Past, Present & Future

MUSC Neurology has been a hub for excellence in education, research, and care of patients with neurological conditions, since it was established in 1954 under the leadership of Dr. Oliver Talbert. We have undergone tremendous growth in faculty size in recent years and we expect that growth to continue in the future.

We provide care within the MUSC Health system and at the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center. At MUSC, Neurology faculty members direct the Acute Stroke Unit, Deep Brain Stimulation Service, Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, Neurophysiology Service (with intraoperative monitoring), and Neurovascular Lab. Among our highly specialized programs are the:

  • Stroke Center: The first academic stroke center in South Caronia to be certified by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals.
  • Epilepsy Center: Designated a Level 4 Epilepsy Center, which is the highest designation given by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers.
  • REACH Program: A teleconsultative service that connects partnering hospitals with immediate, round-the-clock access to MUSC's stroke care experts, who can remotely provide urgent consultations after virtually examining patients and brain imaging studies.
  • Rapid Access Care Execution for Transient Ischemic Attacks (RACE-TIA) Clinic
  • TUNE Program: A teleconsultative service that connects partnering hospitals with immediate, round-the-clock access to MUSC's Neurohospitalists, who can remotely provide urgent consultations after virtually examining patients and other relevant information.
  • ALS Program: MUSC Health's ALS Clinic is an ALSA Certified Treatment Center of Excellence

We also spearhead outpatient services in EEG, EMG/NCS, Botox, and Baclofen pump management. New services/programs in Sleep and vestibular/balance disorders are being developed and we are working on expanding several of the services we already provide.

In research, we investigate normal and abnormal functions of the human nervous system, and identify avenues for mitigating the diseases that ensue from dysfunction. Knowledge garnered from our research is shared with colleagues across the nation, and around the world, thereby facilitating appropriate and effective better treatment options for patients and their families. We are currently engaged in several practice-changing clinical trials in all disciplines of Neurology. We also are active in Global Health Research.

Our faculty believes strongly that our training programs are the jewels in our crown, and we are highly committed to fostering an accessible educational environment that promotes intellectual engagement with our trainees. All of our faculty members are actively involved in teaching the medical students, residents and fellows. Faculty members rotate on the inpatient services, staff subspecialty clinics, and precept outpatient resident clinics. Residents and fellows are encouraged to participate in research projects under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Our residents and fellows engage in administering novel treatments and clinical trials of neurologic diseases while caring for their patients. Regarding fellowships, we offer ACGME-approved fellowships in neurophysiology and vascular neurology, a Movement Disorders fellowship, and a new neurohospitalist training fellowship. Fellowships in Behavioral Neurology, Epilepsy, and Neuromuscular Disease are in development and will be available soon.