It's Hard To Be What You Can't See | Phyllis MacGilvray | TEDxLady Street ED
When role models are scarce, it can be difficult to imagine the possibilities that lie ahead. In this inspiring TED Talk, Dr. Phyllis MacGilvray, a first-generation college graduate turned doctor, shares a journey shaped by perseverance, purpose, and the quiet power of visibility. Reflecting on the challenges of navigating higher education without a roadmap, Dr. MacGilvray emphasizes how representation fuels possibility. Now committed to helping students "see" what they can be, this talk is both a personal story and a passionate call to create opportunities, break barriers, and ignite the belief that big dreams are within reach. Dr. Phyllis MacGilvray, MD, FAAFP serves as the Dean of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville (SOMG). Additionally, she is a clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine at SOMG and serves as a Prisma Health Family Medicine physician.
Dr. MacGilvray is the first medical school dean in the country board certified in lifestyle medicine. As a native South Carolinian from Abbeville, she has maintained a full-scope family medicine practice for 20 years. Dr. MacGilvray is a practicing physician in Greenville, in family medicine with obstetrics.
Dean MacGilvray earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in biochemistry from Clemson University and her Doctor of Medicine Degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. She completed residency training in family medicine at the University of Vermont, followed by academic leadership positions at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune and at the University of Texas Health San Antonio This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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