OUR Clemson; Student Affairs

Ties that Bind: Salter relishes his role as Student Health Services physician

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Dr. Henry Salter’s ties to Clemson University run deep.

So deep, in fact, four generations of his family — including twin daughters — proudly call Clemson their alma mater. His grandfather rowed and ran cross country. His father graduated with a degree in civil engineering.

Salter graduated with a degree in biochemistry and married a Clemson alumna.

“My wife graduated in recreational therapy and her father taught English at Clemson,” he said. “I’ve been living around here since 1985, off and on.”

Salter used to moonlight at Redfern Health Center when he was a resident at Greenville Memorial Hospital in 1989. He would come in on Thursday afternoons and conduct women’s exams and write prescriptions. A year later, he began his professional career as an OBGYN generalist.

For years, he delivered babies, performed surgeries and handled general OBGYN work in the Upstate of South Carolina — he’s practiced medicine in Greenville, Seneca and Easley. With an eye on less obstetrics and more outpatient treatment, Salter joined the Student Health Services staff as a physician in October 2018.

“I’ve always been interested in preventive health, STI prevention and treatment, contraception and other emerging technologies,” said Salter, whose daughters are now physicians at Duke University Medical Center. “My focus is on all kinds of sexually-related issues for men and women. I’ve been very happy with how our services have grown and how busy our schedule is.”

Salter previously worked with Redfern’s medical director — Dr. Lesslie Pekarek — at Baptist Easley Hospital. Now, he is a member of Pekarek’s team serving the student population at Clemson. He works alongside Annette Whelchel, a nurse practitioner, in overseeing women’s health, as well as sexual, reproductive and LGBTQ services.

He views the variety of medical specialties as a major strength of the Redfern staff. He also said Redfern is one of the easiest, most collaborative environments he’s ever worked in — all with the focus of serving Clemson’s students to the fullest extent possible.

“I like seeing the focus of education on incoming first-year students,” he said. “One of the greatest things about the job is students. I get excited about going to work on Sunday because these students want to be healthy and overcome any issues that they have. From a societal standpoint, I’m happy to support the next generation of leaders and help them avoid or overcome any obstacles that could prevent them from performing to their fullest.”