Endowed Chairs and Distinguished Professorships

Endowed Chairs and professorships are one of the highest academic awards that universities can bestow on a faculty member. Endowed chairs and/or professorships are esteemed faculty positions at a University and/or College who are recognized for their expertise in a key area of teaching, research, or service.

Endowed chairs positions are generally supported through an established endowment or gift, in which an annual payout supports the endowed chair activities. Selected faculty for these prestigious positions, have an established track record of scholarship, expertise, demonstrated international or national presence.

Distinguished Professorships are typically awarded for exemplary performance in research, practice, education and/or creative activities as reflected by a national or international reputation in the awardees discipline or area of expertise. It is recognition not just of excellence, but of impact and significant contribution they provide. Funds and/or effort are typically allocated to support the awardee’s professional activities.

Endowed Chairs

David and Margaret Clare Endowed Chair

Mary Watcher Swain Endowed Chair in Palliative Care Health

South Carolina, SmartState Endowed Chair for Technology Center to Enhance Healthful Lifestyles

The SC, SmartState Endowed Chair position for the Technology Applications Center for Healthful Lifestyles (TACHL) has made possible several major initiatives that have improved access, quality, and equity of care for children and adults who have experienced traumatic life events. For example, the Trauma Resilience and Recovery Program, a mental health service for traumatic injury patients that was established after a number of rapid pilot studies and phases of technology development were made possible by SmartState Chair funding. These studies yielded a model of care that is still in place at MUSC, serving 1,000 traumatic injury patients per year, and also one that has been adopted by a dozen trauma centers in the Carolinas.

This work also laid the foundation for 5 major grants over the past four years, including two Duke Endowment grants, an NIH career development award (K), and two NIH R01s. Bounce Back Now is another initiative that has benefited tremendously from SmartState Chair funding. This is an app that was developed to improve access to mental health services and reduce risk for developing post traumatic stress, depression, and sleep problems after disasters. After testing, SmartState Chair funding has supported its launch and maintenance to ensure that it is freely and widely available through the Apple and Google Play stores in English and Spanish, and have protected some of Dr. Ruggiero's time as he has pursued partnerships with American Red Cross and HHS-based entities to increase reach. Adaption is under development for disaster-affected adolescents, and it is likely that Bounce Back Now will soon be adapted for a broader range of trauma-affected populations.

The suite of apps and web-based tools created by the Center for Firefighter Behavioral Health in the College of Nursing at MUSC is a third initiative that has been accelerated by SmartState Chair funding. Firefighters and their families face a number of stressors and experience high levels of stigma around receipt of behavioral health services. These apps have helped to break down some of these barriers to care and have led to strong partnerships with networks of firefighters in the Carolinas and with national organizations such as the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation.

Finally, SmartState Chair funding has been instrumental in the protection of time for trainee and faculty mentorship in the College of Nursing and across campus. Three faculty members in the College of Nursing at MUSC who have major roles in many of the initiatives described above were once postdoctoral fellows under the primary mentorship of Dr. Ruggiero. The time that he was able to dedicate to mentoring is not protected by other sources, and SmartState funding was therefore critical to the development of these relationships.

SmartState Chair funding has been instrumental in the protection of time for trainee and faculty mentorship in the College of Nursing and across campus. Three faculty members in the College of Nursing at MUSC who have major roles in many of the initiatives described above were once postdoctoral fellows under the primary mentorship of Dr. Ruggiero. The time that he was able to dedicate to mentoring is not protected by other sources, and SmartState funding was therefore critical to the development of these relationships.

Ann Darlington Edwards Endowed Chair in Nursing

Currently Recruiting

The Ann Darlington Edwards Endowed Chair in Nursing was established in March 1997 as the College's first endowed professorship, named for the First Lady of the Medical University of South Carolina; a nurse, a stateswomen, and goodwill ambassador, was established through donations of stock from Mrs. Nettie Dickerson of Bank Air Corp. Monies allocated to the fund were to serve two purposes:

• Seed funds to meet the fundraising needs in association with conducting the Ann Darlington Edwards Chair campaign. Funds to support College of Nursing special events, travel, campaigns, meetings, public relation, and marketing of colleges mission and priorities.
• Funds to attract potential candidates and/or to fund the salary of stellar national nursing leaders to serve as the Ann Darlington Edwards Endowed Chair.

The focus of the campaign for the 1st MUSC Endowed Chair position, outside of Medicine, was on nurses - in putting the care back in healthcare and nursing, as the cornerstone of healthcare.

Today, the Ann Darlington Edwards Endowed Chair position looks for a visionary and strategic nurse scientist leader who will advance knowledge, through education, research and scholarship, to complement the vision, mission and priority areas of the College and which commit support to diversity and inclusivity in all its forms. The Endowed Chair is expected to lead as well as expand development and advancement in reducing health inequities/disparities in communities and diverse populations of those with chronic health conditions (e.g., cancer, advanced lung or kidney disease, dementia and Alzheimer's, etc.,) or among caregivers and survivorship.

The qualified candidate must have:

• A distinguished record of scholarship and extramural funding;
• A commitment to education and mentorship;
• Demonstrated leadership and collaborations in working with communities and diverse populations that result in positive impacts on improving health disparities and reducing health inequities.
• Lead the college in activities that support a holistic approach to inclusive excellence among faculty, staff, and students.

The outcomes and benefits were originally visualized in 1997 to be:

• Bring visibility and recognition to the College and to the Medical University.
• Elevate the College's position in national ranking - as well as elevate the status of the College, faculty, and students: among their peers, and other institutions.
• Promote scholarly productivity among the faculty and students; motivates and mentors' faculty.
• Serve as a magnet to attract additional funding to the College; a chair often brings funded research with them to the institution.
• Serve as a symbol that widely recognized by the academic community as a means of facilitating research, ensuring quality, and promoting the socialization of upcoming scientists.

Distinguished Professorships

Marr Distinguished Professor in Palliative Care

Locally, the MUSC CON Distinguished Professor in Palliative Care, will serve as a liaison with the Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) and among practice/clinical partners and healthcare systems across SC and among the Southeastern Region of the US. MUSC College of Nursing has been recognized as a leader in palliative care nursing education/training, practice, and was identified by leaders of the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) project as one of the founding US regions to continue to advance palliative care education and to strengthen national best practices integrating palliative care education into healthcare curricula. The MUSC CON Distinguished Professor in Palliative Care will serve, as the End-of-Life Nursing Education (ELNEC) Regional Co-Chair (territory initially includes South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia and will be expanded as capacity, stakeholders, and resources are identified) to advance palliative care education nationally.

MUSC CON Distinguished Professor in Palliative Care named June 2023

Carrie Cormack, DNP, APRN, CPNP, FAAN, Associate Professor, MUSC CON is recognized as a national passionate leader, with growing international recognition, in advancing palliative care education in nursing and interprofessional programs. Her leadership in developing the first DNP program in the US with focus on palliative care across the lifespan along with her compassionate work in pediatric palliative care in an Advanced Fetal Care Center have established her as a pioneer in the field. She has been invited and selected to join the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) as a co-investigator to provide national and international leadership in the field of palliative nursing. ELNEC, established in 2000 as an educational project to advance quality palliative care through nursing education, is a partnership of City of Hope Medical Center (Dr. Betty Ferrell, PI) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. In her role as co-investigator, Dr. Cormack will provide leadership in ELNEC international projects which have reached 101 countries. She has participated in ELNEC training for countries throughout Eastern Europe and mentored nurses in these developing countries to provide palliative care. Dr. Cormack will also participate as a regional leader for the Southern US region to implement ELNEC in the nation’s schools of nursing.