A Celebration of Dr. Sara Schuh
December 09, 2022
Celebrating Dr. Sara Schuh’s life and legacy, our Executive Director, Beverly Hutchison, and one of our Founding Directors, Dr. Libby Ralston, share their honor of knowing this instrumental woman.
“On November 25th, we lost a dear friend and pioneer.
Dr. Sara Schuh’s grace, intelligence and fervor about the well-being of the children in our community was a guiding light in the founding of Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center. Dr. Schuh was a child abuse pediatrician, seeing clients at Dee Norton and at the hospital until her retirement in 2017. During that time, she also trained generations of doctors to care for children and was a professor of pediatrics at MUSC from 1969 to 2017, retiring at age 82.
Those who knew her at Dee Norton remember her with a huge smile on her face. She could often be found knitting during staffings while asking hard questions and giving advice to advocate in the best interests of the children. Dr. Schuh even took it upon herself to teach some of our partners how to knit, saying that when your hands are involved in creating anything, it helps you focus on listening and processing.
While we have lost a smart, practical, tenacious advocate for children who experience neglect and abuse, we will continue every day to serve our mission to prevent, protect and heal—doing so in her dedication.
Thank you, Sara, for helping to create a place for children to find hope and healing. Thank you for changing the world, one child at a time.”
Beverly Hutchison
Executive Director of Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center
“Dr. Sara “Sally” Schuh was a friend and a colleague, and so much more. Sara was a consistent and insistent advocate for the health, safety and well-being of children. As a pioneer in the field of child abuse, she often faced the wrath of those who did not want to “know” about the incidence, prevalence or the impact of maltreatment on our children. As a person and professional she was too busy doing “good” to let others deter her. In her advocacy, Sara was instrumental in the establishment of the Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center, now the Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center.
Sara served as the first medical director of the center, often providing services to the children and families seen there in addition to her numerous other duties as a pediatrician and professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. Sara will be missed by many. Her passion and her work for the children and their families will continue through the multitude of medical and child abuse professionals she trained and mentored. The impact of her intelligence and her heart benefitted us all. Thank you, Sara, for making a difference at so many levels and for so many. As we always say at Dee Norton, ‘you done good!’”
Libby Ralston, PhD
Founding Director of Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center