Kelli Garrison to give keynote address at College of Pharmacy ceremony

Roby Hill
April 20, 2023
Kelli Garrison '02

The Class of 2023 will get one last dose of inspiration when entrepreneur and alumna Kelli Garrison ’02 gives the keynote address at the 2023 Hooding Convocation and Awards celebration on Friday, May 19, 2023, at Charleston Music Hall.

MUSC’s 192nd Commencement Exercise follows on May 20, 2023, at North Charleston Coliseum.

“Dr. Garrison has excelled in multiple fields of pharmacy and has discovered new paths in which a pharmacy degree can be applied,” said Philip Hall, dean of MUSC College of Pharmacy. “She is a dedicated and proven healthcare leader recognized for fostering collaboration and partnerships, championing quality and process improvement opportunities, and focusing on leader and staff development.”

Originally from Jacksonville, Fla., she obtained her B.S in Chemistry and Mathematics from Methodist College in 1997, received her MUSC Pharm.D. in 2002, completed a two-year post-graduate Drug Information Practice Residency at MUSC, and maintains her board certification as a pharmacotherapy specialist. 

After residency, she dedicated 18 years to patient care, medication safety, student and resident training, and information technology at MUSC Health in several leadership roles and as an adjunct assistant professor. She served 10 years as the manager of Medication Use Policy and Pharmacy Information Systems in the Department of Pharmacy at MUSC, while also serving as director of the Drug Information Practice Residency Program.

She served the remaining eight years in leadership positions with Information Solutions at MUSC, executing multiple major implementations and upgrades to support operational strategy. In her most recent role as Associate CIO for Applications, she was responsible for the suite of clinical, business, and academic applications that supported the business needs of the MUSC Enterprise. 

Recently, she launched an independent executive consulting firm, Verdant Consulting, and is serving as a VP/CIO Executive Advisor for Epic. Through these opportunities she will work with clients on digital innovation and the power of translation between operations and healthcare technology.