Cynthia Talley, M.D. Named Senior Associate Dean for GME and CME

Cynthia Talley, M.D., has been named Senior Associate Dean for GME and CME for the College of Medicine (COM),following a national search. COM Dean Terry Steyer shared that Dr. Talley brings an excellent combination of leadership, clinical, education, and administrative skills to this position, having served as the Associate Dean for GME under the leadership of Dr. Ben Clyburn over the past several years.  In this role, she will join the senior leadership team in the College of Medicine’s Dean’s Office, where she will devote her energy and effort to the continued development of these important mission areas for our institution.

In addition to this leadership role in the College of Medicine, Dr. Talley will serve as the Designated Institutional Office (DIO) in MUSC Health – Charleston Division, where she serves as the point of contact with ACGME to ensure MUSC Health – Charleston is creating the appropriate learning environment according to the ACGME guidelines, in addition to creating a culture of safety and quality, providing resources for wellness, resident inclusion and providing an array of other resources that our residents and fellows will need to thrive. The College of Medicine has over 85 programs and more than 950 residents and fellows in these programs.

In her new role, she aspires to provide development opportunities for education program coordinators and program directors by providing resource sharing among the programs and even throughout the Regional Health Network through online education. She would like to advance faculty development and professional development opportunities.

And, for a longer-range plan, she aspires to elevate the recognition of the education programs to students and residents across the country, showcasing that MUSC is a destination for the next step in their professional development. “I come from a family of educators, so I learned very early on the passion of bringing along the next generation,” said Dr. Talley.

Prior to joining MUSC, Talley was an Associate Professor for the Section of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at the University of Kentucky, where she also served as the Director of the ATLS Program, Program Director for the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship, and Faculty Advisor for the Ward O. Griffin Student Surgical Society.  She joined the MUSC Department of Surgery in December 2018 as an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Education.

Under her leadership at MUSC, the education division in the Department of Surgery grew significantly in size and scope, including the design and implementation of a novel Surgical Leadership Program. While the baseline outcome for all surgery residencies and fellowships is to produce safe and competent surgeons, the MUSC Future Surgical Leaders has added training for medical professional competency. We have nearly 20 surgery programs joining MUSC to create a Leadership Academy Collaborative instituting this program across the U.S.

“Dr. Talley has a strong passion for educating the next generation and focusing on more holistic issues such as the Future Surgical Leaders Program,” said Chair Prabhakar Baliga, M.D. “Under her guidance, all our residency programs received full accreditation and increased their complement. We wish her the very best in her new role and I expect her to be a dynamic leader who will be very impactful.”

Dr. Talley says she is looking forward to the new opportunity. “I value my time in the MUSC Department of Surgery as Vice Chair of Education and look forward to incorporating elements of what we have accomplished into this new role.”