Leadership Board of Trustees The President Institutional Offices Organizational Leadership President's Council University Leadership Council Open Full Site Menu Go to the home page Menu Toggle Menu MUSC Home Leadership Organizational Leadership President's Council President's Council President, Medical University of South Carolina David J. Cole, M.D., FACS Dr. David J. Cole came to MUSC in 1994. In 2003 Dr. Cole was named the A. McKoy Rose, Jr., M.D. Endowed Chair in Surgical Oncology and was selected as Chairman for the Department of Surgery in September of 2007. Dr. Cole was then elected President of MUSC Physicians in 2013. He held these esteemed titles until becoming President of MUSC on July 1, 2014. Dr. Cole received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from New Mexico State University and he received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in New York. He interned and completed his residency at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals in Atlanta and his fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the NIH/NCI Surgery Branch in Bethesda. Vice President of Institutional Advancement Kate Azizi, MBA Ms. Azizi is the Vice President of Institutional Advancement. She leads a team of philanthropy professionals who work on MUSC advancement initiatives for the university and health system in all markets -- local, regional, statewide and beyond. Azizi joined MUSC in 2020 from her position as assistant dean for development at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. Previously, Azizi held positions of increasing levels of responsibility at the University of Chicago, including more than three years as campaign director for individual giving and another three years plus as campaign director/senior director for principal gifts. Her academic experience also includes some five years in two positions with North Carolina State University in Raleigh, where she served as director of development and external relations at the Poole College of Management and as director of corporate and foundation relations for the College of Veterinary Medicine. Azizi has taken courses and earned a certificate in leadership and executive education from Northwestern University and the Harvard Program on Negotiation, respectively. She received an MBA in marketing from NC State University and a B.A. from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Vice President for Research Lori L. McMahon, Ph.D. Lori L. McMahon, Ph.D., is the vice president for research. In this role she serves as the institution's chief scientific officer, which includes responsibility for accreditation and regulatory affairs, university-wide promotion of research across all colleges and centers, representing the president and provost on internal and external research matters and identifying institutional research strategies and benchmarks in relation to the MUSC strategic plan. McMahon graduated from Southern Illinois University with a B.A. in biology/chemistry, before earning a Ph.D. in neuropharmacology at Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center. She completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center. McMahon possesses more than 22 years of experience as a faculty member, educator and administrator. She is a federally funded basic and translational neuroscience researcher with numerous awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other agencies. She is nationally and internationally recognized for her work in the areas of neurodegenerative disease and neuropsychiatric illness, with a focus on synaptic plasticity and sex differences. Chief External Affairs Officer Caroline Brown, MBA Caroline Brown is the Chief External Affairs Officer for the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and MUSC Health. Brown’s responsibilities encompass both the university and the health system functions at MUSC, working to establish new strategic partnerships and overseeing the organization’s external affairs programs with key external stakeholders including corporations, universities, and economic engagement organizations. MUSC’s strategic partnerships with Siemens Healthineers and Medtronic – two of the world’s largest medical device and solutions companies – were established and operationalized under Brown’s leadership. She also serves in an advisory role to the Office of the President as Special Assistant to President David Cole, M.D. Brown is an innovative, results-driven leader with expertise in strategy; communications; establishing partnerships, affiliations, and joint ventures; deal making; and stakeholder relations. Brown, a Charleston native, earned her undergraduate degree in public relations and a master’s degree in business administration from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. Visit the Office of External Affairs Chief Equity Officer Willette S. Burnham-Williams, Ph.D. Willette S. Burnham-Williams, Ph.D., is an experienced senior leader in higher education administration and developing strategic diversity initiatives and multi-faceted programs in small and large, public and private organizations. Dr. Burnham-Williams became the interim chief equity officer for the enterprise in September 2020, having joined MUSC in 2006, and serving as assistant professor and University Chief Diversity Officer since 2015. In 2017, she assumed the additional role of Title IX Coordinator and. Dr. Burnham-Williams is the senior strategist for diversity, equity and inclusion at MUSC. She spearheads major strategic goals and objectives for transforming the organization's culture of equity, inclusion and engagement. Prior to joining the MUSC family Dr. Burnham-Williams’ she has held leadership positions at Williamsburg Technical College, The Citadel Military College of SC, and The College of Charleston. She is a spokesperson on matters related to creating, enhancing andsustaining an inclusive organization and campus environment and is committed to partnering with leaders to build, foster and integrate comprehensive and intentional professional practices of equity and inclusion. Dr. Burnham-Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College,Hartford, Connecticut and a Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophyin Educational Administration from the University of South Carolina. Shecompleted 2 post-doctorate certificate programs: Health Care ExecutiveLeadership in Diversity and Inclusion from Georgetown University,Washington, DC and Harvard University’s Summer Institute for EducationalManagement (IEM). Additionally, she has participated in state and nationalwomen’s leadership development forums hosted by the American Councilon Education (ACE) and South Carolina Women in Higher Education (SCWHE). Dr. Burnham-Williams currently serves on the national Advisory Board for Women in Healthcare (WIH), the Board of Directors for the SC Industry Liaison Group (SCILG), the Advisory Committee for Explore Charleston Heart for Hospitality and is a member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE). Visit the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Chief Executive Officer, MUSC Health & Vice President for Health Affairs Patrick J. Cawley, M.D. Dr. Patrick J. Cawley is the chief executive officer of MUSC Health and vice president for health affairs of the Medical University of South Carolina. In this role, he oversees all clinical matters as they relate to MUSC. During his leadership, MUSC has significantly expanded its clinical enterprise with a new children’s hospital, multiple ambulatory sites, development of additional clinical affiliates, and numerous novel joint ventures. Additionally, MUSC has become a national leader in telehealth and has continued as South Carolina’s #1 hospital/health system per U.S. News and World Report. Under Dr. Cawley’s leadership, MUSC continues to receive a number of quality awards across all domains of quality: safety, effectiveness, efficiency, equity, timeliness, and patient centeredness. General Counsel Annette R. Drachman, MHA, JD As the General Counsel for the Medical University of South Carolina, Ms. Drachman serves as the chief legal officer for MUSC and is responsible for the legal affairs of the academic, research and clinical components of the University and Hospital Authority. Prior to her appointment as General Counsel in 2012, Ms. Drachman served as the Director of Legal Affairs and Associate General Counsel for Healthcare with the Medical University Hospital Authority. She has been an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Healthcare Leadership and Management of the College of Health Professions at MUSC since 1999. Ms. Drachman legal practice focuses primarily on governance, higher education and health law issues. Ms. Drachman has a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a law degree from the University of South Carolina, and a master’s degree in health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina. Visit the Office of General Counsel Dean, College of Medicine Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D. Raymond DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., was named Dean of the College of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina in March 2016. For four years prior to coming to MUSC, Dr. DuBois was Executive Director of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University with a joint appointment as Professor of Medicine in the Mayo College of Medicine. From 2007 to 2012, he served as Provost and Executive Vice President and Professor of Cancer Medicine and Cancer Biology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. From 1998 to 2004, he directed Vanderbilt’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and served as Director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center from 2005 to 2007. Visit the College of Medicine Chief Physician Executive, MUSC Physicians Eugene S. Hong, M.D. Dr. Hong is the Chief Physician Executive for MUSC Physicians and MUSC Health. In this position, he oversees the practice plan and serves as a senior leader in the health system. Hong is a leading authority on concussions, cardiac issues in athletes, overuse injuries and sports-injury prevention and has worked for decades as a team physician. He comes to MUSC from Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he was an endowed chair and professor in the Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine. He also served as chief of the division of primary care sports medicine, chair of the Drexel University Physician Board and associate dean for primary care and community health. Interim Executive Vice President for Finance & Operations Stewart Mixon Stewart Mixon, Interim Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations oversees the operations of the Presidents' Office and is directly responsible for three main university units: Engineering & Facilities, University Finance, and University Operations. Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost Lisa K. Saladin, Ph.D., FAPTA, FASAHP, PT Lisa K. Saladin, PT, Ph.D. is the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost for the Medical University of South Carolina. In this role, Dr. Saladin serves as the chief academic officer, responsible for institutional vision setting, strategic planning, oversight and investment for education and biomedical research. The Vice President for Research, Associate Provost for Educational Affairs and Student Life and the deans of the six colleges report to the Provost. Visit the Office of the Provost Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine and the Gregory-Chandler Endowed Chair in Family Medicine Terrence Steyer, M.D. Dr. Steyer is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine and the Gregory-Chandler Endowed Chair in Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston. The Department of Family Medicine at MUSC is the third oldest University-Based department of family medicine in the United States and has educated more than 800 family physicians since its inception. MUSC Family Medicine continues a legacy of innovation and scholarly work that is adapting the meet the challenges of a shifting health care environment while training high quality family physicians through a nationally ranked family medicine residency and a unique transitional year program, including research in a variety of areas including telemedicine, health care disparities and quality improvement. Dr. Steyer is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, did his family medicine residency at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and a family medicine fellowship at the University of Michigan. Chief of Governmental Affairs and Secretary to the Board of Trustees Mark Sweatman, MPA Mark has over 25 years of governmental and lobbying experience, having worked for the SC Senate, SC Governor’s Office, and US Senate. He came to MUSC in 2007 from the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, where he served as lobbyist. He was elected by MUSC’s Board of Trustees in 2014 to serve as their Secretary, a position he still holds. During his time at MUSC, Mark has been able to secure many appropriations for MUSC, including funding for a statewide telehealth network and for the new Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. Mark holds a BA in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Carolina. A native of Chapin, SC, Mark and his wife Lisa live in Columbia with their three children. Dawn Hartsell, MBA Special Assistant to the President, Manager of Projects, Office of the President Heather Woolwine Communications & Special Projects Contact Us 843-792-2300 Facebook social link Twitter social link Blog social link Skip Footer Utility Navigation About Us Careers Contact Us Find a Person Giving MUSC A to Z Public Affairs & Media Relations Wellness Center Our Services All Medical Services Education Alumni Apply Check My Application Colleges Degrees & Programs MUSC Libraries Research & Innovation Clinical Trials Research Offices SCTR Patient Care Schedule an Appointment Adult Medical Services Pediatric Medical Services Locations Find a Provider Patients & Visitors Patient Billing Health Professionals Jump back to top of page Confidential Hotline Patient Complaint or Concern © Medical University of South Carolina 171 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC 29425 Disclaimer Privacy Policy Web Accessibility Statement