Contact: Tim Gehret
843.792.2626
April 24, 2006
COLUMBIA -- The Palmetto State will soon be home to the nation's first statewide cancer research collaborative with MUSC at the forefront. The partners of Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) will officially sign The South Carolina Coordinated Cancer Initiative into existence before the General Assembly on April 27.
The HSSC partners include the Medical University of South Carolina, Palmetto Health, Greenville Hospital System, University of South Carolina, and Spartanburg Regional Health System. The alliance will have locations at each partner's facility with MUSC's Hollings Cancer Center taking the leadership role.
South Carolina is a state adversely affected by cancer and has some of the highest rates of breast and prostate cancer in the United States, particularly among the African-American community. Combining the resources of each HSSC partner will significantly enhance opportunities for potentially life-saving cancer research.
"South Carolina has some of the highest death rates in the country for cancers of the mouth and throat, cervix, esophagus, and prostate," says Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., MUSC president. "The best approach to addressing these challenges and the disparities in risk within our population is to bring coordination to our research and clinical strengths in the state. All of the partners are dedicated to working together to meet this challenge."
Health Sciences South Carolina is a public-private collaborative partnership between the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and the University of South Carolina (USC), Palmetto Health, Greenville Hospital System, and Spartanburg Regional Health System. HSSC's mission is to advance health sciences research, education, and public health in the Palmetto State.
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