Articles and Insights

One year after Hurricane Helene devastated the region, Furman University’s Center for Innovative Leadership helped bring emergency preparedness professionals, volunteers and academics together to reflect on what roles they play during a disaster. CreatingHOPE 2025: Helene + 1 was organized by the Consortium for Humanitarian Service and Education (Read more

IACH is pleased to welcome two postdoctoral fellows to its A.M.P.L.I.F.Y. research team. These appointments reflect IACH’s continued commitment to advancing community-engaged research and strengthening the next generation of scholars trained to elevate community voice and translate research into meaningful health impact. The AMPLIFY initiative responds...Read more

Rachel Housworth ’25 Rachel Housworth’s passion for community health began during a transformative May Experience trip to Cambodia with Furman’s Institute for the Advancement of Community Health. She discovered how policies shape health outcomes, igniting her interest in IACH’s...Read more

Furman University alumni, employees and friends are highlighted in SC Biz News’s inaugural South Carolina 500 list, featuring leaders shaping the state’s economic future. The honorees include Furman President Elizabeth Davis, along with Center for Innovative Leadership Executive Director Garrett Stern and the Hill Institute for Innovation and...Read more

As we enter a new year, many of us will make resolutions focused on reducing stress—more yoga, better boundaries finally finding balance. But what if the key to your best year isn't eliminating stress, but springboarding from it? Research shows that people with the most meaningful lives report more...Read more

By Cole Summey, Master of Arts in Advocacy and Social Policy Student Why I Chose Furman Furman was one of my top choices for undergrad years ago. Growing up in Greenville, I came to campus for band and orchestra clinics, sports camps and to watch games—especially when Furman and Appalachian...Read more

In a WYFF News 4 story, Furman University’s Dr. Kerry Sease speaks to reporter Nate Stanley about the federal government’s newest guidelines on childhood vaccines. Sease, a pediatrician and the executive director of Furman’s Institute for the Advancement of Community Health, says the new childhood vaccine schedule could...Read more

by Angela Baum This spring, I had the privilege of joining The Riley Institute’s field study to Estonia, a small Baltic nation often celebrated as a global leader in education. We set out to learn why Estonian students consistently perform so well on international education assessments, but what I discovered...Read more

The Furman University Institutes invite students and community members to join us for a thought-provoking evening of film and dialogue centered on innovation, inclusion, and community well-being. On Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., we will host a special screening ofRead more

Furman University’s Ken Kolb, professor and chair of the Department of Sociology, is at the center of a study commissioned by the Northside Development Group in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In concert with researchers at Furman’s Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities, Kolb is looking at rising property values in...Read more

As we mentioned in our last post, Estonia has become a global model for educational excellence. With its consistently high scores on international assessments like the Programme for International Assessment (PISA), strong digital literacy, and a well-regarded teacher training system, Estonia has achieved results...Read more

Written by Jody Teel How do we move from understanding health disparities to creating real change? The Healthcare Seminar on Community-Engaged Medicine challenges students to answer that question through hands-on learning, reflection and collaboration. Designed for students completing their Masters in Community Engaged Medicine, the yearlong course explores how social...Read more

These student leaders partner with Furman’s Institute for the Advancement of Community Health to advance health and well-being on campus and in the community. As IACH ambassadors, they engage peers in conversations about health, represent the Institute at major campus events, support collaborative service projects, and network with...Read more

Launched in 2024, the Institute for the Advancement of Community Health’s Community Health Conversations series was created to spark meaningful dialogue around the social and structural drivers that shape health. What began as an idea to create space for connection and collaboration has quickly grown into...Read more

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN How do we build communities where every child, family, and neighborhood can thrive? What does it take to move beyond awareness and into action on the social and community conditions that shape our health? These are the guiding questions at the heart of the 2026...Read more