About
Dr. Zeller is the Medical Director of Clemson Rural Health. He grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, and earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from Purdue University. He went on to graduate Alpha Omega Alpha from Indiana University School of Medicine in 2006. He completed his Family medicine residency at Self Regional Healthcare and then spent one year in rural practice in Indiana prior to beginning his academic career. He has taught at residency programs in South Bend, IN, Greenwood, and Greenville, SC prior to moving to Seneca to start the Seneca Family Medicine Residency Program in 2017. His special interests include inpatient and outpatient procedures, health disparities, the opioid epidemic, improving the health of communities, and teaching the next generation of physicians. His scholarly output includes publications in The Journal of Family Practice, FP Essentials, Family Medicine, and The Journal of Rural Health, and he has lectured regionally and nationally about curriculum innovation and healthy organizational culture. He is currently providing medical leadership, support, nurse and provider mentorship, and delivering patient care at Clemson Rural Health’s clinic locations throughout South Carolina.
How their research is transforming health care
At Clemson Rural Health, Dr. Zeller is supporting the organization’s continuous growth and transforming health outcomes. Their vision is “to transform health outcomes in rural and underserved communities through reducing premature mortality, decreasing preventable hospitalizations and improving overall quality of life in the regions we serve.” Through involvement with Oconee County Opioid Response Taskforce and Prisma Health’s Addiction Medicine Center, Dr. Zeller’s team is actively addressing the opioid epidemic and studying how stigma reduces the effectiveness of these measures. Their goal is to find ways to reduce stigma, increase the recognition of opioid use disorder as a neurobiological disease, and increase awareness of the beneficial effects of harm reduction efforts. Dr. Zeller is currently seeing patients at the Clemson Health Clinic at Walhalla on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Health research keywords
Clemson Rural Health, Graduation Medical Education, Innovations in Curricular Design, Interprofessional Learning and Collaboration, Opioid Use Disorder, Neurobiological Basis of Addiction
