An Anderson University student is the inaugural recipient of a new scholarship from the South Carolina Society of Healthcare Supply Chain (SCSHSC).
SCSHSC established the Dottie Mullins Scholarship for students studying supply chain management who have worked on a project with one of the hospital partners and presented their work at their annual conference.
Kim Wooten of the South Carolina Hospital Administration (SCHA) presented Brewer with the $1,000 scholarship, which was named for her mother, Dottie Mullins, recognizing her contributions to South Carolina hospitals.
“In God’s providence, Allison needed such a scholarship at just this moment. Seeing this be awarded at the conference was amazing! Allison had no idea that this scholarship was even available to her because of how new it was–the organization announced it and awarded it at the same time,” said Dr. Kimberly Whitehead, supply chain professor at the Anderson University College of Business. “God has truly blessed Anderson University and our students because of our relationship with this great organization. We could have never imagined the lives that would be changed and blessed by this collaboration the first year we attended. So many students have attended, received jobs or internships, and we have even started a program to job shadow with the hospitals and their vendors.”
Dr. Whitehead also thanked Anderson University College of Business Dean Steve Nail for his support of the Supply Chain program and helping with the cost of attending the conference.
Brewer commented, “Dr. Whitehead had been saying ‘I have a surprise for tonight and I can’t let you know what it is.’ I had an inkling maybe with some scholarships and I though since there’s only three of us here… I was surprised that I was singled out and selected.”
Brewer attended the conference, held annually in North Myrtle Beach, along with Tanner Buck, Avery Croston and Faith Denton. They learned about ways that hospitals interact with supply chain professionals in healtcare-focused companies. They also presented research on how hospitals dispose of outdated technical equipment, comparing the costs of an asset disposition company with the cost of the hospital disposing of items themselves.
The students worked with one such company, Tekyard Medical, as they were preparing their presentation.
“There are issues with private health information being on machines,” Brewer said, commenting that there are companies that ensure that sensitive information is removed from equipment before it is disposed of.
Brewer, who is double majoring in Supply Chain and Christian Studies, is exploring potential future careers.
“I’ve thought a lot about how missions and supply chain kind of intersect but is also interested in how missions and supply chain intersect,” said Brewer, giving as an example the Christian organization Samaritan’s Purse and supply chain applications for Operation Christmas Child, as well as their disaster relief efforts.