On Monday, Oct. 23, employees and executive leaders from across Keck Medicine of USC gathered in the Aresty Auditorium on the Health Sciences Campus for a town-hall style meeting. This was one in a series of town halls presented at key Keck Medicine locations, which also included the Alhambra offices, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, and USC Arcadia Hospital.
Attendees were greeted by Steven Shapiro, MD, USC’s senior vice president of health affairs, Rod Hanners, chief executive officer of Keck Medicine, and Shawn Sheffield, MBA, MHSA, Keck Medicine’s chief strategy officer. The three senior leaders provided an overview of the health system’s goals and strategic initiatives.
Shapiro delivered the event’s opening remarks and reminded the audience of the integral role Keck Medicine plays for thousands of Angelenos who interact with the health system. He also discussed the future of Keck Medicine and shared his excitement about planning of the Discovery and Translational Hub, a proposed seven-story building on the Health Sciences Campus that will unite interdisciplinary research teams to fast-track discoveries and address the health concerns of the community.
“With a central location at the USC Health Sciences Campus, this new facility will feature collaborative lab spaces — a feature which has been built into the design of this research hub,” Shapiro said. “The ultimate goal of this new research and development facility is to accelerate the pace of medical breakthroughs and boost health equity.”
Hanners focused on the system’s overall achievements. Hanners thanked all employees and faculty members for their selfless contributions over the past year and congratulated them for once again contributing to Keck Medicine being ranked among the best hospitals in the nation. Hanners went on to review notable accomplishments.
“Because of the talents and selflessness of our caregivers, we have been able to truly enhance the quality of life for our communities,” said Hanners.
Sheffield delivered a closing presentation, where she discussed the health system’s current and future initiatives and planned growth of the system.
Sheffield singled out projects focused on expanding capacity at Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, optimizing care across acute care sites, moving low-acuity volumes to ambulatory settings, and developing a post-acute partnered network.
“Although we have challenges ahead, we are confident in the talents and commitment of our employees,” said Sheffield. “We are determined to create an industry-leading health system for Los Angeles and beyond.”
— Shaheen AlHaddad