Patricia Wilson Witherspoon MD, MS, FAAFP
Dr. Patricia Wilson Witherspoon is an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina, School of Medicine in the Family and Preventive Medicine department. She has served the department in a number of leadership roles over the past 18 years. Currently she is Director of Community outreach for the Family Medicine Center which cares for over 14,000 patients annually. She is a native of Hamden, Connecticut but has very strong, deep southern roots in Hemingway, SC.
Her formal medical training was at the Pennsylvania State University, School of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania. She completed her medical residency at USC -Palmetto Health Family Medicine Residency program and serve as Chief Resident during 1994-1995. After a brief tenure at Richland Primary HealthCare as a National Health Service Corp participant, she joined the SOM faculty in 1998. She has participated on numerous committees within the university, hospital and local community. She has served as the Director of Community Medicine since returning to the department. This month long rotation with the intern residents enables her to supervise resident community outreach and the annual quality longitudinal project. She has provided full service care in the inpatient and outpatient setting. In 2016 she joined SC DHHS as a part-time medical director. She finds her greatest pleasure is derived from teaching in any capacity albeit; medical students, residents, patients and in community forums.
Her interest in organized medicine has enabled her to serve a number of positions in the South Carolina Academy of Family Physicians. In the summer of 2014 she was installed as the 66th President of the organization that has over 1400 members. This position has given her an opportunity to share the views of Family Physicians to local organizations and the state legislatures.
Her interests are varied but her practice and research have a focus on Cardiovascular Health, Diabetes, Health Disparities and Women’s Health.