MUSC to honor staff member for work toward diversity, inclusion

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston’s MUSC plans to present an award to one of its own Tuesday as part of its ongoing celebrations of Dr. Martin Luther King Day.

The hospital will recognize Dr. Lauren Gellar, an associate professor and the director of the Division of Healthcare studies, for her contributions in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. Gellar will receive the award Tuesday night at MUSC’s 33rd annual Black History Intercollegiate Consortium MLK Celebration.

Gellar said she is humbled by the award but says it was a team effort involving many other people. She said she hopes the celebration, which is free and open to the public, will motivate everyone to continue working toward increasing diversity and inclusion in the healthcare workforce.

Throughout the years, MUSC Officials say Gellar has worked to increase access to higher education to students of color and for rural, first-generation, and disadvantaged students. She has worked with community colleges to bring students into pre-health profession tracks with the goal of decreasing financial barriers.

She also created a mentorship program to help students with self-confidence, and advocated for MUSC to take challenges students may have faced into account during the admissions process.

“If we can educate people from within those communities, and then they can serve those communities, I think we’re going to have an amazing impact on the health of individuals in the state of South Carolina,” Gellar says.

The event runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and will be hosted by the Citadel at the Holliday Alumni Center, located at 69 Hagood Ave.

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