Michelle Courtney Spiegel, MD

Dee W. Ford, MD, MSCR, is a Professor of Medicine & Division Director for MUSC's Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine. She is a physician scientist and physician leader with expertise in health services research, health professional education, and quality improvement. She received her BS in biology from the University of South Carolina and her MD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Ford completed her internal medicine residency training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and her pulmonary/critical care fellowship training at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she also completed a Masters of Science in Clinical Research. During her career, Dr. Ford has held numerous leadership positions and has developed a regional and national reputation as an outstanding researcher, mentor, and leader in the field of population health. Dr. Ford has maintained a track record of continuous extramural research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and others, and currently serves as program director for MUSC's HRSA-Funded Telehealth Center of Excellence, one of only two National Telehealth Centers of Excellence in the country. Dr. Ford has mentored over two dozen faculty, trainees and staff, and was awarded the 2019 Department of Medicine Faculty Mentoring Award. Most recently, Dr. Ford received the 2020 Population Health Award from the MUSC Foundation for her outstanding contributions to improving the health of the state of South Carolina. Nationally, she has served on a number of leadership committees for both the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians.

Dr. Abhay Varma is faculty in neurosurgery at the Medical University of South Carolina. He completed his residency in India and fellowships in brain tumor surgery and spine surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Toronto, and the Cleveland Clinic. He specializes in managing adult brain tumors, hydrocephalus, Chiari malformation, adult spinal and spine tumors, and peripheral nerve disorders, including children with brachial plexus injuries (neonatal brachial plexopathy). His surgical practice offers microsurgery and endoscopic surgery. He also offers brain mapping and awake craniotomies for patients with brain tumors in eloquent areas, like the motor strip, the speech areas, and perisylvian tumors. Dr. Varma accepts new patients in downtown Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and Murrells Inlet.

Dr. Christopher E. Gross is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery currently serving as the Director of the Foot and Ankle Division and Fellowship Director at the Medical University of South Carolina. He completed a fellowship at Duke University Medical Center in Foot and Ankle Orthopaedic Surgery after completing his residency training at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard Medical School. As an orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon, Dr. Gross is interested in complex reconstruction of the ankle in addition to cartilage injuries that range from small defects to end-stage ankle arthritis. With his partner Dr. Scott, he has developed a multidisciplinary research division by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, improved implant design, and long-term patient outcomes. He is the author of over 90 published journal articles, 30 textbook chapters, and is the editor/author of a textbook about Foot and Ankle Orthopaedic Surgery. He has over 250 national and international presentations relating to orthopaedics.