Hollings in the Community

Hollings relies on the power of community partnerships to make lasting impacts on the health of our state. Our partners range from artists to pastors, but the goal is the same — advancing cancer care in South Carolina.

Hollings researcher Marvella Ford, Ph.D., a cancer control and health disparities expert, said these partnerships are crucial to community outreach — impacting one person and one community at a time.

“I think what we’ve seen is that we have to engage with people where they are, and through different people, including artists, who can use their artwork to influence public opinion and move people to changes in behavior. We have to go where people are. That means leaving the walls of our campus, leaving the walls of our cancer center, and going out into the community.”

Home team advantage

Tobacco treatment specialist Demetress Adams-Ludd

Former University of South Carolina basketball standout Demetress Adams-Ludd went on to play basketball professionally in Spain and France. These days, her opponent isn’t on the court — she dedicates her time helping people to quit smoking. Adams-Ludd serves as a tobacco treatment specialist for some of the most medically underserved communities in South Carolina — the same communities she grew up in.

Crossing over cancer

Serving the whole state

Study expands smoking cessation to underserved areas

Hollings researchers Michael Cummings, Ph.D., and Benjamin Toll, Ph.D., hope to save lives by expanding the Tobacco Treatment Program, first implemented at MUSC Health in 2014, to rural and underserved communities to improve overall patient health, save patients money and reduce the number of premature deaths.

Dr. Nichole Tanner sits in front of a computer showing a lung scan

New project expands lung cancer screening and treatment access for veterans

With new funding from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Lung Precision Oncology Program, Hollings researchers are part of a project to create a national network of sites with expertise in lung cancer screening and precision oncology clinical trials that can help facilitate similar research at smaller VA facilities, which often are located in rural areas.

HPV Vaccination

Hollings works with health care providers and partners across the state to increase HPV awareness and improve vaccination rates.

Dr. Marvella Ford and Melanie Slan stand outside

Community Health Van

Hollings rolled out a new mini-mobile health van to make it easier for parents to get their children HPV vaccinated.

Mobile Health Unit

The new mobile health unit will travel to rural and underserved communities and offer breast and cervical cancer screenings.

Helping our youth

Hollings researchers have found most adolescents want to stop vaping. The challenge is how to support them in dropping an addictive behavior. Dr. Jennifer Dahne received a National Institutes of Health-funded grant to develop a smartphone app designed to help adolescents quit vaping.

There's an app for that

Food is medicine

Dr. David Turner holds a bunch of bananas in one hand and a plate of bacon in another with a background of fruits and vegetables

Lifestyle habits matter more than you may think in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Researchers believe the foods people eat may be a contributing factor in health disparities when it comes to cancer diagnosis and outcome. Hollings researcher Dr. David Turner is a world renowned expert on advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are harmful compounds that accumulate over time in tissues, causing stress and inflammation.

Food is medicine