Kathleen Page, MD, chair of the Maternal-Child Health Section at the USC Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute and assistant professor of Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, recently received a prestigious Pathway to Stop Diabetes award from the American Diabetes Association. The Diabetes Research Accelerator award helps support exceptional early career researchers who intend to continue their careers in diabetes research.

Stacy Bratcher has been promoted to the newly created position of deputy general council. She will be second-in-command of the Office of the General Counsel and responsible for university-wide legal issues. Bratcher previously served as associate general council for health sciences, and she will continue to oversee the legal services provided to the Health Sciences Campus.

P. Michael McFadden, MD, professor of cardiothoracic surgery, is looking for individuals for a clinical trial. The purpose of the research study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the PulmonX Endobronchial Valve (EBV) in emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment.

The device is a one-way valve that prevents inspired air from inflating the more diseased areas of the lung and redirects the air to better functional lung. The EBV also allows decompression of the hyperinflated lung resulting in lung volume reduction and better diaphragm muscle function and breathing. The EBV has been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for investigational use only in this study and is not available commercially.

Individuals who have clinical and radiological evidence of emphysema or COPD and are able to participate in an exercise program are encouraged to call Amelia Weldon, research coordinator, at (323) 442-5763.