Askins to retire from MUSC

D. Glen Askins Jr., M.D, will be ending a long, successful career from the Medical University of South Carolina at the end of this month. His impact on the university, college and medical profession has been great, a press release about his retirement said, and his colleagues will honor his service with a retirement celebration at 4:30 p.m., June 26 in the College of Health Professions Complex in Charleston.

His retirement does not signal the end of this professional career, as he will be traveling to the University of New England this summer to help advance that institution’s physician assistant program. Born in Florence in 1934, Askins received his B.S. degree from Wofford College in 1956 and obtained his M.D. degree from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Medicine in 1960. After completing his internship and residency, also at MUSC, Askins returned to his hometown of Marion, where he practiced medicine for over 30 years.

As if this service to the people of South Carolina (he was honored as Marion Citizen of the Year in 1976) was not sufficient, Askins, like many with whom he graduated, continued to distinguish as a leader and innovator in health care in our state. Having spent decades delivering primary care to South Carolina citizens, he was asked to serve as a member of the South Carolina Higher Education Commission. This led to his academic appointment at MUSC and his reinvention of the physician assistant program within the University’s College of Health Professions (CHP). Askins later agreed to serve as Chair of CHP Department of Clinical Services, the position from which he is now planning to retire. These were not happenstance appointments, but they rather represent critical junctures in South Carolina’s healthcare needs to which Askins has repeatedly responded with great ability and wisdom. As a dedicator educator and medical director, he has touched the lives of many students and graduates and the patients these professionals serve.

In addition to honoring him at a retirement celebration, the College is also announcing a campaign to endow the D. G. Askins Jr., M.D. Scholarship, which was established in 2004 by Askins. Askins’ greatest joy during his time at MUSC, the press release said, has come from interacting with students and graduates of the Physician Assistant Program. It is now the intent of the friends and family of Askins as well as the alumni of MUSC’s College of Health Professions to see his scholarship be a perpetual part of the university, as a tribute to Askins’ distinguished achievements and his longstanding commitment to his students. Recipients of the scholarship are selected on the basis of academic merit, personal achievement and financial need.

Please help honor Dr. Askins, a pioneer in healthcare education, dedicated citizen, and distinguished leader. For details, telephone the College of Health Professions at (843) 792-9134.