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Geriatrics, internal medicine director appointed by Heather Woolwine Public Relations New Geriatrics and Internal Medicine division director Bill Moran, M.D., arrived on the MUSC campus May 1, but he already feels at home.   Dr. Bill Moran “This is a large division, with more than 50 faculty and staff a part of it, and it is a strong group with lots of opportunity for growth and development,” Moran said. “I’m looking forward to working with everyone and am excited that there is such commitment from the leadership and the Aging Center. The commitment here is important.”   Moran hails from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he served in various academic and clinical capacities for 15 years, most recently as an associate professor of Internal Medicine and director of the Center for Health Service Research and Quality.   His professional health care career began when he finished medical school and residency training at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1986. He served four years with the National Health Service Corp (NHSC) in Boston before beginning his fellowship at Wake Forest in 1990. He also completed a master’s degree in science of epidemiology.     “I’m very interested in general internal medicine and geriatric medical research, specifically functional impairment, quality of care, and coordination of care,” he said. “With all of our children away at school, I began to think that there might be other places where I could pursue research and clinical practice. The opportunity to develop clinical epidemiology and health services research at MUSC was the perfect choice.”     Born and raised in Boston, Moran felt a strong connection to health care from an early age. He related the idea half-jokingly that while growing up there were no primary care doctors in downtown Boston; instead community health centers tried to fill the primary care void. Centers like the one he worked in while serving the NHSC are not dedicated only to health services, indeed they also serve as daycares and recreation departments. With multiple services, the centers were quite the observation ground for Moran.     “My interest in geriatrics formed as I was exposed to geriatric patients who would visit the center because their apartments were in the high-rise tower next door,” he said. “While I was in medical school, the number of Boston community health centers exploded from four to 26 and all were affiliated with the academic health center with links to larger health institutions and major area hospitals. I was able to learn a lot about general internal medicine and geriatrics through this avenue.”     Moran’s plans for his division include building on the VA relationship in terms of geriatrics and internal medicine, increasing the focus on geriatric research, and encouraging more collaboration among general internal medicine experts and MUSC specialists for research development. He also has a passion for quality of care and patient safety for older patients.     “In keeping with MUSC’s mission, I want to increase the research capabilities of our division, plan for the new clinic that will consolidate McClennan Banks and UDC, and continue to support the development of a robust hospitalist group,” Moran said.     In addition, Moran will bring his expertise as a former medical director of one of North Carolina’s Medicaid networks to South Carolina in the hopes of assisting in improving the quality of care while reducing the cost of caring for Medicaid recipients. He will also teach several classes in epidemiology history and health services research in the fall.     Moran resides on James Island with his wife, Judy, a former emergency room nurse. He has three grown children including step-daughter, Leigh Ann, in Beaufort, N.C., son, Matthew, who is a senior in boarding school in Tennessee, and daughter, Sarah, at Harvard University.     Friday, July 8, 2005 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.