Student Organizations
University‑wide and college‑related student organizations offer MUSC students opportunities to develop their leadership and management skills; to serve their fellow students, the Charleston community, and/or their professions; to explore new and old interests; and to have a good time with other involved students, staff, and faculty.

University‑wide Student Organizations

MUSC Student Government Association
The MUSC Student Government Association (MUSC SGA) represents students in all six colleges: Dental Medicine (CDM), Health Professions (CHP), Graduate Studies (CGS), Medicine (COM), Nursing (CON), and Pharmacy (COP). It works on behalf of the students by performing the following services:

• Facilitating the exchange of information and ideas among the six colleges and all students attending the Medical University of South Carolina.
• Serving as a liaison between students and the university administration to represent student opinions, needs, and interests; and disseminating and promoting the exchange of information from the administration to students.
• Taking action to increase the quality of student services and academic programs to further enhance the education of students.
• Planning and executing a variety of social, cultural, and recreational events to promote fellowship, personal growth, and interaction with MUSC students and the university community.
• Maintaining a budget, within the allocated funds, to serve the MUSC student body most effectively.

ALHAMBRA is the annual, university-wide “spring fling” scheduled for Saturday, April 18, 2009. ALHAMBRA has been an MUSC tradition since 1950. Festivities include live bands, delicious food, children's activities, recreational competitions, and a variety of cold beverages. DON'T MISS IT!

MUSC Student Government Association Officers
Student Government Association Representatives

Adolescent Diabetes Awareness and Prevention Association (ADAPT)
Adolescent Diabetes Awareness and Prevention Association (ADAPT) is a group of MUSC students from all of its constituent colleges interested in addressing the growing problem of adolescent diabetes in South Carolina, through education and preventative methods.  If you are interested or think you might be interested in founding, joining, participating, or simply learning more about this group, don't hesitate to email or stop by one of our organizational meetings!  Contact Allen Pendarvis at pendarva@musc.edu or Dr. Carolyn Jenkins at jenkinsc@musc.edu.

Alliance for Hispanic Health
The primary goal of Alliance for Hispanic Health (AHH) of MUSC is to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas between students, faculty, and staff of MUSC and community health care organizations in order to promote the health and well-being of the Hispanic community of Charleston.  The AHH was established in January 2005 and meets monthly to discuss new and ongoing projects to promote the health and well-being of the Hispanic community of Charleston, including health care services, cultural awareness, student needs and recruitment, and research.

The Alliance for Hispanic Health als
- Promotes and sponsors opportunities for cultural competency for health professionals, including lectures, films, and Spanish classes
- Participates in community health events that serve the Hispanic community
- Promotes opportunities for volunteering with the Spanish-speaking community
- Provides regular email communication about opportunities in the community and organization initiatives

Crisis Ministries
Crisis Ministries is a non-profit organization which utilizes volunteer services from a myriad of community establishments such as area churches, local hospitals, and various philanthropic groups, to provide safe shelter, nutritious meals, and medical care so that homeless families and individuals may be given a chance to better their lives. 

MUSC plays an integral part in the success of Crisis Ministries. For the past seven years, medical students have worked to raise needed funds through the Charity Ball. Each Wednesday night, 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., medical students from all classes, residents from the hospitals, attending physicians who practice throughout Charleston, and area pharmacists volunteer their time at Crisis Ministries to provide a variety of medical services. Most Wednesdays, there is an educational session from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The medical clinics are always in need of new student volunteers.

International Association

Medical Campus Outreach
Medical Campus Outreach is an interdenominational Christian fellowship whose purpose is to support and encourage MUSC students, faculty, and staff.  Our mission is to build laborers on the medical campus to reach a lost world.  We meet weekly at East Cooper Baptist Church for Sunday morning fellowship, have student-led praise and worship services monthly and discipline-specific small group Bible studies and social activities weekly.  Each year, we also have fall and spring retreats and an overseas medical mission project.  For more information, visit our website at www.ecbconline.com/mco or contact Libby Galloway, Administrator, at 763-4781 or email libbyg@knology.net.

MUSC Cycling Club
The MUSC Cycling Club is a bicycling group open to all students, faculty, and staff at the Medical University.  Its purpose is to encourage people to leave the confines of campus buildings in favor of healthy physical and social experiences by providing opportunities to ride.  Cyclists of all skill levels with bicycles of all types are welcome to join and participate, though most rides are oriented towards road bicycles.  On average, the club holds two rides per week, which generally depart from the vicinity of the campus, and always offer therapeutic trips through our historic and scenic Lowcountry.  For more information, please contact Tyler Ellis at ellisct@musc.edu.

Medical History Club
The Student Medical History Club meets for a catered lunch and a lecture by scholars on the history of the health sciences. Topics range from smallpox during the revolution to African-American healthcare.  These lunches are provided free as an opportunity to meet others interested in the history of the health sciences. Students from all six colleges are welcome.

W. Curtis Worthington, Jr., Research Award:
This annual prize for undergraduates and graduate papers on the history of health and science is named in the honor of the second and current director of the library.  A cash prize and a publication opportunity goes to the best graduate and undergraduate papers. Deadline for submissions is April 30th in each contest year.

Topics in the History of the Health Sciences INTDS 613:
This interdisciplinary course is open to students in all colleges. Students attend lectures by scholars on a range of topics including history of cardiac surgery, pharmacy, and nursing as well as more unique topics such as birth defects in pre-Columbian art.  The class meets weekly during the spring semester and is limited to the first 25 applicants.

Senior Rotation Elective:
For those students who are looking to expand their academic explorations, the Waring Historical Library offers a senior rotation elective which enables students to examine in depth an aspect of the history of the health sciences.

For information on the above, please contact The Waring Historical Library at 792-2288 or 792-2289.

Multicultural Student Advisory Board
The Multicultural Student Advisory Board (MSAB) is composed of representatives from the minority student organizations in all six of the university’s colleges.  Organizations currently represented on the board include Student Health Professionals United in Recognizing Diversity, Student National Dental Association, Multicultural Graduate Student Association, Student National Medical Association, Multicultural Student Nursing Association, and Student National Pharmaceutical Association. 

MSAB provides opportunities for social activities and strives to improve the recruitment and retention of minority faculty and students.

MSAB meetings are held the first Monday of each month from 5:15 - 6:10 p.m. in the Harper Student Center Auditorium.

Muslim Student Association
The Muslim Student Association (MSA) at MUSC is an organization designed to serve the spiritual and social needs of Muslims on campus and throughout the city of Charleston. Our primary goal is Islamic education through interactive activities open to the public.  Organizational efforts in regards to Dawah educational pamphlets, weekly Jumuah prayers, and lectures on the role of medicine/health care in Islam are of primary interest. Membership is open to all students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Meetings will be largely dependent on the members’ schedules and availability. No dues are required.  For more information, please contact Fozail Alvi ( alvi@musc.edu) or Dr. Shakaib Rahman ( ShakMD@hotmail.com).

Public Health Interest Group (PHIG)
MUSC Public Health Interest Group is a university-wide organization for students and faculty interested in promoting public health education at MUSC. It encourages interdisciplinary interaction among health professionals through participation in activities promoting public health and preventive medicine. Monthly meetings are held and activities or speakers are arranged to promote current topics in health policy, international health, environmental health, and community and population health. Educational modules are available for an introduction to public health, and the group maintains a list-serve in order to communicate scholarship opportunities, conferences, current issues in public health, and local action.  Please contact Brigette Lindsey(lindseyb@musc.edu)or Ahmed Mohiuddin at mohiudd@musc.edu for information on future meetings and activities or to be placed on the list-serve.

The MUSC 3H Running Club
The MUSC Running Club is a group of community members who exercise their passion for running.  We are dedicated to providing the MUSC running community with a friendly, relaxed environment in which they can participate in group runs of all skill levels, train for upcoming races and events, and expand their knowledge of health and fitness.  Whether you want to run a mile or train for 26.2, you can find someone to run beside.  For those who burn with competition, the MUSC Running Club participates in local races throughout the year. Have questions about that pain in your knee or which shoes are right for you?  We are devoted to keeping you informed to the best of our knowledge to get you going!  Come and join us for a run any time you want!  Membership is open to all MUSC students, faculty and friends.

President            Billy Grimes
Vice President     Diana Toney

MUSCLE Club
Much to the chagrin of the body building society on campus, MUSCLE stands for Medical University of South Carolina Literary Endeavor.  Founded in January 2007, MUSCLE sponsors a book club which meets weekly during the school year.  We tackle material from a variety of genres, including short stories, nonfiction, and novels.  We also include a Poetry Joy segment, featuring several poems (occasionally original) in our weekly meetings.  Our organization also works to promote other culturally enlightening activities; in spring 2007, for example, we sponsored a trip to Drayton Hall, one of the oldest best preserved plantation houses in the South.  We are open to expanding our group to encompass other activities as dictated by the interests of our members.  In recognition of voluminous and at times stressful class workloads, we keep our readings short but meaningful.  If you are interested in contemplating some texts that don’t include diagrams of medical illustrations, then please join us!  We encourage interest from all colleges and programs.  For more information, contact Matthew Dettmer, President and Founder of MUSCLE at dettmer@musc.edu. 

Student Interprofessional Society
MUSC Student Interprofessional Society (SIPS) is an organization dedicated to promoting the principles of interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professional students.  Activities include hosting an annual lecture on interprofessional education, assisting with MUSC Interprofessional Day, an annual interprofessional Teddy Bear Clinic at the Children's Hospital, and interprofessional social events.  Membership is open to students from all six colleges at MUSC.  Meetings are held at 5:00pm every other Monday during the school year at Blend, 170 Ashley Ave.  For more information, please contact Robby Hendry at hendryr@musc.edu.

College‑Related Student Organizations

College of Dental Medicine

American Association of Dental Schools
The American Association of Dental Schools promotes communication and standardization among dental schools.  Student input into the educational process is achieved through student representatives from each school.

American Association of Women Dentists
The American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD) has two objectives:  first, to offer opportunities for professional growth through association with women in the dental profession; and second, to support the goals of the AAWD, “to aid in the advancement of women in dentistry, to promote professional support and cooperation
among its members, and to promote the fundamentals of good oral health.”

American Student Dental Association
The American Student Dental Association (ASDA) is a national organization representing all dental students.  The organization began from student membership in the American Dental Association (ADA).  Members of ASDA automatically become student members of the ADA with all the privileges of association membership.

The local chapter at MUSC provides input to the national organization, assists members with obtaining membership benefits, and serves as the Student Government Association of the College of Dental Medicine.  MUSC ASDA sponsors the Freshman Orientation Picnic Day, the ASDA Dental Manufacturers Display, the ASDA Softball World Series, the College of Dental Medicine Newspaper, Clinic Day, and the C.C.C. Run/Walk.

The governing body of MUSC ASDA is the Executive Council, composed of ASDA representatives, MUSC SGA representatives, dental fraternity presidents, and representatives from the American Association of Dental Schools and the Student National Dental Association.

MUSC ASDA Members at the National ASDA Level:
National Legislative Liaison        Sonia Karamchandani

College of Dental Medicine Class Officers

Delta Sigma Delta
Delta Sigma Delta, the oldest of the dental fraternities, was founded November 15, 1882. Its objective is to encourage high standards of ethical and professional conduct as well as to offer special activities to its student and professional members.

Alpha Beta Chapter of the Medical University of South Carolina’s College of Dental Medicine is one of the newest chapters of this international brotherhood.

Dental Student Alumni Council
Composed of representatives from each class, the Student Alumni Council’s primary functions are to help ease the transition from being dental students to becoming active alumni and to serve as liaisons between the student body and alumni.

The council assists the Office of Alumni Affairs in organizing and hosting events sponsored by the MUSC Dental Alumni Association for students, especially the dental career seminars held during the year.  These evening seminars feature alumni speakers from the community who offer advice on residency and career choices and practice information.  Council members also assist the alumni liaison for the College of Dental Medicine in regard to the continuing education weekend event co-sponsored by the Alumni Association and the American Student Dental Association each spring.  Dr. Monica Cayouette serves as faculty advisor for the group, and Dr. Johnny Sandifer, Alumni Liaison for the College of Dental Medicine, assists in coordination with the ASDA organization.  New members from the entering class are solicited each fall.

Omicron Kappa Upsilon
Zeta Eta Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society was chartered in 1970 at the College of Dental Medicine of the Medical University of South Carolina. Its purpose is to honor dental students who exhibit excellence in scholarship and other exemplary traits.

Alumni members are chosen from the upper 20% of the class who rank highest in scholarship for the entire period that they have been in attendance at the dental school. From this list, no more than 12% of the entire senior class may be elected to alumni membership by the active members of the component chapter.

Psi Omega
Psi Omega, a professional dental fraternity, was chartered at the Medical University of South Carolina on April 6, 1973.  Sigma Chi Chapter of the College of Dental Medicine is presently the largest dental fraternity at the University.

Yearly activities include expert lectures in all phases of dentistry, various social events, and sponsorship of numerous community projects.

Student National Dental Association
The Student National Dental Association (SNDA) was founded by concerned dental students at Meharry Medical College in 1970, and incorporated in 1972, over 50 years after its parent group, the National Dental Association.  SNDA was created to encourage and promote minority recruitment/retention, to meet dental health needs of minority and underserved communities, and to create a relationship between the National Dental Association members and the students of this organization.

SNDA members across the country are composed of African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian-Americans.  The organization has become a helpful tool in establishing and providing a network of communication among and between students as a means of improving dental care among under-represented individuals and communities.

College of Graduate Studies

Graduate Student Association
All College of Graduate Studies students are members of the Graduate Studies Association (GSA). The GSA Senate acts as the representative council for the College of Graduate Studies.  Representatives from each of the basic science disciplines as well as one each from the  Molecular and Cellular Biology and Pathobiology program (MCBP) and the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) hold seats on the GSA Senate.  Faculty and advisors to the senate include, but are not limited to, the Dean and Associate Deans of the College of Graduate Studies. The goal of the GSA is to promote graduate student involvement in university affairs by initiating dialogue between students and faculty while encouraging student interest and involvement. Representatives to standing university committees are also elected from the senate members.  These committees include the Graduate Council, Recruitment Committee, Seminar Committee, Long Range Planning and Development Committee, MUSC Student Government Association, and the SGA President’s Council.  For additional information, please visit http://www.musc.edu/gsa.

Multicultural Graduate Student Association
The Multicultural Graduate Student Association (MGSA) serves to enhance the well-being of all graduate students presently enrolled at the Medical University of South Carolina with particular concern to specific needs of students of color and/or underrepresented minorities.  It also works to develop a network of emerging scholars who are dedicated and sensitive to the needs and concerns of an increasingly diverse academic community.  All students officially enrolled in the College of Graduate Studies are eligible to become members.  For additional information, please email mgsa@musc.edu or visit http://www.musc.edu/mgsa.  

College of Health Professions

CHP Student Government Association
The College of Health Professions Student Government Association (CHP SGA) is composed of representatives and officers.  The number of representatives from CHP is designated by the MUSC SGA each spring semester.  The SGA representatives are elected the first semester on campus by their classmates and/or the CHP student body to serve during that year.  In the summer, the CHP SGA officers are elected from the student body to serve the following year.

CHP SGA meets on the first Wednesday of each month.   During these meetings, the association discusses problems and suggestions voiced by the students of the college and plans activities throughout the year.  Projects in the past have included hosting a Field Day for the Charleston area Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, donating toys and food to the Ronald McDonald House, collecting food for the Lowcountry Food Bank, participating in Habitat for Humanity, and hosting the Student/Alumni Oyster Roast.

Anesthesia for Nurses (AFN)
Class of 2009

Cytology and Biosciences (Cyto)
Class Representative     Matthew Chao

SHPURD meets every other Monday during lunch for general business meetings and as needed for other events. The organization gives back via community service and fundraisers and gathers for social events as an avenue of well-deserved stress relief. A few of the organization’s community service events include the Minority Health Fair, Burke High School mentoring program, PINK House, Charleston Miracle League, and HALOS Project. 

National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Association
The NSSLHA is a national pre-professional membership association for students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program.

Student Occupational Therapy Association
The Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) promotes Occupational Therapy as a health profession, sponsors student activities, and facilitates communication between students and the college’s administration. SOTA is a  link for students to the South Carolina Occupational Therapy Association (SCOTA.) Additionally, SOTA is a link to the CHP Student Government Association and to the MUSC Student Government Association. For more information, please contact one of the OT class presidents:

Occupational Therapy Class Officers
3rd-Year Class Officers

2nd-Year Class Officers

1st-Year Class Officers  To Be Elected Fall 2008

Physical Therapy Student Government Association
The Physical Therapy Student Government Association (PT SGA) is responsible for arranging an annual Physical Therapy Education open house, raising funds for student activities, arranging social functions, organizing intramural sports teams, distributing scholarship information, facilitating communication between faculty and students, and representing the students in discussions regarding student policies. Each PT class elects a president, vice president, secretary, sports’ representative, legislative liaison, APTA representative, SCAPTA  representative, and a treasurer.  For more information, please contact one of the PT class presidents:

Physical Therapy Class Officers 3rd-Year Class Officers