New Role Positions Clemson for Success in Health Services
July 22, 2014
CLEMSON, SC — Clemson University professor Windsor Westbrook Sherrill has been named associate vice president for health research at Clemson and chief science officer at Greenville Health System (GHS).
Clemson and GHS announced last summer the establishment of a health-care research and education powerhouse that makes Clemson the primary research collaborator for the GHS Clinical University and a key partner in health research and education initiatives.
“Dr. Sherrill’s dual role reflects Clemson’s growing emphasis on the health focus area as well as our research and education partnership with Greenville Health System,” said Larry Dooley, interim vice president for research at Clemson.
Both organizations work collectively to leverage existing research and education expertise at Clemson with the clinical opportunities offered by GHS, one of the largest health-care systems in the Southeast.
“Dr. Sherrill’s work is already generating remarkable collaborations between GHS and Clemson which will have an incredible impact on research, education, economic development and patient care in our region and beyond,” said Spence M. Taylor M.D., president of the GHS Clinical University.
Clemson’s health-related research and education programs are key to the partnership. With nursing and health science programs and other disciplines such as bioengineering and genetics that have tangible health implications, the collaboration will help develop Clemson’s health-related initiatives.
Having spent 10 years in health care administration before transitioning to academia, Sherrill uses her experience to bring a distinct perspective to this leadership role as well as her teaching and health-services research.
Sherrill has demonstrated a dedication to teaching throughout her tenure at Clemson, providing instruction to more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students, teaching courses in health-care management, health-care systems and health-care finance, health-services research, honors and Creative Inquiry. She also taught for Clemson’s graduate programs in business administration, nursing administration and health architecture.
Sherrill has helped lead the development of health-related educational programs at Clemson, including an undergraduate concentration in health-care management and Clemson’s health emphasis in the MBA program. Her scholarship on pedagogical innovation in health services has received national recognition by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration.
Sherrill’s health-related research is diverse, spanning the disciplines of health-care finance and administration, medical education and health disparities. Sherrill has led or collaborated on research that has garnered more than $2.5 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and other health-related foundations and organizations. Her work has been published in numerous refereed publications, book chapters, professional reports and scholarly presentations.
Beyond the classroom, Sherrill has participated in health-related service on behalf of the university at the local, state and national levels. She has worked with the South Carolina Hospital Association, Picker Institute for Patient Centered Care, the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center and served on the national boards for the Association of University Programs of Health Administration and Academy Health. Sherrill is an alumna of the Pew Foundation Health Policy Fellows program directed by the Institute of Medicine. Since 2012, she has served as the director of the Clemson University Institute for the Advancement of Healthcare.
Sherrill is a Liberty Fellow for South Carolina and received the National Scholars Program Award of Distinction for 2012. In 2008, she received Clemson’s Frank G. Burtner Award for Student Advising and the College of Health, Education and Human Development Award for Excellence in Teaching. Sherrill has served as a Senior Faculty Fellow for the Dixon Fellowship Program through Clemson’s Calhoun Honors College. She was inducted into the honorary Clemson University Class of 1939 in 2013, the highest distinction awarded to Clemson faculty.
Sherrill earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Wake Forest University and her master’s in health and business administration from the University of Alabama Birmingham. She received a Ph.D. in health policy from Brandeis University.
.
Clemson University
Ranked No. 21 among national public universities, Clemson University is a major, land-grant, science- and engineering-oriented research university that maintains a strong commitment to teaching and student success. Clemson is an inclusive, student-centered community characterized by high academic standards, a culture of collaboration, school spirit and a competitive drive to excel.
.
