by Kristen Karig, Public Relations

Caring for the Community is a commitment at MUSC’s College of Nursing (CON).

Adding to that effort to improve the lives of people in South Carolina’s underserved and high risk communities is Marilyn Laken, Ph.D., the new CON associate dean of research and practice.

Laken brings a wealth of knowledge from her previous experiences as division chief of community health programs in the OB/GYN Department of Detroit’s Wayne State University where she was a professor and headed Family Road—a comprehensive approach to providing services for low-income women and their families.

An innovative and award-winning program being applied across the country, Family Road combines already existing educational, social, psychological and health services into one unique environment. And Laken sees a future for this concept in Charleston.

She also seeks to promote more evidenced-based clinical practice— understanding the needs of different people in different areas to better plan for the placement and nature of services. “This approach fosters a more objective, knowledge-based method of planning.” Through Family Road and other outreach initiatives, Laken hopes to further collaboration among MUSC’s six colleges. Laken herself embodies interdisciplinary education, with graduate degrees in both nursing and anthropology.

“With years of experience in community-based interdisciplinary care, Dr. Laken brings a valuable new perspective into the College of Nursing,” said Maureen Keefe, Ph.D., dean of the College of Nursing. “We are delighted to have her join our administrative team.” Working with the Provost’s Office, Laken will also direct MUSC’s Healthy South Carolina Initiative, which offers funding for faculty proposals to further MUSC outreach activities.

Laken’s experience in the field of medicine isn’t all traditional, however. She is also well-versed in alternative and complementary medicine. An elective course she developed and taught took fourth-year medical students at Wayne State into the offices of chiropractors, acupuncturists and other alternative therapy practitioners. She has studied alternative medicine in China, and recently returned from Cuba where she studied the integration of alternative medicine into their health care system.

“Almost one-third of Americans are using some type of alternative medicine,” Laken said. “We as health care professionals have a responsibility to know what therapies our patients are using, which have scientifically proven effectiveness, and which ones can be dangerous.” For the past five years, Laken has also participated as faculty in the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Annual Seminar on leadership for junior medical school faculty. She serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, and as a reviewer for other national publications including, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the American Journal of Public Health. She has held leadership positions on several national and international boards and committees relating to the health of women, infants and adolescents. Laken is also principal investigator on three active grants.

“I look forward to being a part of the exciting things happening in the College of Nursing and tapping into the potential for collaboration with other health disciplines at MUSC,” she said.