The mission of Greenville Health System’s Levi S. Kirkland Sr. MD, Society is to collaborate with individuals and institutions to facilitate the success of healthcare educators, administrators and providers as they work to improve the compassionate, innovative and quality-filled care provided to our minority communities.
As a friend, classmate and contemporary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we are very proud of the legacy of Dr. Levi S. Kirkland, Sr., Greenville Health System’s first African-American surgeon. Dr. King has said that “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Dr. Kirkland spent an entire career and the majority of his lifetime answering this question by serving his patients and his community. It is this spirit that has, in turn, served as a guiding principle for Levi S. Kirkland, Sr. MD (LSK) Society. The organization’s goal is to simply continue to provide answers to one of life’s most urgent questions by serving our minority and underserved communities. We thank you for visiting our webpage and look forward to camaraderie and collaboration in the future.
– Dr. Scott Porter, President of the Levi S. Kirkland, Sr. MD Society
Membership in the organization is open to anyone with an interest in the society’s mission. View our current membership and organization’s leadership.
Donate Now to the Levi S. Kirkland Sr., MD Scholarship Fund
The organization honors the contributions of Greenville’s first African American surgeon, Levi S. Kirkland Sr., MD.
Levi S. Kirkland, Sr., MD Scholarship
A scholarship has been created to benefit underrepresented minority students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville each year. The goal of the Levi S. Kirkland Sr. MD Society Scholarship is to further Dr. Kirkland’s legacy in our community by:
- Increasing physician workforce diversity in Greenville, the Upstate and South Carolina
- Creating a pathway for the best and brightest underrepresented minority students to achieve high-quality medical education and training at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
- Removing the burden of medical school debt
For questions about the scholarship, contact Casey Wiley, Sr. Asst. Director of Financial Aid and Student Records, wileyc@greenvillemed.sc.edu.
Scholarship Quotes
For me, giving to the Levi S. Kirkland Sr MD Scholarship meant the opportunity to honor two of my closest friends and to celebrate their determination, brilliance and contagious joy. It meant the best of both worlds: Acknowledging the past accomplishments of people I love while supporting the next great generation of physicians and helping to build the future of healthcare.
– Jenn Parker
A beauty of our universe is its diversity of talent and the privilege to assist and serve others. I consider it a responsibility to support our colleagues of tomorrow via the GHS scholarship program. Our scholarship program is an excellent venue to ‘give back’ and share what I was given on the journey of education, knowledge and caring for others.
– Michelle Taylor Smith, Vice President of Patient Care Services, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Experience Officer
Consistent with Dr. Kirkland’s example, our contribution demonstrates we are not content as observers or mere “well-wishers.” Our active engagement facilitates a social change enterprise advancing not merely health and wellness. Our funding and support of like-minded students ensure clinical practice’s social vibrancy and relevance to communities we vow to serve. I’m convinced any Kirkland contribution I make in my father’s name advances our collective aspiration for social justice.
-Matthew F. Hudson, PhD, MPH, Comparative Effectiveness Research Director, Cancer Care Delivery Research Director
When I was asked to consider supporting the Second Century Campaign, I was immediately drawn to two ideas. First, I wanted to make a gift that could be put to use right away; and second, I wanted to support academic scholarships for individuals who have the potential to impact communities with significant need. What better way to do that than to honor the legacy of Dr. Levi S. Kirkland and direct my donation to scholarships funded through the Kirkland Society?
-Tod N. Tappert, Vice President for Culture and Learning, Greenville Health System
Levi S. Kirkland, Sr., MD Mentoring Program
In addition to offering a scholarship to benefit underrepresented minority students at University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, members of the Levi S. Kirkland, Sr. MD Society members mentor underrepresented minority medical school students. The goals of the mentoring program are to:
- Support underrepresented minority students throughout their medical school experience
- Retain underrepresented minority students in the medical school
- Increase recruitment of the best and brightest underrepresented minority students
Member Directory
Angela Freeman
Manager, Operational Services, Office of Philanthropy and Partnership
Angela Hutcheson, MD
Dermatologist, GHS Carolina Dermatology of Greenville
Angela McCreery, MD
Hospitalist, Internal Medicine
Brenda Thames, Ed.D.
Vice President of Academic and Faculty Affair
Calvert Warren, MD
Medical Director, Emergency
Cedrek McFadden, MD
Surgeon, Colon and Rectal Surgery
Vice President of Programs, Levi S. Kirkland Sr., MD Society
Cindy Youssef, M.A.
Liaison for Academic Development
Dana Ray, MD
Internal Medicine, Cypress Internal Medicine
Dudley Brown
Marketing & Communications Specialist, Public Relations
Eunice Peterson, MD
Psychiatrist, Psychiatry & Neurology
Jayne S. Reuben, PHD
Clinical Associate Professor, Pharmacology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Kenneth Rogers, MD
Chair of the Department of Psychiatry
Kevin Springle, MD
Pediatrician, Christie Pediatric Group
Leon Buffaloe, MD
Internal Medicine, Family & Internal Medicine- Simpsonville
Matthew F. Hudson, Ph.D.
Comparative Effectiveness Research Director
Melinda Hudson Gillispie
Community Relations Coordinator
Melissa Bailey, DO, MPH
Internal Medicine – Geriatric Medicine, Center for Success in Aging
Michelle Taylor-Smith, RN, MSN, NE-BC, FACHE
Vice President of Patient Care Services, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Experience Office
Otis Cosby, MD
Occupational Medicine, Michelin- Spartanburg
Paul Catalana, MD, MPH
Assistant Dean for Admissions, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Philip J. Hodge, MD
Surgeon, Southeastern Neurosurgical & Spine Institute
Regina Monroe, MD
Pediatric Urology, Patewood
Ric Ransom
Senior Administrator, Greenville Memorial Hospital
Scott Porter, MD
Orthopaedic Surgeon, GHS Orthopaedics
President, Levi S. Kirkland Sr., MD Society
Sharon M. Holder, PhD, MSc., MSW
GHS Department of Psychiatry
Shirnett Matthews, MD
Radiation Oncologist, GHS Cancer Institute
Vice President of Membership, Levi S. Kirkland Sr., MD Society
Steve Saunders, MD
Internal Medicine, Hospitalist, Hillcrest Memorial
Troy Chisolm
Administrator, Psychiatry & Behavioral Health
Video from the Naming Ceremony of The Levi S. Kirkland, Sr., MD, Society
Photos from the Naming Ceremony of The Levi S. Kirkland, Sr., MD, Society
