Prisma Health > Internal Medicine Residency-Greenville > Leadership

Leadership

Peter Tilkemeier, MD, MMM, FACC, MASNC, FAHA

Chair, Department of Medicine
Professor of Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Clinical Professor, Clemson University School of Health Research

I enjoy the role of mentor, whether with students, medical students, residents, fellows or faculty, the opportunity to pay back the mentorship I received during my career is an important part of who I am professionally.

When not at work, I cherish spending time with my wife and two Labradors, Lulu and Lady Gaga. Yes, that’s right Lady Gaga – her music helped her relax in the car on the way home from the breeder in Rhode Island. I also appreciate travel and photography and have visited all fifty United states and five continents, Antarctica and Australia are left. Most recently we have visited Katmai and Brooks Falls in Alaska to spend time with the brown bears. Being a chair was certainly not on my bucket list and it is a great opportunity to lead a large, diverse, caring group of professionals dedicated to inspiring health, serving with compassion and most importantly making a difference!

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Alain Litwin, MD, MPH

Vice Chair of Academics and Research, Department of Medicine
Professor of Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Professor, Clemson University School of Health Research

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Mark Call, MD

Vice Chair of Quality & Safety, Department of Medicine
Infectious Disease Specialist, UMG Division of Infectious Diseases
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine -Greenville

Meredith Eicken, MD, MPH

Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics,
University of South Carolina School of Medicine – Greenville
Clinical Assistant Professor, Clemson University School of Health Research

Hello everyone! As you can see below, I’ve lived in most regions
of the country and could not be happier to have made the
choice to set down roots here at Prisma Health-Upstate/UofSC
School of Medicine Greenville.

When we decided to leave Boston, I had a list of things I was looking for in my dream job – opportunities to teach and mentor residents, a strong academic medical center, the ability to support QI and research in advancing community health, and a vibrant city that would allow us to spend the least possible time driving in a car. When I came to interview we were blown away after meeting the incredible physicians in the Internal Medicine department and learning of all of the work being done to improve population health and healthcare for uninsured and underinsured individuals. We spent time in Greenville enjoying the Saturday produce market, outdoor live music, and the restaurant scene and immediately knew that this was the perfect place for us personally and professionally. I feel grateful every day to be able to do what I love. Clinically I am an outpatient physician, and have the privilege of supervising our residents at the Internal Medicine Clinic. Our residents are such compassionate, talented, and dedicated individuals and I am honored to be able to support their training as PD. In addition to leadership of the residency I do research and quality improvement work to enhance our ability to screen and address the social determinants of health, with a specific focus on food insecurity. When I’m not at work, I enjoy reading, cooking, and yoga, but as the mom of two young kids you will most often find me spending time with my family outdoors (nature walking, bike riding on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, or walking around Falls Park!).
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Medical School: Vanderbilt University
Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital
Fellowship: Kraft Fellowship in Community Health Leadership
Career Interests: Mentorship, physician wellbeing, community
health, improving health equity through screening and addressing
the social determinants of health

Mary Blumer, MD

Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Hospitalist/ Internal Medicine Clinic
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville

Hi, I am Mary, a proud graduate of USC-Greenville IM residency with the goal of sharing my love for medicine with future residents along with becoming a fixture around Prisma Upstate.

I am originally a Tennessee gal at heart, but after meeting my husband (a SC native) in Memphis, TN, he introduced me to the wonderful Upstate. I really fell in love with Greenville and the program when I interviewed. I felt as though I had really found “my people” along with where I was supposed to be. Outside of medicine, you can find me exercising, cooking or enjoying the delicious variety of food options in the Upstate, partaking and learning about wine, attending a performance at one (of 5!) of the Greenville performing arts theaters, as well as taking advantage of all the outdoors activities I can squeeze into my time off. You can often find my pup Caymus (yes, that is after wine ) tagging along with many of our adventures. My husband, Adam, and I love to travel, snow ski, and explore new places (often with no itinerary or plan). We have our first child due November 2020, so will certainly be embarking a much different adventure over the next year.
Hometown: Henderson, TN
College: Middle Tennessee State University
Medical School: University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Career Interests: Academic Medicine (teaching others how to teach, clinical reasoning), POCUS, Quality Improvement
Favorite Thing About Greenville: Super hard question . . . but I will keep it broad and say the variety of offerings- from restaurants, arts, activities, festivals, and people. I love that Greenville has pretty much everything a larger city has to offer but still with the small town, homey feel.

Anand Pariyadath, MD

Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina School of Medicine – Greenville

I am a pulmonary and critical care attending here at Prisma Health Upstate, and I recently joined the amazing and well-seasoned IM team as an APD.

As you can tell by my name, I am a proud South Carolinian through and through. I grew up in Aiken, SC, got my undergraduate degree in Columbia, and completed medical school in Charleston. I took a brief detour and completed IM and fellowship training in Richmond, VA, but the pull back to SC was strong (basically, my wife told me we were moving to Greenville). Having been born and raised here, however, her insight was spot-on.

Greenville has been an amazing place to live. As a father of 3 kids and 2 dogs, I have all the time in the world to get out and explore the city, and I can honestly say that we are lucky to call Greenville our home. From the parks and playgrounds to the minor league baseball games to the innumerable outdoor activities, we never are short of things to do or ways to entertain the kids.

Outside of work, I love watching other people play sports (specifically the Atlanta Braves, SC Gamecocks, and Atlanta Falcons — all in close proximity to Greenville and all winning teams that don’t ever make me cry), reading about watches (which has proven to be an expensive habit), drinking bourbon (varying amounts depending on the aforementioned teams’ performances), and writing run-on sentences. I also play a lot of tennis and golf, or at least I used to before I got dominated by my kids.

Hometown: Aiken, SC (though my entire family now lives in Winston-Salem, NC)
College: University of South Carolina
Medical School: Medical University of South Carolina
IM Residency: Virginia Commonwealth University
Pulmonary Critical Care Fellowship: Virginia Commonwealth University
Interests: Teaching (all things pulmonary and critical care, procedures, tennis, how to fake knowing about bourbon)
Favorite Thing About Greenville: The food, the outdoor living, and the people.

J. Michael Fuller, MD, M.Ed.

Program Director, Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellowship
Director of Faculty Development, Department of Medicine
Professor of Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville

Meenu Jindal, MD

Internal Medicine Clinic Director
Department of Medicine
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of South
Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville

Hello, I am Meenu Jindal, an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at Prisma Health, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. I began my academic career at the Mercer University as a faculty.

Since moving to Greenville in 2005, I have nurtured my passion for teaching in several roles. I have been the core Internal Medicine faculty with the department of Medicine for last 15 years and currently serve as the Medical Director of the Internal Medicine Clinic. I strive to create a highly positive clinical and educational environment for our residents. My research interests include patient centered communication, shared decision making, motivational interviewing for behavior change and chronic disease management for underserved populations. I love to create opportunities for several quality improvement endeavors and research projects for residents. My hobbies include cooking, exercise, reading and watching sports. My favorite amongst them is hosting culinary evenings for our residents. Fun fact about me, I can perhaps do very well on a sports trivia!

Terri Williams LaRusso, DO, MBA

Associate Division Chief Of Hospital Medicine
Lead Hospitalist
Internal Medicine Hospitalist Department
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine – Greenville

I’m a New England transplant, but almost consider myself a southerner now. I’m a German shepherd dog mom. If I wasn’t a physician, I would own a bakery. I love to travel internationally, and my favorite spot is the Amalfi Coast. Greenville has the best of both worlds – lots to do and close to big cities, the beach, and the mountains, and is a foodie mecca but also small enough to not get lost.

Ashley Hitchcock, C-TAGME

Program Administrator II

I moved from Upstate, NY to Upstate, SC for comparable mountain views, outdoor activities, and not surprisingly, better weather! I live in downtown Simpsonville – only a 20 minute drive from Greenville, it has a small town feel, but still walking distance to coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and a dog park.

As you might guess, I do have a fur child. She is a boxer/pit mix, Harvee, that I rescued from a local shelter several years ago. I have a love for anything outdoors: hiking, camping, kayaking, standup paddle boarding, and bike riding the Swamp Rabbit Trail. I also love to travel, both internationally and out west. My favorite country I’ve visited is Ireland, and I really enjoyed my time exploring Arizona, Utah, and Colorado this past year. I also enjoy reading and listening to podcasts.

My favorite thing about Greenville is that there is always a new restaurant, brewery, or coffee shop to try out. We are surrounded by beautiful parks and lakes, and the charm and walkability of downtown can’t be beat!

Kimberly Mack

Program Assistant

Hello I’m Kimberly!! I was born and raised in Myrtle Beach but moved to Greenville 2001. My husband and I have been married for 3 years and will be adding a new addition to our family in November (baby Carter). I obtained my BA in Psychology from Webster University in Greenville South Carolina.

Before I decided what I wanted to be when I grew up, I went to school for a variety of things including: Early Childhood, Nail Technology and Cosmetology. My background is predominately in Case Management/Human Services that ranges from YWCA, Phoenix Center, Little Steps, Pendleton Place, and Mental Health. I find joy in helping people within the community and find this field of work most rewarding when clients achieve their goals.

In my spare time, I enjoy making chocolate covered treats such as: strawberries, pretzels, marshmallows, candy apples, popcorn, cookies etc. I enjoyed it so much that I turned my hobby and passion into a side business called “Gifted Hands by Kimberly”. My favorite color is pink and favorite food is seafood. On my off days I enjoy cooking, decorating, arts & crafts, shopping and listening to music. I have been through all walks of life and believe in treating everyone with respect. I love “people” and I’m ecstatic about being a part of this team.