Alumni, current scholarship recipients, parents and other friends of the Keck School of Medicine of USC will gather to honor two very notable alumni and a beloved faculty member on March 12 at the 2016 Keck Scholarship Gala.

This year’s honorees all are people who have made a major impact on both the Keck School and the medical field as a whole.

Donald I. Feinstein, MD, MACP, emeritus professor of medicine, who will receive the Distinguished Faculty Award. Feinstein is one of the most respected hemotology-oncology doctors in the world and is designated a Master of the American College of Physicians. He continues to work at the Keck School even though he has been retired officially for eight years.

The Distinguished Alumni Merit Award will go to Drew Pinsky, MD ’84, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, for his work as a health and wellness advocate and renowned media personality. His well-known work in the field of addiction medicine has been a great influence on how drug addiction and the people who suffer from it are treated.

Michele M. Cannis, MD ’77, former associate clinical professor, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Service Award. Cannis is the former president of the volunteer and support organization Salerni Collegium Alumni Association. In addition to being a highly respected pediatrician and educator with a long-standing relationship with USC, she has given countless hours of service to the school as a volunteer.
KNBC-TV (Channel 4) iconic news personality and weatherman Fritz Coleman will emcee the event, which will take place at the newly renovated Town & Gown on USC’s University Park Campus.

The program for the evening also will include the introduction of the 46 recruitment scholarship recipients for 2015-16. These students have received full scholarships to attend the Keck School. There are also more than 250 partial scholarships funded by the gala’s fundraising efforts and the philanthropic commitment of alumni, faculty and others. The Scholarship Gala is the only Keck School fundraising event held throughout the year, and organizers have set a goal to surpass last year’s total of $225,000 raised for scholarship support.

Limited sponsorships opportunities are still available. For more information, please call (323) 442-2352 or email scypert@usc.edu.

— Amanda Busick