Dir., Partnerships for Healthcare Quality Research, & Dir., Community Relations, Hollings Cancer Ctr
Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
Charleston, SC
Debbie Chatman Bryant, DNP, RN, is Director of Partnerships for Healthcare Quality Research at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) where she provides oversight for translational research efforts between the academic medical center and a Federally Qualified Health Center for clinical quality improvement and delivery. She is also the Director of Outreach and Community Relations at the Hollings Cancer Center, MUSC and an adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in the MUSC College of Nursing. Dr. Bryant has extensive leadership experience in community health, particularly with underserved populations. She is respected for her work in building community partnerships by leading awareness efforts and facilitating quality improvement projects to increase access to health and cancer care. She ensures practice standards are met while delivering safe and effective cancer screening and follow-up services. Dr. Bryant was recognized for her perseverance and innovation in executing strategies that respect and engage diverse communities as active participants in realistic and practical steps to improve health and health outcomes. She is known for her commitment to improving processes, engaging stakeholders, and energizing individuals and organizations to improve health while simultaneously mentoring nursing and other graduate students in their professional growth and development to ensure a culturally diverse workforce is ready to meet future healthcare needs.
For her leadership efforts as a community-focused health advocate, Dr. Bryant was honored as a 2012 recipient of the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leaders Award. She is past President of the Tri-County Black Nurses Association, a local affiliate of the National Black Nurses Association. She is a member of the Avon Foundation for Women—Access to Care Advisory Committee, the National Patient Navigation Leadership Consortium, the American Cancer Society’s Southeastern Region African American Volunteer Leadership Advisory Group, and she was named an American Cancer Society Scholar in Nursing Practice in 2011. She also serves as a member of the Quality Improvement Committee for the largest and oldest Medicaid managed care organization in South Carolina. Dr. Bryant has been acknowledged as a “Woman of Achievement” with awards in community service from fraternal, civic, and social organizations in her community for her leadership, compassion, and professionalism. She continues to be recognized for her extraordinary contributions; and in 2012, she was featured in Ebony’s online magazine.