By Amy E. Hamaker

The Keck School of Medicine of USC Faculty Council met in a Town Hall meeting on Oct. 15 at the Edmondson Faculty Center on the Health Sciences Campus to discuss medical recruitment, trends and financing in graduate medical education, research trends at the Keck School and faculty recruitment.

Raquel Arias, MD, MPH, associate dean for educational affairs (special projects), discussed medical recruitment for the school, including admission statistics for the current class of 2017 (average MCAT score 34.39; average GPA 3.67).

Vicky Marx, MD, associate professor of clinical radiology, spoke about trends in graduate medical education (GME). There has been increased scrutiny in recent years for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services payment for GME, she said.

Carmen A. Puliafito, MD, MBA, dean of the Keck School, fielded questions from the Faculty Council members at the Oct. 15 meeting. (Photo/Amy E. Hamaker)

Carmen A. Puliafito, MD, MBA, dean of the Keck School, fielded questions from the Faculty Council members at the Oct. 15 meeting.
(Photo/Amy E. Hamaker)

Thomas Buchanan, MD, interim vice dean for research and professor of medicine, led a short discussion of research at the Keck School. Although total funding remains flat, he noted that the school is holding its own in an environment of tough funding.

Judy Garner, PhD, vice dean for faculty affairs, presented information on faculty recruitment. There has been a net increase in clinical faculty recruitment of 18 percent in the last two years, and 41 percent of full-time USC faculty is a Keck School faculty member.

After the speakers, Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, MD, MBA, took questions from the council members on the Good Neighbors Campaign, the Keck Medicine of USC hospitals and research improvements.

The Faculty Council consists of nine representatives (six clinical and three research), and functions as an advisory board to the dean, and a representative to the Faculty Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee and the Academic Senate.

New Faculty Council members included:

  • Andre Ouellette, PhD, professor of pathology & laboratory medicine;
  • Suzanne Palmer, MD, associate professor of clinical radiology; and
  • Richard Paulson, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, chief of the division of reproductive endocrinology.

Continuing members included:

  • Ron Ben-Ari, MD, vice chair, educational affairs, Department of Medicine and assistant professor of clinical medicine;
  • Paula Cannon, PhD, associate professor of molecular microbiology & immunology, pediatrics, biochemistry & molecular biology;
  • Yves De Clerck, MD, professor of pediatrics, biochemistry & molecular biology
  • Daniel Oakes, MD, associate professor of orthopaedics
  • Christy A. Russell, MD, associate professor of medicine; and
  • Vicki Marx, MD, associate professor of clinical radiology.

Members rotating off the council included:

  • Peter Conti, MD, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering, radiology and pharmacy;
  • Don Larsen, MD, MBA, associate professor of clinical neurosurgery and radiology; and
  • Charles Gomer, MS, PhD, professor of pediatrics and radiation oncology (who is also the new president of the Academic Senate).