Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of breast, prostate and colon cancers combined because most patients are diagnosed after the cancer has already become advanced. The Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Program at the Keck Medical Center of USC is fighting to change that, which is why it is offering low-dose CT (LDCT) scans of the chest for lung cancer screening at a reduced cost of $99. … Read More »
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
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 »
More than 150 students from elementary schools surrounding USC’s Health Sciences campus participated in the 13th annual HSC Science Fair, held May 9, on the Harry and Celesta Pappas Quad. … Read More »
The USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy announced its entry into the Campaign for the University of Southern California on April 27 before a capacity crowd of over 400 Trojans gathered at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel ballroom.
The kickoff celebration, scheduled to coincide with the annual conference of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), included live entertainment, a video presentation, and a toast from Associate Dean and Chair Florence Clark. … Read More »
By USC Health Sciences Public Relations and Marketing
A seasoned health care executive with decades of experience in the Los Angeles market has been tapped to lead Keck Medical Center’s managed care strategy.
Carol Buitrago joined USC April 30 and serves as executive administrator for managed care and community medical group development, leading the creation and implementation of a managed care strategy for the clinical enterprise. … Read More »
Piece by missing piece, scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC are deciphering the powerful gene regulatory circuit that maintains and controls the potential of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to form any type of cell in the body.
Recent findings by Andrew McMahon, director and Provost Professor, and Qilong Ying, associate professor of cell and neurobiology, at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC, underscore the essential role of basic science in paving the way for future medical breakthroughs. … Read More »
Images of shrinking glaciers and stranded polar bears give powerful evidence of the need for people to work together on the common problem of protecting the planet. Adding art and the voices of community leaders to the data scientists are compiling may help convince decision makers to take action to deal with climate change, said Jonathan Samet, director of the USC Institute for Global Health.
Samet spoke on challenges and opportunities in arts and health care and the need for stewardship of the planet at an Earth Day Forum on April 22 at Los Angeles City Hall. … Read More »
Physicians and neuroscientists at USC are enrolling female volunteers into a National Institutes of Health-funded clinical trial studying the effects of soy supplements on menopause-related hot flashes and memory loss. Sponsored by the Keck School of Medicine of USC and USC School of Pharmacy, the clinical trial will examine how healthy peri- and post-menopausal women tolerate a nutritional supplement called phytoSERM.
PhytoSERMs are a food supplement that contain three different phytoestrogens: daidzen, genistein and equol. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring compounds derived from plants and function like the primary female sex hormone—estrogen.
The USC Institute of Urology hosted “L.A. Live—International Robotic and Open Live Surgery Symposium,” which attracted more than more than 240 physicians to the Aresty Auditorium from May 1-2. A roster of 40 renowned international surgeons served as speakers and moderators for the event, which featured 10 live robot-assisted and open surgeries. The event was designed to help improve robotic skills for all levels of surgeons. … Read More »
When the Evaluation and Treatment Clinic (ETC) opened at Keck Hospital of USC in 2009, it proved to be so successful that the need for expansion soon became apparent.
Nearly four years later, the newly remodeled—and much larger—clinic opened for patient care on April 23.
While the clinic formerly had to ‘make do’ with two small examination rooms, it now boasts five, including a larger room that can better accommodate bariatric patients. The clinic has nearly doubled in size from 562 to 1,028 square feet. … Read More »
The human body has the ability to ward off viruses by activating a naturally occurring protein at the cellular level, setting off a chain reaction that disrupts the levels of cholesterol required in cell membranes to enable viruses to enter cells.
The findings, discovered by researchers in molecular microbiology and immunology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, hold promise for the development of therapies to fight a variety of viral infections.
“Previous studies have shown that our bodies are already equipped to block viruses such as Ebola, influenza, West Nile and SARS,” said Jae U. Jung, principal investigator and distinguished professor and chair of the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Department.
The study, “The antiviral effector IFITM3 disrupts intracellular cholesterol homeostasis to block viral entry,” was published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe on April 17. … Read More »
From left at the May 2 groundbreaking ceremony are: USC President C. L. Max Nikias; USC Trustee Harlyne Norris; Lisa Hansen, chair of the board of trustees for the Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation; and Senior Vice President and CEO for USC Health Tom Jackiewicz.
It has been five years since Barbara Kral was first diagnosed with advanced myeloid leukemia. Although she is in remission, she continues to receive treatment every four weeks at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Thanks to a lead gift by the Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation for construction of the Norris Healthcare Consultation Center, patients like Kral will soon have even more options for personalized, compassionate care.
“I’ve learned on my journey that when a person is facing cancer, the experience and capability of the facility and its staff are of prime importance, and next is the manner in which the patient is treated on a personal
basis,” said Kral to an audience of donors, administrators and physicians at a groundbreaking ceremony held on May 2. “The loving care I receive at Norris is an extremely important part of my overall treatment.”