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The Levi S. Kirkland, Sr., M.D., Society

The Levi S. Kirkland, Sr., M.D., Society

The mission of Greenville Health System’s Levi S. Kirkland Sr. M.D., 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.

Porter_Scott 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., M.D..

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. M.D. 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 ensures 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, Ph.D., M.P.H., 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