Keck Medicine of USC opens diagnostic and treatment center for children with hearing loss

By Alison Trinidad

Hearing loss among children is a major challenge for pediatricians and parents. According to the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities, children who are hard of hearing often find it much more difficult to learn vocabulary, grammar and word order.

No single treatment is the answer, however. To offer patients and their families comprehensive clinical care backed by innovative research, Keck Medicine of USC recently opened the USC Center for Childhood Communication on the campus of John Tracy Clinic, 806 W. Adams Blvd., in Los Angeles. Pediatric audiology and speech pathology specialists began seeing patients on Oct. 1.

The new center provides audiology and speech language pathology services to children with hearing loss from birth to adulthood, including access to national clinical trials and state-of-the-art rehabilitative care. The center builds on the world-renowned clinical and scientific expertise of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Keck Medicine of USC. … Read More »

October 11th, 2013|Announcements|

Foothills community celebrates the joining of USC and Verdugo Hills Hospital

By Celine Petrossian

Hands-on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training for adults and children was among the many offerings for the community at the Sept. 28 event. (Photo/Paul Edward Robison) Hands-on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training for adults and children was among the many offerings for the community at the Sept. 28 event.
(Photo/Paul Edward Robison)

More than 700 members of the Foothills community joined the wide array of cardinal-and-gold-themed festivities at the USC Verdugo Hills Hospital Wellness Celebration on Sept. 28 on the USC-VHH campus. The event celebrated the new affiliation of the two organizations.

“I’m terribly in favor of the new partnership,” said Sunland resident Bob Pinkston, who attended the event with his wife Diane. “I love USC. Verdugo Hills has been a great hospital and the association with USC is a step up. All of my three children were born at this hospital.” … Read More »

October 11th, 2013|Announcements|

Magnetic treatment for high-risk neuroblastoma proves less than attractive

By Ellin Kavanagh and Cristy Lytal

Removing tumor cells with a magnet? It may sound strange, but researchers at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and their colleagues recently explored whether this technique can create better outcomes for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma, which carries a less than 50 percent chance of survival for children who are diagnosed. … Read More »

October 2nd, 2013|Announcements|

USC study shows large pollution exposure reductions possible with car ventilation setting choices

By Leslie Ridgeway

Based on a new study, USC environmental health researchers have advice for drivers who want to reduce their exposure to harmful traffic pollutants: The car ventilation choice you make can be effective in reducing exposure to on-road particle pollution.

Scott Fruin, DEnv, assistant professor of preventive medicine, and Neelakshi Hudda, PhD, research associate in the environmental health department of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, recently conducted the first systematic measurements of in-vehicle exposure that included a full range of car types and operating conditions, and for all types of particulate pollution. … Read More »

October 2nd, 2013|Announcements|

Keck Hospital receives Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care designation

By Amy E. Hamaker

Keck Hospital of USC was recently awarded the Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care program designation by insurers Blue Shield and Blue Cross for the quality of its cardiac care program.

The Blue Distinction Center designation was designed to provide transparent data on the quality of medical providers to patients whose employers are national and who are insured by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. … Read More »

October 2nd, 2013|Announcements|