Hollings Cancer Center researcher named to Modern Healthcare's Top Diversity Leaders list

CHARLESTON, SC (Oct. 16, 2023) – MUSC Hollings Cancer Center is proud to announce that Marvella Ford, Ph.D., was recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of 2023’s Top Diversity Leaders.

The profiles of all the winners are featured in today’s print issue of Modern Healthcare and online.

Ford is the associate director of Population Science and Community Outreach and Engagement for MUSC Hollings Cancer Center and the South Carolina State University SmartState Endowed Chair in Prostate Cancer Disparities.

The Top Diversity Leaders in Healthcare recognition program honors leading diverse health care professionals who are influencing policy and care delivery models across the country. This recognition places Ford in an elite group of leaders who are implementing strategies and practices to promote diversity, equity and inclusion and significantly affecting the communities they serve.

“I am incredibly proud of the work Dr. Ford and her team do on behalf of Hollings to address health care disparities throughout South Carolina – from cancer education and prevention services in underserved communities to breakthrough research to training the next generation of physicians and scientists,” said Raymond N. DuBois, M.D, Ph.D., director of Hollings Cancer Center. “We, and all South Carolinians, are lucky to have such a prestigious, dedicated leader on our team.”

Ford received her Master of Social Work, Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy and postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she was awarded pre- and postdoctoral fellowships from the National Institute on Aging. Subsequently, she held faculty positions at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, before coming to MUSC and the Hollings Cancer Center. Her training in the social determinants of health affecting disease and its treatment has uniquely positioned her to take a leading role in tackling a distressing and incompletely understood public health problem in the state: the fact that societal differences in the population can lead to markedly different health outcomes for members of diverse racial and ethnic groups.

“Modern Healthcare's 2023 Top Diversity Leaders and organizations exemplify a commitment to meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion. They have exceeded industry standards and continue to devote necessary resources to providing internal opportunities while advancing community health equity, setting a great example for others,” said Dan Peres, president of Modern Healthcare.

For information on the Top Diversity Leaders awards program, contact MH Awards.

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About MUSC 

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $300 million in research funds in fiscal year 2023, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (includes owned or governing interest), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2023, for the ninth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $5.9 billion. The nearly 26,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.

About MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center is South Carolina’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center with the largest academic-based cancer research program in the state. The cancer center comprises more than130 faculty cancer scientists and 20 academic departments. It has an annual research funding portfolio of more than $44 million and sponsors more than 200 clinical trials across the state. Dedicated to preventing and reducing the cancer burden statewide, the Hollings Office of Community Outreach and Engagement works with community organizations to bring cancer education and prevention information to affected populations. Hollings offers state-of-the-art cancer screening, diagnostic capabilities, therapies and surgical techniques within its multidisciplinary clinics. Hollings specialists include surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, psychologists and other clinical providers equipped to provide the full range of cancer care. For more information, visit hollingscancercenter.musc.edu.