Richard M. Bell, M.D. Department Chair

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A Message From The Chairman

Welcome to the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Department of Surgery. We are proud to be a part of a rapidly growing, state-of-the-art medical school. We are fortunate to have two campuses - Palmetto Health Richland and William Jennings Brian Dorn Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center - that provide us more than ample clinical opportunities in which to fulfill our graduate and undergraduate educational mission. Our Department of Surgery leads the Southeast in new surgical technology on many fronts, and our patient care activities are considered as a standard in the region.

We have also gained recognition as a quality research department under the leadership of our full-time Ph.D. Research Director. In addition to cutting edge stem cell research in producing living, contractile myocardial substitutes, our faculty and residents are probing the molecular biology of the systemic inflammatory cascade and methods to modify the response that may become clinically useful.

Our postgraduate training program is a planned experience designed to develop the cognitive and psychomotor skills necessary to practice as a traditional general surgeon. The Trauma and Critical Care Fellowship programs begun in academic year 2002-2003 have added substantially to the education of our residents in these two areas. In short, the environment in which we train our future surgeons is second to none. Our graduates have pursued careers in private practice as well as in academic surgery. Many have obtained prestigious fellowship positions for further training.

We are proud of our accomplishments and very excited about our future.