The University of South Carolina will soon expand into the upstate after Monday's announcement of a graduate-level public health education and research program to be established in Greenville.
In a Monday press release, Jeff Stensland, USC associate director for public relations, stated that the program was formed through partnership of the Arnold School of Public Health with the Greenville Health System Health Services Center and USC School of Medicine Greenville. Master's degree programs are planned for the near future and research operations could be underway as early as August.
Dr. Ronnie Horner, associate dean for clinical public health at the Arnold School, oversees USC's Office of Clinical Public Health, which will provide oversight for the new satellite program.
"The leadership saw that there was opportunity in northwest South Carolina," Horner said, mentioning a lack of accredited public health programs in the region. "This research program would ultimately expand to provide public health learning opportunities to the community in that area as well as conduct this program of research that's focused on improving population health."
Alongside three health economists, Horner is one of four faculty currently working in the Greenville area. A newly hired health behavior specialist will begin work with the program in January 2018, and recruiting for a biostatistician and an epidemiologist are underway.
According to Horner, the program will initially be housed near the campus of USC School of Medicine Greenville. GHS officials were unavailable for comment Tuesday.