Congratulations to the Youth Collaborative's Helen Liu and Dr. Anna Kirkland for receiving 1st place for their MUSC Research Day presentations!

 

Helen presented on Adolescent Alcohol Use is Related to Alcohol Demand

 

Dr. Kirkland presented an oral presentation on Gray Matter Neurometabolite Alterations Associated with Heavy Alcohol Use: A Meta-Analysis of Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Studies.

 

Helen is currently an MUSC 1st-year medical student who works part-time as a research assistant with the Youth Collaborative and Dr. Kirkland is a postdoctoral fellow with the Youth Collaborative. Kudos to both of them for their excellent work!

On September 9, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14042, “Ensuring Adequate COVID-19 Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors.” This Executive Order requires most federal contractors, including the Medical University of South Carolina, to comply with specific COVID-19 guidance. This guidance includes the implementation of a mandatory vaccine policy for all “covered” employees and adherence to CDC guidelines regarding masking. MUSC has been assessing the impact of this executive order on our operations and its intersection with state law for employees covered under this federal definition.

 

After extensive due diligence with internal and external stakeholders, including Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, MUSC leadership has decided to comply fully with this executive order and therefore maintain our federal contracts. Failure to comply with this order puts at least $102 million dollars in federal MUSC contracts at risk in this year alone. In a worst case scenario, MUSC could lose as much as $190 million dollars in federal contracts. The loss of that revenue would be devastating for our institution and our ability to deliver our tripartite mission.

 

We realize this is short notice, and we regret the potential inconveniences and added stress that complying with this mandate may result in for some individuals during the next several weeks. As we continue to assess the impact of this executive order on our operations and plan next steps in light of the most recent guidance and continued due diligence, we are able to offer the following information at this time.

 

Who must get vaccinated in order to comply with this federal order?

1. All university employees directly named on a federal contract, even if they work remotely.
2. All university employees who in any way support a federal contract (legal team, business administrators, research administration team, etc.) even if they work remotely.
3. All university employees interacting with people in #1 and #2 above including those working and/or meeting regularly (including teaching) in the same buildings.

How will I know if I need to get vaccinated?

 

We will be reaching out to all employees who fall into any of the categories above in the next few days to inform you that you must either get fully vaccinated by December 8, 2021, or be approved for a medical or religious exemption before that date. You are considered "fully vaccinated" when it has been two weeks after the last dose of the vaccine.

 

Please note that as new federal contracts are received or more of our current contracts are amended by federal agencies to include this vaccine mandate, we will be reaching out to inform more employees that they now fall under this policy and are required to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

 

What do I do if I am notified that I must get vaccinated or file for an exemption?

 

If you are fully vaccinated (all roles): There is no action you need to take at this time. MUSC has access to a statewide database that includes the names of all individuals who have received the vaccine in the U.S.

 

If you are currently unvaccinated:

 

Students – If you are not on clinical rotations that require a COVID-19 vaccine and are not considered an employee of MUSC, you are not required to be vaccinated.

If you are a student and also considered an employee of MUSC, you may be required to become vaccinated if you are notified that you are a “covered” employee and you do not qualify for a medical or religious exemption. If you do not have an exemption on file and would like to submit one for consideration, please visit here.

 

Faculty – If you have already filed a medical or other exemption in relation to the MUSC Health COVID-19 vaccination policy, you do not need to take any action at this time. If you do not have an exemption on file and would like to submit one for consideration, please visit here.

 

If you do not qualify for a medical or other exemption and are notified that you are a “covered” employee impacted by a federal contract, you will be required to get vaccinated. Noncompliance with the mandate will be addressed in keeping with MUSC’s guidelines for disciplinary action.

 

Employees/Staff – If you have already filed a medical or religious exemption in relation to the MUSC Health COVID-19 vaccination policy, you do not need to take any action at this time. If you do not have an exemption on file and would like to submit one, please visit here.

 

If you do not qualify for an exemption and are notified that you are a “covered” employee impacted by a federal contract, you will be required to get vaccinated. Noncompliance with the mandate will be addressed as needed in accordance with MUSC’s guidelines for disciplinary action.

 

As noted above, employees who are defined as “covered” employees will receive more information in the coming days; however, please note that every effort must be made to comply with the this mandate (become fully vaccinated or receive confirmation of an exemption) by December 8, 2021. We recommend pursuing either the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine, as the Moderna series requires a longer time frame.

 

Regarding our masking guidelines, we are currently aligned with the executive order and will continue to remain in compliance. For more information obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine, including scheduling, locations and more, please visit https://muschealth.org/get-vaccine. If you have an MUSC My Chart account, you can use that platform to schedule vaccination appointments at preferred MUSC locations.

 

Thank you for your help in complying with this important federal mandate, and please stay tuned for more information in the coming days.

 

Sincerely,

 

David J. Cole, M.D., FACS
President

 

Lisa K. Saladin, PT, Ph.D., FAPTA
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

 

Lori McMahon, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research

 

Rick Anderson
Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations

FACULTY

 

Due to the ongoing pandemic, MUSC Executive Leadership has extended the Faculty Annual Leave cutback date to December 31, 2021 (normally 6/30). Based on the December 31 faculty cutback extension, all unused annual leave in excess of 360 hours, regardless of future leave approvals in the Kronos system, will be cutback to 360 hours in January 2022.

We encourage you to review the annual leave balances for the faculty members in your areas and determine if you have individuals who stand to lose leave when the automatic reduction occurs, and if so, we ask that you share this information with them. We also ask that you update all leave records as necessary to ensure we have the correct leave balances on file before the automatic reduction occurs. Leave balances can be viewed directly using MyRecords, found on the Horseshoe under the Employee Corner, http://horseshoe.musc.edu/human-resources/univ/employee-corner.

Faculty members are eligible to donate annual leave to the catastrophic leave pool per the HRM Policy 48: Catastrophic Leave policy. Due to the extension, the Leave Donation Form must be completed and sent to the HRM Leave Administrator (robinsmo@musc.edu or Fax 843-792-9533) by December 15, 2021.

If you have questions concerning annual leave cutbacks or accruals, please contact Monique Robinson at robinsmo@musc.edu or 843-792-7225.

Applications now being accepted:

“Career Development Program: Leadership and Advancement”

 

March 24 & 25, 2022
Open to ALL FACULTY

 

Applications are now being accepted for a virtual two-day intensive Career Development Program (CDP) focused on leadership and career advancement on Thursday, March 24 & Friday, March 25, 2022 from approximately 8:30 am – 1:00 pm. The CDP is sponsored by ARROW (Advancement, Recruitment, and Retention of Women). The program is open to both women and men faculty in all ranks and tracks (tenure and non-tenure track) who are planning to submit their promotion or tenure application in the next two years. Early and mid-career faculty are highly encouraged to apply. 

 

The program will include panel discussions, as well as large and small group interactive sessions. The ARROW CDP is an excellent opportunity to learn leadership skills and career advancement tips in a high-level, interactive, and intensive program. To participate, you will be required to submit an updated CV and personal statement six weeks prior to the program for review by a faculty mentor. 

 

Before applying, please consult with your department chair and/or division director to ensure that you will be released from all duties to attend the entire two-day program. Space is limited; Priority will be given to applicants who have not attended one of the previous two-day programs held in 2018 and 2020. If you attended one of the half-day CDPs focused on promotion and tenure, you are welcome to apply. 

 

If you are interested in attending this program, please complete the application by November 12, 2021. Applicants accepted into the program will be notified by December 3, 2021. Please contact Rachel Simmons with any questions about the application or program. Thank you!

 

Sincerely,

 

ARROW Career Development Program Planning Committee Chair,

Emily Johnson, Ph.D. and the ARROW Career Development Program Planning Committee 

Addiction Sciences Division

 

Open Rank/Assistant Professor (UNIV, Full-Time): The successful applicant for this position will have either an MD or a PhD degree and will be expected to have an established and independent research program that will interface with the multidisciplinary NIAAA P50 Charleston Alcohol Research Center at MUSC.

 

Open Rank/Professor (UNIV, Full-Time): The successful applicant for this position will have either an MD or a PhD degree and will be expected to have an established and independent research program that will interface with the multidisciplinary NIAAA P50 Charleston Alcohol Research Center at MUSC.

 

Child & Adolescent Division

 

Open Rank/Faculty (UNIV, Full-Time): This candidate will primarily provide inpatient services to children and adolescents (6-12yo) in the Institute of Psychiatry. They will be responsible for the care of patients and the supervision of medical students, residents, and Child Fellows for one of our interdisciplinary care teams. This candidate will also have a small portion of their effort dedicated to another service that may consist of telemedicine, outpatient care, and/or residential care depending on candidates preferences and effort availability.

 

Open Rank/Faculty (UNIV, Full-Time): This candidate will work as a consultant and liaison for the Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital + Pearl Tourville Women’s Health Pavilion providing psychiatric consultation and care to patients in inpatient and urgent care in that facility. This candidate will also supervise and provide education to C&A Fellows and other APPs who help staff this service. This candidate will also provide supervision for general residents and fellows in the Child and Adolescent Outpatient MUSC ED Walk in Clinic, helping to establish care for families who were recently seen in the MUSC Pediatric Emergency Room.

 

Assistant Professor (UNIV, Full-Time): The Medical University of South Carolina's (MUSC) Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences is recruiting for clinician-educator faculty positions in downtown Charleston, SC. According to the candidate’s preferences they may be involved with clinical services across a variety of clinical settings including outpatient, day treatment, inpatient and residential programs. Direct patient encounters and tele-psychiatry services may also be included. Desire to work with medical students, residents, and child fellows preferred.