Family Medicine

The Medical University of South Carolina ranked high in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings for best graduate schools in the country in the area of primary care. “We are very pleased with the recognition of our primary care program as a leader in the Southeast and in the nation,” said Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., former MUSC president. “This is a fitting tribute to the hard work of our dedicated faculty, staff, and trainees.

Message from the Chairman

The Department of Family Medicine at MUSC is the third oldest university-based department of family medicine in the United States. Celebrating our 55th anniversary in 2025, the department has educated more than 800 family physicians since our inception.

The desire to provide excellent patient care and education that marked the founding of our department continues today. We have built upon our initial mission to train future teachers for family medicine, and today, MUSC Family Medicine continues a legacy of innovation and scholarly work that is adapting to meet the challenges of a shifting health care environment.

Our mission is to train high-quality family physicians while providing excellent patient care and building new knowledge in family medicine. We are heavily involved in the education of medical students during all four years of their training, serve as faculty for a nationally ranked family medicine residency and a unique transitional year program, and perform research in a variety of areas, including telemedicine, health care disparities, and quality improvement. The team maintains an environment focused on evidence-based decision-making, personal insight through programs such as Balint training, and academic inquiry that will keep our department on the leading edge of training family physicians.

Alexander Chessman, M.D., FAAFP
Chair of Family Medicine
Medical University of South Carolina