USC Norris study validates way to improve breast cancer survival

A new study from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center shows targeting both hormone receptors (HRs) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer patients significantly increased overall survival times.

A team of researchers led by Debu Tripathy, professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, looked at data provided by RegistHER, a prospective, observational study of 1,023 newly diagnosed HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients. Read More »

May 23rd, 2013|Announcements|

HSC Newsmakers

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May 23rd, 2013|Announcements|

2013 Keck School Senior and Faculty Awards

Keck School of Medicine honorees Kayla Dewey and Caitlin Carroll display their awards after the May 16 ceremony. Keck School of Medicine honorees Kayla Dewey and Caitlin Carroll display their awards after the May 16 ceremony.

The Keck School of Medicine Senior Awards Ceremony was held on May 16 on campus. Awards were granted to outstanding Doctor of Medicine candidates on the basis of excellence in academic achievement, research and service.

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May 20th, 2013|Announcements|

Keck Medical Center of USC patient turns room into art gallery

By Josh Grossberg

Patient Dominic Quagliozzi made 20 paintings that reflected the pain and the loneliness he felt during his 11-day hospital stay. Patient Dominic Quagliozzi made 20 paintings that reflected the pain and the loneliness he felt during his 11-day hospital stay.

Dominic Quagliozzi was looking for a unique place to display his artwork. He found it in his hospital room at the Keck Medical Center of USC.

Unusual, yes, but certainly appropriate. Quagliozzi made the art while recovering from an acute exacerbation episode of his cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that lands him in the hospital two or three times a year.

Quagliozzi channeled his illness through his art, giving viewers a chance to see what cystic fibrosis looks like—at least through the eyes of a trained artist.

In all, he made 20 paintings that reflected the pain and the loneliness he felt during his 11-day hospital stay. An additional image was projected on a bathroom wall. Read More »

May 17th, 2013|Announcements|

Research team awarded $11 million grant to fight stroke

By Josh Grossberg

USC researchers and their partners across Los Angeles County have been awarded an $11 million grant to fund research on community-based interventions to reduce the higher rates of stroke and death from stroke among economically disadvantaged Hispanics, African-Americans and Asian-Americans.

Amytis Towfighi Amytis Towfighi

The Los Angeles Stroke Prevention/Intervention Research Program in Health Disparities is a multi-partnered research center, funded by the National Institutes of Health. The center, led by Barbara Vickrey, professor of neurology at UCLA, will conduct two randomized, controlled community-based trials of stroke prevention interventions.

Amytis Towfighi, assistant professor of neurology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and associate chief medical officer of Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, will co-lead the larger trial in the five-year study.

“The reason we’re targeting this population is because minorities are at high risk for stroke and are less likely to receive appropriate stroke preventive services than whites,” Towfighi said. “We plan to bridge this gap.” Read More »

May 16th, 2013|Announcements|