MUSC Board of Trustees hears strong results in research, hospital operations and philanthropy

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) Board of Trustees held their regular scheduled meeting, receiving reports of strong financial performance in areas that included research, hospital operations and philanthropy.

Kathleen Brady, M.D., Ph.D., vice president for Research, advised the board that preliminary, unaudited data for fiscal 2017 indicates MUSC again received more than $250 million in extramural research funding. “In spite of an increasingly competitive funding climate, MUSC saw an increase in funding from the National Institutes of Health,” Brady said.

To broaden and deepen MUSC’s commitment to scientific discovery, earlier this year the Office of Clinical Research was launched. The unit is designed to develop new and expand existing partnerships to bring in more corporate clinical trials.

On June 30, the hospital authority ended its fiscal year with net income slightly above budget due in part to the timing of MUSC Foundation donations, raised for the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion. Scheduled to open in 2019, the new facility will be the most advanced hospital of its kind in the area, transforming care for mothers, children and families throughout the region. Currently, the construction project, estimated at a cost of $385 million, is on schedule. Use this link to view a time-lapse video of the facility’s construction: http://imagine.musckids.org/videos/

Philanthropy continues to play an increasingly important role in MUSC’s ability to fulfill its tripartite mission. MUSC concluded its fiscal fundraising year by successfully securing $62.1 million in new gifts and pledges. The largest single portion of the year’s contributions ($15.7 million) was designated to the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, followed by the MUSC College of Medicine ($11.8 million), MUSC Hollings Cancer Center ($5.9 million), the MUSC Neuroscience Institute ($5.8 million) and the Department of Medicine ($5.7 million). Team member donations to the university’s Yearly Employee Support (YES) campaign grew to $436,538, with participation increasing 14 percent over the previous year. Although MUSC is a state-assisted organization, state appropriations for the university and hospital authority are less than 3 percent of their combined annual budget.

“The many successes that we — as one MUSC — have achieved are noteworthy and should be celebrated,” said MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS. “We live our mission every day, educating compassionate, highly skilled health care professionals, engaging in groundbreaking research and discovery, and translating our labor into life-changing care for patients and families.

“Still, it is important to place our financial success in context,” Cole said. “Publicly assisted, academic medical centers like ours are charged with delivering the same, high quality care to every patient, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. That means changes in health care and in the availability of federal funding have tremendous potential to negatively affect our organization. MUSC leaders are engaging at all levels of the complex health care landscape to ensure our ability to deliver access to care for all those who need our help.”

During the meeting, Donald R. Johnson II, M.D., chairman of the MUSC Board of Trustees, read a resolution in celebration of the life and contributions of E. Conyers O’Bryan, Jr., M.D., a member of the MUSC board for 41 years who passed away in May. His widow, Mrs. Jennie O’Bryan and son, Edward C. O’Bryan III, M.D., attended the meeting and received a copy of the resolution.

An internist and cardiology specialist in Florence, South Carolina, Dr. O’Bryan joined the MUSC board in 1976 and served as chairman from 1994 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2002. He had served as chair of the MUSC Board’s Education Committee since December 2011. A 1960 graduate of the MUSC College of Medicine, Dr. O’Bryan brought decades of experience to his role as a trustee. At the time of his death, he held a volunteer faculty appointment in the MUSC College of Medicine departments of Cardiology and Family Medicine. Dr. O’Bryan also served as a medical officer in the U.S. Marine Corps prior to residency at MUSC.

In other business, the board voted to approve:

• The appointment of MUSC trustee Barbara Johnson-Williams as chair of the board’s Education Committee. Johnson-Williams was elected to the MUSC board in 2013 as the lay representative from the 6th Congressional District. The MUSC Board chairman recommended she assume the role vacated by Dr. O’Bryan’s death.
• The appointment of Sarandeep S. Huja, DDS, Ph.D., as dean of the James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine. He will assume his new role on October 1, and will also have an academic appointment as professor in the college. Dr. Huja has an impressive record of academic achievement, plus demonstrated leadership success and collaborative team-building skills.
• Pursuit of the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) in the MUSC College of Health Professions. The doctoral program will replace the current MUSC Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Program (MSOT), and will be the only OTD program available in the state. Occupational therapy continues to be among the fastest-growing professions, expected to increase by 27 percent between 2014 – 2024.
• Moving forward with the due diligence process for the sale of Harborview Office Tower at 19 Hagood Avenue. The sale of the building, as well as selected other campus buildings, is part of the MUSC Master Facilities Plan.
• An estimated $7 million in repairs to the Basic Science Building exterior as a result of water damage caused by hurricanes Joaquin (2015) and Matthew (2016).

The MUSC/MUHA Board of Trustees serves as separate bodies to govern the university and hospital, holding two days of committee and board meetings six times a year.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and 700 residents in six colleges (Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy), and has nearly 13,000 employees, including approximately 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $2.3 billion, with an annual economic impact of more than $3.8 billion and annual research funding in excess of $250 million. MUSC operates a 700-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children’s Hospital, the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical oncology), Hollings Cancer Center (a National Cancer Institute-designated center), Level I Trauma Center, Institute of Psychiatry, and the state’s only transplant center. In 2017, for the third consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the number one hospital in South Carolina. For more information on academic programs or clinical services, visit musc.edu. For more information on hospital patient services, visit muschealth.org.