|

|

|

|

|

As a publicly supported academic health center, the Medical University values its unique relationship with the people of South Carolina. In particular, we believe that good health underlies the ability of all people to lead productive and fulfilling lives. We are committed, therefore, to helping our fellow citizens achieve and maintain the best possible physical and mental well-being.

We believe that all citizens should have access to basic health care services. To the extent that some of our citizens are without coverage today, we advocate closing those gaps. Since health care investments early in life carry the greatest returns, we support expanding coverage to all children as the highest priority.

In order to assure that all citizens have access to essential health care, there must be an adequate number of providers in all communities. The geographic distribution of health care professionals within our state is uneven and we are committed to improving access within underserved populations.

We believe that health care is most effective when it is delivered in a respectful, compassionate, interprofessional, and culturally sensitive way. The Medical University is committed to providing such care and to educating professionals who will manifest these attributes when they enter practice having the ability to work effectively with other health care providers.

Optimal health care increasingly draws upon the skills of a wide range of professionals. We believe that an interprofessional team approach is the best way to integrate these various skills and abilities. We support such interprofessional efforts in our clinical care, our research, and educational as well as outreach programs. Through the influence of our graduates, we will expand such initiatives elsewhere.

The Medical University values innovation and advancement of knowledge in all of our efforts. Accordingly, we encourage our faculty to be on the leading edge of developments in their respective fields. Through our leadership in education, research, and clinical care, we consistently introduce these emerging technologies for broader application, including across professional boundaries.

We believe that the component aspects of our mission – education, research, and patient care – are complementary activities. As the Medical University excels in one of these areas, it expands our leadership capacity in the others. Institutionally, we aspire to be at the forefront in each of these dimensions of our mission.

On an individual basis, it is increasingly difficult for a faculty member to excel simultaneously in teaching, research, and service. Accordingly, the Medical University advocates the promotion and advancement of successful faculty, regardless of the principal area of their contribution.

The Medical University values the opportunity to collaborate with other organizations. With respect to scientific investigation, our relationships with the other research universities in the state – Clemson and USC – are particularly crucial. These sister institutions include disciplines not found on our campus, such as chemistry and engineering. At the same time, the Medical University is home to life sciences expertise not found elsewhere in the state. Thus, intercollegiate partnerships allow each of the participating institutions to expand its research capacity.

The Medical University can play a critical role in the development of the economy of South Carolina. The three research universities are the principal breeding ground for the knowledge-based industry that will increasingly dominate the economy of the future. We want to contribute to the competitive success of our state by training a technologically sophisticated workforce and by translating intellectual capital from our students and faculty for commercial development. We see the leading teaching hospitals of our State as critical partners in this process, expanding our resources, extending our geographical reach, and augmenting our expertise.

We believe that all of the employees of the Medical University are accountable to the public that we serve. Accordingly, we are subject to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. Through the development, establishment, and enforcement of codes of conduct, we strive to assure compliance with these principles.

The Medical University values the opportunity to educate, employ, and serve the widest possible range of people. Accordingly, we want our campus to be a welcoming and supportive environment for all people, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or place of national origin.

|

|