University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville

Rural patients who qualify for kidney transplantation are less likely to undergo transplant compared to urban patients. Multi-listing, or being added to the waiting list at more than two centers, has been shown to improve kidney transplantation rates, yet it remains a subject of debate and is understudied in rural populations.

Dr. Erin Weeda, SOMG Clinical Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences, recently led a publication comparing demographic, clinical, and donor characteristics among rural kidney transplant recipients who were on the waiting list at two or more centers (i.e., multi-listed) versus those who were on the waiting list at one center (i.e., single-listed) prior to transplant. The publication, funded by a seed grant from the Prisma Health Education and Research Institute (PHERI), resulted from a collaboration between Dr. Weeda, SOMG Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Dr. Arwen Declan, SOMG Clinical Professor of Surgery Dr. Derek DuBay, and SOMG M4 medical student Patricia Greene.

National data revealed differences between rural multi-listed and single-listed kidney transplant recipients. Multi-listing was linked to faster transplant but higher-risk donors, highlighting trade-offs in access and outcomes.

Read the full publication here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jrh.70156

Dr. Frank Clark, clinical associate professor of Psychiatry at SOMG, won 1st runner up for best technique for his performance of Crusin for a Brusin with dance partner Lily-Kate Barbare, Miss SC Teen, in the fifth annual Dancing with the Palmetto State Stars competition!

Dancing with the Palmetto Stars is not just about the dance. The competition also supports scholarships for young women. These scholarships are awarded through the Miss South Carolina Scholarship Organization, an institution that has, for 89 years, championed the cause of young women's education and empowerment.

This year, the competition raised $129,547 from 541 supporters. Dr. Clark and Lily-Kate Barbare raised $11,061 together, the third highest amount raised by a competing pair.

Congratulations and well-done, Dr. Clark!

Congratulations to our students and faculty who presented their research at the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE)'s 30th Annual Meeting!

SOMG medical students Emma Sherman, Hayden Carrillo, Isabella Nashbar, Veronica Able-Thomas, MS, and Chandini Patel presented on a variety of medical education topics, including (1) the correlation between medical students' usage of time and test performance, (2) resilience in medical school, (3) the impact of service learning on empathy and burnout, and (4) strategies to enhance accessibility and engagement in medical immunology, respectively.

Biomedical Sciences faculty members Kirsten Porter-Stransky, Anna Blenda, Joanna Appel, and Helen Kaiser presented on (1) preclinical student professional and personal development, (2) building competitiveness for residency, (3) associations between learning behaviors, learner profiles, and academic performance in preclinical students, and (4) improving narrative assessments in anatomy labs, respectively.

A special congratulations to Dr. Kaiser and Dr. Appel, who both completed over two years of professional development in medical education scholarship and capstone projects to earn their Medical Educator IAMSE Fellowships!

Congratulations to our M3 medical students Molly Crosswell and Grace Anderson on qualifying for the upcoming Ironman 70.3 World Championship!

The Ironman 70.3 is an internationally recognized half-distance triathlon series. Competitors swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles in immediate succession.

For Molly and Grace, racing together and crossing the finish line at Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga meant more than just athletic achievement. It also represented their shared dedication to lifestyle medicine.

Read the full story on our website: https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/medicine_greenville/news/2026/lifestyle_medicine_in_motion.php

Congratulations to Mohammed Khalil, PhD, on being re-elected as a Secretary of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists for a second term! Dr. Khalil has extensive experience teaching anatomical sciences, including human anatomy, comparative anatomy, and microanatomy. As one of the founding faculty members at our medical school, Dr. Khalil has played a critical role in the growth and development of SOMG, our students, and our graduates.

Congratulations, Dr. Khalil!

The Class of 2029 is DONE with their first year of medical school 🎉 Congratulations, Co29, and well-done!

Dr. Anna Blenda is helping advance discoveries in cancer biology using a Prisma Health biorepository of 10,000+ patient samples.

The cancer research collaboration between Dr. Anna Blenda and Dr. Jeffery Edenfield has created meaningful impacts for science and students. Their research focuses on leveraging biospecimens and clinical data from a biorepository in the Institute for Translational Oncology Research (ITOR). The biorepository contains samples from more than 10,000 cancer patients, each paired with detailed clinical data, making it a compelling resource.

As a biomedical sciences professor at SOMG, Dr. Blenda has prioritized creating opportunities for medical students to actively participate in projects examining galectin expression across multiple cancer types, breast cancer glycomic profiling, the cancer mutational landscape, and the integration of patient molecular and clinical data. These efforts have led to presentations at regional, national, and international conferences, as well as numerous peer-reviewed publications. Notably, these projects have increased the value of the biorepository, making it a highly characterized resource for galectin expression research.

Congratulations, Dr. Blenda and Dr. Edenfield, and thank you for all you do for medical students, science, and patients!

Our staff are essential for the success of our mission-driven medical school and students. Our second annual Staff Awards and Appreciation ceremony celebrated our staff's excellence in service, leadership, innovation, and more. This year, we received 127 award nominations, an extraordinary number that speaks volumes to our school's culture.

Congratulations to all the SOMG Staff Award recipients and nominees, and special thanks to the SOMG Staff Council—Whitney Axsom, Ihsan Elkhider, Jennifer Meshanko, and Devika Werth—for planning this ceremony.

View the full 2026 Staff Appreciation Awards photo gallery on our SmugMug: https://uscsomg.smugmug.com/Staff-Appreciation-Awards-2026

It’s “Don't Fry Day” - put on your sunscreen! The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention designates the Friday before Memorial Day as “Don’t Fry Day” to remind everyone to wear sunscreen and protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors.

In 2025, USC School of Medicine Greenville medical student Yash Verma partnered with City of Greenville Parks and Recreation, the City of Greenville, South Carolina Government, and Carolina Dermatology to place two free sunscreen dispensers in Unity Park and Cancer Survivor’s Park. The sunscreen dispensers contain 100% all-natural, eco-friendly, reef-safe SPF 30 broad-spectrum sunscreen that is made in the USA.

Community members who use the free sunscreen are encouraged to consider enrolling in the free, voluntary research study associated with the dispensers and facilitated by Yash and the School of Medicine Greenville. This study will help provide research information on the varying levels of sun-protection behaviors used by people who use the dispensers and will inform the city of their utility.

Anytime you use one of the dispensers, simply scan the QR code right next to it for more information or to enroll in the study!