(Columbia, SC) — Members of the South Carolina General Assembly have been recognized as the newest class of Health Policy Fellows by the South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health (IMPH). The 11 elected officials were participants in the fall 2021 Health Policy Fellows Program, offered by IMPH and supported by The Duke Endowment and the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina. The program is a nonpartisan initiative that provides evidence-based information on health and health care policy issues in South Carolina. The Fellows were recognized during a reception in downtown Columbia on March 3.
Those in attendance at the reception included members of the IMPH board of directors, alumni of the program and members and staff of the General Assembly. Each Fellow was presented a certificate of recognition by Pack.
“Having a better understanding of the health care issues that impact South Carolinians most is critical to finding solutions that work,” says Representative Sylleste Davis (R-100). “IMPH is an important resource that serves us, as members of the General Assembly, with evidence-based information in a nonpartisan manner to inform health policy decisions.”
The Fellows Program highlights the importance of considering health implications as factors across all policy decisions and is intended to assist elected officials by providing resources and information related to complex health topics. The Fellows Program uses national and South Carolina-based experts to inform sessions focused on outlining the challenges and opportunities to improve health in South Carolina; improving the return on investment in health systems and financing; and using a practical framework for engaging in open, balanced and effective dialogue.
“Last fall I was finishing my certificate in health care leadership at Duke while simultaneously participating in the Fellows Program,” says Representative Shedron Williams (D-122). “And what I learned over the course of the program helped me graduate No. 1 in my class.”
Since the Fellows Program was founded in 2013, IMPH has recognized 65 Fellows from five offerings of the program. Learn more about the Fellows Program at https://imph.org/health-policy-fellows-program/.
2021 Fellows:
Rep. Terry Alexander (D-59)
Rep. Wendy Brawley (D-70)
Rep. Sylleste Davis (R-100)
Rep. Raye Felder (R-26)
Rep. Rosalyn D. Henderson-Myers (D-31)
Rep. Annie E. McDaniel (D-41)
Rep. Chardale R. Murray (D-116)
Rep. Mark Smith (R-99)
Rep. Deon Tedder (D-109)
Rep. Elizabeth “Spencer” Wetmore (D-115)
Rep. Shedron Williams (D-122)
