the organization, and oversees the progress and direction of the HSSC-supported Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE), including the recruitment of endowed chairs. The CoEE program was created and funded by the State to engage public research universities and private and corporate investors in the transformation of South Carolina’s economy. Currently, there are 11 HSSC-supported CoEEs that address a range of diseases and healthcare quality and patient safety issues.
Commenting on Dr. Pate’s appointment to the Policy Steering Committee, HSSC President and CEO Jay Moskowitz said, “Exercise and nutrition play a vital role in chronic disease management, which is a major focus for many of our CoEEs that deal with stroke, heart disease and cancer. Dr. Pate’s background in disease prevention and wellness will lend a new perspective to the Scientific Steering Committee and will help us continue to grow our efforts to improve the health of all South Carolinians.”
Dr. Pate has been a member of the USC faculty since 1974. As an exercise physiologist, his interests are in physical activity and physical fitness in children and the health implications of physical exercise. He has published more 150 scholarly papers and has authored and edited five books. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Heart Association.
About Health Sciences South Carolina
Established in April 2004, Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) is a statewide public-private collaborative of universities and health systems possessing the shared vision of using health sciences research to improve the health and economic wellbeing of South Carolina. HSSC includes Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, Palmetto Health, and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. For more information, visit www.healthsciencessc.org.
