Amanda Lauren Watts, PA

11/24/2024

We're ready to "deliver" the good news: We are due January 2025! MUSC Health Columbia Northeast will soon welcome countless newborn bundles of joy in our brand-new Labor & Delivery Unit. 💕

11/24/2024

This , MUSC Clinical Psychologist Dr. Rebecca Kilpatrick shares valuable advice for caregivers navigating burnout and grief during the holiday season. 💙

11/23/2024

Big news for Downtown Columbia! 🎉 MUSC Health Midlands has officially opened its Specialties Clinic at 2750 Laurel Street, bringing top-notch care closer to you. From Colorectal and Vascular to Urology, Pulmonary, Neurology, and Thoracic Surgery, expert physicians are now just around the corner. 💙

11/23/2024

Each fall, MUSC Health Unit Secretary Keisha Bennett-Hamilton celebrates her MUSC Health kidney transplant by raising awareness about kidney disease with the love and support of her fellow MUSC care team members. What a heartwarming huddle!

11/22/2024

Upstate residents can now access expert kidney transplant care close to home. The MUSC Health Transplant - Anderson clinic at AnMed North Campus offers pre- and post-surgery care, so patients no longer need to travel far for the support they need.

https://anmed.org/locations/musc-health-transplant-anderson

11/22/2024

"Patient care is my area of expertise. I provide direct, hands-on care to patients. I help people, at their most vulnerable time, return to their prior level of health and retain as much independence as possible."

-Rachel Grainger, RN, MUSC Health Marion Medical Center

Thank you for your heart, Rachel!



On Feature Fridays, we’re spotlighting MUSC Health care team members who go all out for patients—and each other.

11/22/2024

We're so thrilled to change what's possible for kidney transplant patients in the Upstate!

Opening today – a new clinic to improve convenience for Upstate residents who undergo kidney transplants with MUSC Health.

Developed in collaboration with our partners at the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, the MUSC Health Transplant - Anderson clinic in Suite 4100 of the AnMed North Campus means residents of Anderson, Pickens, Oconee counties and northeast Georgia no longer have to leave the community for pre-surgery and post-surgery care. They can stay right here at home, where preparation, care and recovery are easier and better.

Physician Assistant Zachary Sutton, who incidentally earned his first clinical privileges as a PA here, is on hand and has direct virtual connection to MUSC specialists to ensure patients get expert care provided locally. Learn more at https://anmed.org/locations/musc-health-transplant-anderson.

11/21/2024

For , Alaine Mills, RD, from the MUSC Health & Wellness Institute, takes us on a grocery store tour to highlight brain-boosting foods! 🛒🧠

11/21/2024

Meet Hope and Charlie! Charlie is a very well-behaved 19-month-old Golden Retriever, and she loves to sit right in front of you for pets and love. Charlie and her human Hope are brand new to the MUSC Paws Team, spreading joy and comfort to patients, families, and care team members on Tuesdays at MUSC Health West Ashley Medical Pavilion - Epic Center! Welcome to the Pack!

11/20/2024

MUSC Health Transplant Program Mid-Carolinas at Lancaster Medical Center in Lancaster, SC, has surpassed 200 kidney transplants! This incredible achievement reflects our commitment to providing advanced, life-saving care to patients with end-stage renal disease in Lancaster County and beyond.

As one of only three kidney transplant programs in South Carolina, our team of highly skilled surgeons and nephrologists is dedicated to increasing access to transplantation for South Carolinians. By offering comprehensive pre-and post-transplant care locally, we’re eliminating the need for patients to travel long distances for this critical treatment—because care should be convenient and close to home.

To every patient, family, and team member who has been part of this journey: thank you for trusting us to provide care when it matters most. Here’s to the next milestone in transforming lives, one kidney transplant at a time!

11/20/2024

Big thanks to Medtronic for stopping by and offering this unique experience!

CHARLESTON -- Inside a semi-truck, built to simulate an operating room, parked on the Medical University of South Carolina campus, Heaven Thompson slowly rotated and twisted medical instruments to place

11/20/2024

At MUSC, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month by honoring the rich traditions and contributions of Native American and Indigenous communities and nations. This month, we reflect on the connections between health, culture, and land, and we remain committed to promoting inclusive care and advancing research that empowers all communities.

11/19/2024

Big news in the world of weight management! Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is part of a study on Epitomee, a capsule that significantly helps with weight loss. By expanding in the stomach, it promotes fullness—no medications involved.

Led by Dr. Patrick O’Neil, this research could make managing weight more accessible and approachable.

https://web.musc.edu/about/news-center/2024/11/08/musc-involved-in-study-on-device-that-caused-statistically-significant-weight-loss

MUSC was one of 9 sites involved in trial testing weight loss capsule that causes device to inflate in the stomach. Here’s what researchers found.

11/19/2024

"From the moment Amber entered our son's NICU room, we felt a sense of peace, knowing she was looking out for him—even when she wasn’t his assigned nurse."

Congratulations to Amber Warner, our DAISY Award winner for August 2024! Amber’s attentive, compassionate care went beyond medical duties—she formed a genuine bond with both her young MUSC Children’s Health patient and his family.

From watching her patient’s monitors to thoughtfully comforting his parents, Amber embodies the heart and soul of nursing. We’re honored to celebrate her dedication and kindness.

MUSC Health is among over 5,000 health care organizations around the world committed to the DAISY Award program from DAISY Foundation. The DAISY Award is presented each month to an extraordinary nurse.

11/19/2024

MUSC Health Hospice in Kershaw recently held its annual Time of Remembrance service at Redemption Church-Lugoff, a heartfelt tribute to those we've lost over the past year. Families left with butterfly bushes to plant at home, a living way to honor their loved ones when butterflies stop by.

11/18/2024

Opioid use disorder (OUD) affects millions across the U.S., and for those facing intimate partner violence (IPV) and PTSD, recovery can be even harder.

Drs. Amber Jarnecke and Tanya Saraiya from Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) are leading a groundbreaking effort with $5 million in funding from The National Institute on Drug Abuse - NIDA to address these links. Their new digital toolkit will help clinicians identify and support OUD patients experiencing IPV and PTSD. By tackling these complex challenges, we can create more effective paths to long-lasting recovery.

https://web.musc.edu/about/news-center/2024/11/12/intimate-partner-violence

Trauma and intimate partner violence continue to be neglected as contributors to opioid use disorder. A new digital toolkit aims to change that.

11/17/2024

Dr. Jerry Reves of MUSC reflects on the university's bicentennial for The Post and Courier:

https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/musc-history-contributions-health-sc/article_1b42d74a-9888-11ef-902e-e770f465b221.html

11/17/2024

Can you relate? MUSC Health Psychiatrist Dr. Emily Bay from the MUSC Brain Stimulation Lab and Centerspace discusses seasonal depression. If you're experiencing these symptoms, let us know. You can make an appointment to talk to someone at the MUSC Health Institute of Psychiatry at (843) 792-9888.

https://muschealth.org/medical-services/psychiatry