Satish Nadig MD Recognized for Spirit of Innovation at MUSC

MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS presented transplant surgeon Satish Nadig, M.D., Ph.D. with the 2020 MUSC President's Values in Action award in the category of innovation during the MUSC Department of Surgery Research Council virtual Teams meeting on Tuesday, December 11, 2020.

“The Medical University of South Carolina’s values are the heart of the institution and each day these values are exhibited by employees who help to fulfill MUSC’s vision statement, Leading Health Innovation for the Lives We Touch. Each year, the President’s Values in Action award recognizes five exemplary employees who demonstrate MUSC’s core values: compassion, respect, innovation, collaboration, and integrity ,” said Cole. “In many ways, these values have been even more important as we continue to move forward to fulfill this vision in spite of the many challenges COVID presents.

I am pleased to present the President’s Values in Action award in the category of innovation to Dr. Satish Nadig, who was nominated by Raymond DuBois, M.D. Ph.D., Dean of the College of Medicine, for leadership in two critically important initiatives at MUSC during the COVID-19 pandemic: developing an in-house antibody test and saliva testing as an alternative means of testing.”

Dr. Nadig was recognized by Dr. DuBois for his collaborative efforts and innovative spirit.  “Dr. Nadig pulled together and worked with outstanding interdisciplinary teams to create  an in-house antibody test, which the team delivered in three weeks. By utilizing the combined basic science, clinical skills and knowledge of its members, the best-in-class validated COVID-19 antibody test produced by this team provided a key tool for MUSC in developing sufficient testing capacity for our community,” said DuBois. 

“Similarly, Dr. Nadig worked with an outstanding interdisciplinary team to develop saliva testing as an alternative to nasal pharyngeal testing. The ability to utilize saliva testing as opposed to nasal pharyngeal testing reduces the burden of our care team members who administer these diagnostic tests as well as the many patients who do not like to go the undergo the uncomfortable experience of the nasal pharyngeal test.”

Nadig thanked President Cole and Dean DuBois, noting he shares the recognition with all of his team members. “This award is a mirror of how Dr. Cole often describes MUSC when he says ‘MUSC is large enough to make an impact and small enough to be nimble.’ We were able to leverage these characteristics in our responses to the pandemic,” said Nadig. “It also reminds me of something a patient once said to me ‘MUSC does complicated well.’ Both in the clinic and in the lab, when there is a complicated problem, everything else goes away and a solution is found, illustrating of how team science at MUSC ‘does complicated well.’”

“I believe this recognition also reflects the diversity of the Research Council and how collaboration and team science is providing a platform for the coordination of extremely talented researchers in the Department of Surgery and at MUSC.”