MUSC Enterprise Leadership Council

Stuart is the Chief Executive Officer of the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, he worked as an outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) for King Pine Investments and Commonfund. As an OCIO, Stuart served non-profit organizations in the U.S. and Canada, which included universities, colleges, hospital and healthcare foundations, community foundations, and other religious and cultural institutions.

Earlier in his career, Stuart was the Chief Investment Officer for a group providing customized portfolios of hedge funds to Citi’s Private Bank clients. Stuart also worked at SEI Investments and Morgan Stanley. He has a BA in Economics from Brigham Young University and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael J. Bouchard, Ph.D., FAPTA, directs the College of Graduate Studies, overseeing graduate education and postdoctoral training programs. He supports students and trainees in advancing research, fostering mentorship, and preparing for impactful careers in science and academia.

Crystal Broj is the Enterprise Chief Digital Transformation Officer at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where she leads the organizations Digital Transformation Strategy across healthcare, research, and university operations. Since 2022, she has driven the adoption of innovative solutions that enhance access, efficiency, and patient experience.

A recognized leader in healthcare innovation, Crystal was named to the Global Chief Digital Officer 100 in both 2024 and 2025. She is a frequent speaker at national leadership events, sharing insights on AI, digital transformation, and patient-centered care.

Her previous roles include AVP of Digital Strategy & Transformation at NorthShore University Health System and Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at the American Association of Diabetes Educators, where she advanced digital front-door strategies and health education tools.

Originally from Chicago, Crystal now calls Charleston home - bringing her Midwest work ethic to the Lowcountry's vibrant healthcare community.

Dr. Patrick J. Cawley is the Chief Executive Officer of MUSC Health and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs of the Medical University of South Carolina. In this role, he oversees all clinical matters as they relate to MUSC.

During his leadership, MUSC has significantly expanded its clinical enterprise with a new Children's Hospital, a regional health network, multiple ambulatory sites, development of additional clinical affiliates, and numerous novel joint ventures. Additionally, MUSC has become a national leader in telehealth and has continued as South Carolina's #1 hospital/health system per US News and World Report. Under Dr. Cawley's leadership, MUSC continues to receive a number of quality awards across all domains of quality: safety, effectiveness, efficiency, equity, timeliness, and patient centeredness.

Previously, he served as the chief medical officer of MUSC Medical Center. In that role he was responsible for the quality and safety of all patient care programs as well as direct oversight of clinical service lines. He has led MUSC's improvement transformation in quality and patient safety, which was recognized by the University Healthsystem Consortium in 2007 and again in 2012 by awarding the coveted Rising Star honor to MUSC.

Dr. Cawley is a certified physician executive through the American College of Physician Executives and a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is a Fellow in the Liberty Fellowship Program and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. He has been named one of America's Best Doctors. He has also been awarded the Master of Hospital Medicine from the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Dr. Cawley is a Past-President of the Society of Hospital Medicine. He is actively involved in leadership roles in the American Hospital Association, the South Carolina Hospital Association, America's Essential Hospitals, Vizient, and the health care collaborative, Initiant.

Dr. Cawley graduated from the University of Scranton. He earned his medical degree from Georgetown University before completing an internal medicine residency at Duke University. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He is board certified in internal medicine with focused recognition in hospital medicine.

Michael A. de Arellano, Ph.D., serves as chief organizational excellence officer for the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and MUSC Health and leads the Division of Organizational Engagement and Excellence. Under his leadership, the Division of Organizational Engagement and Excellence spearheads strategic initiatives designed to ensure every member of MUSC feels welcomed, included, and engaged—fostering a genuine sense of belonging across the MUSC community. He and his team partner with leaders across the academic health system to increase health care access and quality and to improve health outcomes for all South Carolinians.

De Arellano came to MUSC in 1995, and he joined the faculty in 1998 as a clinical psychologist at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. His health disparities work at the NCVC has focused on increasing access to evidence-based mental health services for trauma-exposed youth and families from traditionally underserved backgrounds through a variety of in-person (e.g., home-based, school-based) and virtual (e.g., telehealth) programs. In addition, he currently provides training and technical assistance to communities affected by mass violence, in his role in the National Mass Violence Center. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Miami, and he earned his master's and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He interned and completed his postdoctoral fellowship in traumatic stress at the NCVC at MUSC.

As the General Counsel for the Medical University of South Carolina, Ms. Drachman serves as the chief legal officer for MUSC and is responsible for the legal affairs of the academic, research and clinical components of the University and Hospital Authority. Prior to her appointment as General Counsel in 2012, Ms. Drachman served as the Director of Legal Affairs and Associate General Counsel for Healthcare with the Medical University Hospital Authority. She has been an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Healthcare Leadership and Management of the College of Health Professions at MUSC since 1999.Ms. Drachman legal practice focuses primarily on governance, higher education and health law issues.

Ms. Drachman has a Bachelor's degree in history and economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a law degree from the University of South Carolina, and a Master's degree in health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina.

Catherine Durham, DNP, APRN, FNP, FAAN, is an accomplished health care leader, educator and clinician who currently serves as Dean of the College of Nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). With nearly three decades of experience as a nurse and family nurse practitioner, including 27 years of distinguished service in the United States Navy, she has dedicated her career to advancing nursing education, clinical excellence and health care access.

During her military service, Dr. Durham earned recognition for outstanding leadership, receiving honors such as the Navy’s Rising Star and Excellence in Nursing Awards, multiple Meritorious Service Medals, Teaching Excellence Awards and Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Since assuming leadership of MUSC’s College of Nursing in 2023, Dr. Durham has guided the college through significant growth and advancement. Under her leadership, the college has expanded graduate offerings, including the addition of an Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (ACPNP) track in the DNP and MSN programs.

Dr. Durham’s career reflects an unwavering dedication to advancing the nursing profession, strengthening health care systems and improving access to care. Her leadership continues to inspire future generations of nurses, while her vision and commitment ensure that MUSC’s College of Nursing remains at the forefront of innovation, research and service to the community.

Read More: Dr. Catherine Durham, Navy veteran and graduate nursing practice leader, named new MUSC College of Nursing dean.

As an epileptologist, Dr. Edwards is a member of the South Carolina Neurological Association, the American Epilepsy Society, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. He has served on the scientific committee of several organizations, including the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, and has been a board member and examiner for the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology and for ABRET. He recently served as president of the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. Dr. Edwards has won numerous awards for teaching, research and patient advocacy.

Jesse Goodwin has spent more than a decade engaged in innovation across a broad range of medical therapies, with applications in academia and industry. She has a demonstrated track record for driving improved outcome metrics. Under her leadership, the Office of Innovation serves as a catalyst for innovations that ultimately create value for the MUSC enterprise, patients, and students.

The office is charged with providing leadership and coordination of a robust innovation ecosystem supporting both intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship across the tripartite mission. Ultimately, the office aims to build a nationally recognized culture and capacity for innovation and facilitate the development of processes, technologies and strategies that produce real-world beneficial impact for those that MUSC serves.

Prior to accepting the role of chief innovation officer at MUSC, Goodwin was vice president of development for the Zucker Institute for Applied Neurosciences. Goodwin also served as the deputy director for the MUSC Foundation for Research Development, the university's technology transfer office.

Prior to joining MUSC, Goodwin was the director of the medical device practice of a Boston-based intellectual property consulting firm. Goodwin received her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Stony Brook University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Harvard-MIT HST program.

Philip D. Hall, Pharm.D., FCCP, is professor and dean of the College of Pharmacy at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, South Carolina. He received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Georgia and Doctor of Pharmacy from the Medical College of Virginia (now Virginia Commonwealth University). He served as an oncology pharmacy resident at the Audie L. Murphy Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and completed a fellowship in cancer immunotherapy research at the University of Texas Health Science in San Antonio and the University of Texas College of Pharmacy.

As an academician, Dr. Hall’s passion and commitment to pharmacy education is evident by his work at MUSC over the past 32 years. Since joining the faculty, he has risen from assistant professor to tenured professor and held multiple administrative roles with both the MUSC College of Pharmacy and South Carolina College of Pharmacy (SCCP). As associate dean and subsequently MUSC campus dean within the SCCP, he played a significant leadership role in developing the joint SCCP curriculum and program assessment while overseeing admissions and mentoring students. In 2016, he formally became dean of the MUSC College of Pharmacy upon its re-accreditation as an independent institution.

Board certified in both pharmacotherapy and oncology pharmacy, Dr. Hall is an accomplished writer, presenter, and researcher with over 120 publications, book chapters, & presentations. He is an acclaimed instructor, receiving a number of classroom and bedside teaching awards including professor/teacher/preceptor of the year 10 times and is a Fellow in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

Dr. Hong is the Chief Physician Executive for MUSC Physicians and MUSC Health. In this position, he oversees the practice plan and serves as a senior leader in the health system. Hong is a leading authority on concussions, cardiac issues in athletes, overuse injuries and sports-injury prevention and has worked for decades as a team physician. He comes to MUSC from Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he was an endowed chair and professor in the Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine. He also served as chief of the division of primary care sports medicine, chair of the Drexel University Physician Board and associate dean for primary care and community health.

Sarandeep S. Huja, D.D.S., Ph.D., has served as professor of the Department of Orthodontics and dean of the James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) since October 2017.

Dr. Huja initially received his dental (1987) and orthodontic (1992) training from the Government Dental College and Hospital, Bombay. From 1993 to 2001, he was associated with three U.S. institutions, receiving his Master of Science (1995) from Marquette University, his Doctor of Philosophy in Dental Science (1999) and Orthodontic Certificate (1999) from Indiana University, and his Doctor of Dental Surgery (2001) from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry. His Ph.D. was conducted under the mentorship of Dr. David Burr from the Department of Anatomy and Dr. W. Eugene Roberts in Orthodontics from Indiana University. From 2001 to 2011, he served as faculty at the Ohio State University, working under the mentorship of Dr. Katherine Vig, a world-renowned orthodontist and educator. In 2011, he joined the University of Kentucky as chief of the Division of Orthodontics. In 2016, he was appointed the program director of Orthodontics and associate dean for Faculty and Student Development and Graduate Studies at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Huja has served as advisor for both the Ph.D. and Master's graduate students and taught Orthodontics and Bone Biology to dental and graduate students. His research seeks to understand bone remodeling, osteoclast biology, and adaptation to physical forces, including tooth movement. His students have been recognized with national awards for projects related to tooth movement and implant adaptation biology. He also served as the president of the Craniofacial Biology Group of the International Association of Dental Research.
At MUSC, Dr. Huja has worked on the expansion of off-peninsula oral and dental clinics at Ryan White and in West Ashley and Summerville. He also recently moved the college to an integrated electronic health record system, Epic Wisdom, and is focusing the college's attention on rural expansion throughout the state and integration into MUSC Health facilities.

Dr. Huja is a member of the Midwest component of the E.H. Angle Society and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. He also maintains an intramural faculty practice.

Dr. Saju Joy is the Chief Executive Officer of MUSC Health Charleston Division and a maternal-fetal medicine specialist holding the academic role of clinical professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr Joy completed medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, residency at the University of Florida Health Sciences Center Jacksonville and fellowship training at the Ohio State University. He has held faculty appointments at Wake Forest University and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Dr. Joy's clinical and research interests include in-utero fetal therapy and the impact of obesity on pregnancy.

Dr. Zoher Kapasi is the Dean of College of Health Professions at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina.

Before becoming the dean, Dr. Kapasi served as the Director and Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy and Vice Chair of Education of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Physical Therapy from the University of Bombay, India, Ph.D. in Anatomy/Immunobiology from Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia and Executive MBA from the Goizueta Business School, Emory University, Atlanta. He did post-doctoral work in Immunology at Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland and Medical College of Virginia. After graduation, his research focused on age-related changes in immune function and the effects of exercise and nutrition on the immune system.

Currently, Dr. Kapasi serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation. Dr. Kapasi has taught human anatomy, advanced human anatomy, and business management for the physical therapist in the physical therapy program. In 2014, Emory University School of Medicine conferred the Dean’s Teaching Award to Dr. Kapasi. In 2017, Emory University conferred the Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award and the Atlanta Business Chronicle awarded the Health Care Heroes Allied Health Professional Award. An active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Dr. Kapasi has served as the secretary of American Council of Academic Physical Therapy and chaired the Education Leadership Partnership of the American Physical Therapy Association.

“Technology should not only support the business of health care – it should elevate the care experience for both patients and providers."

Amar Nagaram was named Enterprise Chief Information Officer (CIO) for MUSC and MUSC Health in July 2025, tasked with leading IS strategy for both. Nagaram brings more than a decade of health care IT leadership experience, with a proven track record in digital transformation, enterprise systems strategy and clinical technology enablement.

Nagaram most recently served as associate chief information officer at Indiana University Health, where he played a critical role in launching a multi-billion-dollar Epic Systems implementation. He led the project’s initiation phase, driving alignment across clinical, operational and executive stakeholders; securing vendor partnerships; and facilitating board-level approval. His leadership extended across enterprise applications, digital platforms, infrastructure modernization and IT governance.

Read: Amar Nagaram named enterprise chief information officer at Medical University of South Carolina

Michael G. Schmidt earned his Ph.D. from Indiana University, Bloomington and rose through the ranks of the Medical University of South Carolina earning the title of tenured professor of microbiology and immunology. He was elected to fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology and the American College of Dentists. Currently, he is leading an inter-institutional/ interdisciplinary team of professionals investigating the role that microbes associated with objects present in the built clinical environment play in the acquisition of a healthcare associated infections (HAI). This interdisciplinary team of infectious disease specialists, infection control professionals, architects and engineers are building on the success of previous multi-center clinical trials where he and his colleagues established that by controlling burden in the built clinical environment, through the introduction of the limited and targeted placement of solid copper alloys, they were able to significantly reduce HAI acquisition rates by 58%. The results from this study were the basis of a talk he provided to TEDxCharleston and featured in articles in the Smithsonian Magazine and Vice.

Dr. Schmidt is active in the educational missions of the Colleges of Dentistry, Graduate Studies and Medicine at MUSC. He serves as an invited reviewer to the literature of his field and has served his professional society, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) in a variety of roles. He is the immediate past Chair of the Council for Microbial Sciences (2019-2020) where he recently led, in concert with the Vice Chair, Suzanne Fleiszig COMS efforts in convening a global summit on SARs-CoV-2 in March 2020. He served 3 terms as the chair of the Branch Organization Committee, was a member the Communications Committee, co-chaired the development of their career poster, and facilitated the revision of the society’s public website, Microbeworld.org. He has led numerous, national workshops on the use of information technology in medicine, microbiology and infectious diseases (FEMA), has twice been a panelist on Science Friday, was the former content editor for Microbeworld radio, and for the past 9 years been a regular contributor to the internationally recognized podcast This Week In Microbiology (TWiM).

His most significant publications/patents have been in the area of the control of healthcare associated infections, phage therapy and the mineralization of vapor phase solvents. He has also published an OP-ED with the sitting Governor of AR and former Asst. Secretary of DHS, Asa Hutchinson, on the topic of crisis/disaster preparation. His work has been funded by the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, NIH , the private sector and most recently the Department of Justice where he is providing direction and service as a content expert in the areas of crimes involving biological, chemical, explosive, and/or radiological interventions to the Mass Violence Resource Center supported by the Office of Victims of Crime.

As vice president for research, Dr. Timothy Stemmler serves as MUSC's chief scientific officer, overseeing all its associated divisions, which include responsibility for accreditation and regulatory affairs, university-wide promotion of research across all colleges and centers, representing the president and provost on internal and external research matters, and identifying institutional research strategies and benchmarks in relation to the MUSC strategic plan.

Dr. Stemmler received his graduate degree in Biophysical Chemistry from the University of Michigan under the supervision of Dr. James Penner-Hahn and completed his NIH postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Utah under the supervision of Dr. Wesley Sundquist. Prior to joining MUSC, he spent over 25 years at Wayne State University, where he held leadership roles including interim vice president for research, associate dean of the graduate school, and associate dean for research in the college of pharmacy and health sciences.

Dr. Stemmler's research is internationally recognized, particularly his work on iron-sulfur biosynthesis to advance the understanding of protein functional deficiencies in the genetic disease Friedreich's ataxia. His interdisciplinary approach has combined biochemical, biophysical, and structural tools, contributing significantly to scientific discovery and the training of future research leaders.

With consistent funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Heart Association, Dr. Stemmler's career reflects a substantial and lasting impact on the scientific community. His research collaborations span over 60 research groups worldwide, underscoring his ability to build meaningful partnerships and foster innovation across disciplines.

Terrence E. "Terry" Steyer, M.D., is a graduate of Allegheny College (BS in Mathematics) and Case Western Reserve University (MD). He completed his family medicine residency training at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Michigan. Dr. Steyer began his academic career at the Medical University of South Carolina, serving as the director of the Trident – MUSC Transitional Year Residency and director of a medical school course on evidence-based medicine.

In 2009, he was recruited to the Medical College of Georgia – University of Georgia Medical Partnership where he served as the founding chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences. In this role, Dr. Steyer developed and managed the third- and fourth-year medical school curriculum for a new branch campus of the Medical College of Georgia.

Dr. Steyer was recruited back to MUSC in 2014 to serve as chair of the Department of Family Medicine and was named the first Gregory-Chandler Endowed Chair in Family Medicine in 2015. In 2017, he was named chief of the Primary Care Integrated Center for Clinical Excellence (ICCE) and President of Carolina Family Care. In these roles, Dr. Steyer has served as leader of primary care efforts across MUSC Health. In 2021, he was elected by his peers to serve as president of MUSC Physicians, the faculty group practice. He was appointed Interim Dean of the College of Medicine in April of 2022 and, following a national search, was elected Dean of the College of Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs by the MUSC Board of Trustees in December of 2022.

Dr. Steyer is an active member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, for which he served as National President 2009-10. He is an active researcher in the area of health care policy and leadership development for health care professionals. His current work includes research on the evolution of primary care medicine at MUSC.

He is married to Kelly Clifton Steyer, an RN, and has two college-aged sons.

Mark has over 25 years of governmental and lobbying experience, having worked for the SC Senate, SC Governor's Office, and US Senate. He came to MUSC in 2007 from the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, where he served as a lobbyist. He was elected by MUSC's Board of Trustees in 2014 to serve as its Secretary and in 2022 was appointed to the position of Senior Advisor to the Board of Trustees. During his tenure at MUSC, Mark has secured many appropriations for MUSC, including funding for a statewide telehealth network and for the Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital.

Mark holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science and a master's degree in Public Administration from the University of South Carolina. A native of Chapin, SC, Mark and his wife Lisa live in Columbia with their three children.

Suzanne Thomas, Ph.D., is the interim executive vice president for Academic Affairs and provost of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Serving as MUSC's chief academic officer, Dr. Thomas oversees MUSC's academic enterprise through the Office of the Provost, providing collaborative leadership and a forward-thinking approach while guiding six colleges (Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy) and numerous centers and offices that drive education, research, and innovation. Dr. Thomas works closely with leadership, faculty, staff, and students to foster an environment of interdisciplinary teamwork and support to set academic priorities and pursue strategic initiatives that move forward MUSC's education and research missions. In the president's absence, the provost acts as the Chief Executive Officer for MUSC.

Dr. Thomas received her bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and her doctorate in Experimental Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of South Carolina. She is a graduate of the Harvard Leadership Development Institute.