Narasimhan, Carver receive appointments at School of Medicine

Two appointments at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine have been announced.

Wayne E. Carver, Ph.D., has been appointed Director of the school's graduate program while Dr. Meera Narasimhan has been appointed interim chair of the Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science.

Narasimhan will be replacing Dr. Richard Harding, who is retiring but will continue to assist the school. Her appointment is effective June 1.

"Please join me in congratulating and supporting Dr. Narasimhan in her new role and in thanking Dr. Harding for his many years of outstanding service to the School of Medicine, the University, and the community," said Dean Richard Hoppmann. He said that a more formal celebration of Dr. Harding’s retirement will come a little later in the summer.

As of May 1, Wayne E. Carver, Ph.D., has been appointed Director of the Graduate Program at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Dr. Meera Narasimhan and Wayne Carver, Ph.D.

Carver received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of South Carolina, Aiken and his master’s and Ph.D. in biology from the University of South Carolina.  He joined the faculty of the School of Medicine in 1993 as an assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy and became an associate professor in 2000.  He is an NIH-funded cardiovascular researcher and an NIHK99/ROO Independent Pathway Study section member.  His main research interest focuses on cardiovascular disease, specifically understanding how fibroblast behavior and gene expression are regulated in the heart.  Carver has taught extensively at the School of Medicine including Medical Gross Anatomy and Embryology to medical students, as well as cardiovascular courses in the Honors College and graduate programs.  He serves on numerous School of Medicine committees and has published peer-reviewed articles related to cardiovascular cell biology.
 
In his new role as Director of the Graduate Program, Carver will be responsible for the management, direction and promotion of all Ph.D. and M.S. programs in Biomedical Sciences at the School of Medicine and make all business and student decisions relative to the non-medical graduate programs. 

 He will also lead the efforts of developing curriculum, overseeing student recruitment and managing the Integrated Biomedical Sciences as well as the School of Medicine Ph.D. and M.S. programs.  In addition to this leadership role, Carver will also explore and submit NIH training grants to advance graduate student training at the School of Medicine.  
 
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Carver on his new role.  I am very confident that he will continue to build a program that attracts the best and brightest aspiring scientists.  
 
Should you have questions about the Graduate Program, please contact Dr. Carver directly at (803) 216-3803 or wayne.carver@uscmed.sc.edu.