171 Ashley Ave.
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-1414
800-424-MUSC
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December 2004
Charles Pinckney Darby, Jr., MD
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| Charles P. Darby Jr., MD |
A native of Charleston, Dr. Charles P. Darby Jr., completed his undergraduate education at The Citadel and his graduate medical education at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). While at The Citadel, Dr. Darby played on the Varsity football team.
He began his training in pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, completing two years of pediatric resident training there. The lure of Charleston was strong and he returned to complete his third and final year of pediatric residency at MUSC. He then entered private practice in Mount Pleasant from 1962 to 1969 and served part-time on the faculty of MUSC. Having developed an interest in communicable disease, he went on to complete an infectious disease fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children on Great Ormond Street in London, England.
Joining the full-time faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina in 1970, he was appointed the chairman of the Department of Pediatrics in 1982. Throughout his tenure as chairman, significant advances in children's health care were made in South Carolina. His dream of a Children's Hospital was realized in 1987 - the result of 15 years of planning and perseverance. His commitment to recruiting talented clinical faculty was instrumental in earning MUSC Children's Hospital a spot as one of the nation's top children's hospitals and the top children's hospital in the Southeast (2001 and 2003 by Child magazine). The Department of Pediatrics, under his leadership, has also come to be well respected in research and education. Intent upon his commitment to children, his vision of a Children's Research Institute will be realized in 2005. Once open, it will be the largest and most comprehensive pediatric research facility in the Carolinas.
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| Dr. Darby with his granddaugther, Amelia |
Over the years, his dedication to children has been demonstrated by his participation in many community organizations dedicated to children's health and welfare. He has served as both vice president and president of the South Carolina Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In August 2004, he received a Career Lifetime Achievement Award from this organization. He generously donates his time and energy to both the Medical University of South Carolina Children's Hospital Fund and the Ronald McDonald House of Charleston. He currently serves as chairman of the Trident-area Success by Six Leadership Committee.
Dr. Darby has worked tirelessly with legislators and state agencies to improve services to children, working closely with the Medicaid program to simplify enrollment and expand benefits. In recognition of his distinguished service to the children of our state, Dr. Darby was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest award, from Governor Jim Hodges in February 2001. In addition, Dr. Darby received an honorary doctorate degree of medical science from the MUSC Board of Trustees, an honorary doctorate degree of humane letters from the College of Charleston, and an honorary doctorate degree of sciences from The Citadel's Board of Trustees for "his many contributions to the health of South Carolina's children." He also received the Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International "in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world." In 2002, Dr. Darby received the first "Child Advocate of the Year" award from Trident United Way for his lifetime dedication to the children of our community. The American Academy of Pediatrics awarded him the 2002 South Carolina AAP Special Achievement Award in recognition of his distinguished service as a physician and his dedication to the mission and goals of the AAP.
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| Dr. Darby with his family |
Dr. Darby officially retired as chairman of MUSC Department of Pediatrics and as pediatrician-in-chief of
MUSC Children's Hospital in June 2001. He and his wife, Joyce, currently reside in Mount Pleasant and
have been blessed with 5 children and 16 grandchildren. Not one to rest on his laurels, he continues his
service to
children on a part-time basis in his new role as the executive director of a new MUSC Children's Hospital entity, the Center for Child Advocacy and professor emeritus of pediatrics. He continues in his role as an active member of the South Carolina Children's Hospital Collaborative and as a governor-appointed member of the Medical Care Advisory Committee for the State of South Carolina. In November 2002, SC Governor-Elect Mark Sanford appointed Dr. Darby to his transition team on the Task Force on Health Affairs. In 2003, Dr. Darby was the recipient of The Community Foundation's Haven Award for selfless community giving; the United Way of America chose to honor him with a Community Catalyst Award at the national Success by Six conference; and the University of South Carolina honored him with the William Weston Distinguished Service Award for Excellence in Pediatrics.
In December 2004, the MUSC Board of Trustees voted to honor Dr. Darby by naming the new children's research institute, The Charles P. Darby Children's Research Institute. The CRI grand opening ceremony will take place February 10, 2005. The Institute is a seven-story, 121,500 sf building that will house 150 state-of-the-art laboratory modules. It is the largest and most comprehensive pediatric research facility in the Carolinas and the only dedicated children's research institute in South Carolina.
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