Keck School of Medicine of USC - HSC News

USC rheumatology community seminar answers diagnosis, treatment questions on rheumatic diseases

Rheumatic diseases affect millions of people in the United States every year: Nearly 54 million have been diagnosed with arthritis; 1.5 million Americans have a form of lupus; fibromyalgia affects an estimated 5 million U.S. adults; and scleroderma impacts an estimated 300,000 Americans.

To learn more about these conditions and what can be done to treat them, 150 rheumatology patients and their families gathered at the recent USC Rheumatology 6th Annual Community Seminar. The April 27 event, sponsored by Amgen and Genentech and held at the Mayer Auditorium on USC’s Health Sciences campus, gave the attendees a chance to share their insights and experiences with rheumatic diseases and get information from physicians from the Keck School of Medicine of USC. … Read More »

July 26th, 2013|Announcements|

Ford honored for working with underrepresented minority students

By Josh Grossberg

He’s a respected researcher, prolific author, valued mentor, and selfless humanitarian.

For Henri Ford, professor of surgery, vice dean for medical education at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and vice president and chief of surgery at Keck School-affiliated Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, life’s journey has been one of learning, sharing and giving.

To honor his many contributions to healthcare, diversity and philanthropy, Ford was given the 2013 NMF Academic Medicine and Clinical Practice Award by National Medical Fellowships. The award was presented at the NMF Champions of Health Awards ceremony on June 26 in Los Angeles. … Read More »

July 25th, 2013|Announcements|

Keck student named to AAMC governing board

Mariya Kalashnikova

By Jon Nalick

Keck School of Medicine of USC student Mariya Kalashnikova has been selected as the sole medical student representative to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) executive board.

The AAMC is governed by a 17-member board of directors, which manages the affairs of the association by providing strategic direction, fiduciary oversight and generative thinking.

Associate Dean for Student Affairs Donna Elliott said, “The Keck School of Medicine is honored to have one of our students, Mariya Kalashnikova, selected to serve … [she] will be the voice of all U.S. medical students and have a role in influencing medical education and health care policy on a national level.” … Read More »

July 25th, 2013|Announcements|

Forum kicks off USC’s summer high school programs in stem cell research

By Cristy Lytal

More than 20 local students are enjoying a summer of hands-on experience in stem research laboratories, through the USC Early Investigator High School (EiHS) and the USC CIRM Science, Technology and Research (STAR) programs.

Darren Harris, a student at Lifeline Education Charter School, explained what the opportunity means to him at the USC Stem Cell Public Policy Education Forum, held in the Aresty Auditorium on July 12. … Read More »

July 25th, 2013|Announcements|

Interdisciplinary health team shows how collaboration bolsters care

By Kukla Vera

Ninety-one-year-old Filomena Flores recently welcomed a very special group of USC students into her home.

Although her visitors came from seven different professional programs spanning the university — dentistry, medicine, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant practice and social work—they arrived as a team.

This meeting, led by an accompanying faculty mentor, was the first of a series aimed at teaching students to work collaboratively in examining the health issues facing Flores and identifying ways to improve her care. … Read More »

July 25th, 2013|Announcements|

National ranking places USC hospitals among the best

Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital are once again ranked among the best hospitals in the United States in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Hospitals” rankings. The hospitals have been included in the rankings since 2009, when the University of Southern California purchased the hospitals.

USC-affiliated Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, staffed exclusively by faculty physicians from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, also was named last month to U.S. News’ Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll, and ranked in the top five in the nation. … Read More »

July 25th, 2013|Announcements|

Hinton named associate dean for vision science

David R. Hinton, M.D., professor of pathology, neurological surgery and ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, has been named the school’s inaugural associate dean for vision science. Hinton is a distinguished scientist and educator, and one of the world’s foremost experts on the biology of macular degeneration.

Hinton will spearhead the development of new vision science programs in education, training and research. He will also be responsible for coordinating vision research efforts that are located throughout Keck School departments, and between the Keck School and other departments and schools at USC. … Read More »

July 25th, 2013|Announcements|

Henri Ford honored for working with underrepresented minority students

By Josh Grossberg

Henri Ford (center) celebrates with Keck School National Medical Fellowship winners (from left) Ruth Montes, Miriam Lassiter, Dr. Ford, Maria Sandoval and Edwin Kulubya.
Photo/BlankLogo Photography

He’s a respected researcher, prolific author, valued mentor and selfless humanitarian.

For Henri Ford, professor of surgery, vice dean for medical education at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and vice president and chief of surgery at Keck School-affiliated Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, life’s journey has been one of learning, sharing and giving.

In recognition of his many contributions to health care, diversity and philanthropy, Ford was recently honored with the 2013 Excellence in Academic Medicine and Clinical Practice Award from the National Medical Fellowships, presented at a ceremony on June 26.

The National Medical Fellowships is a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships for underrepresented minorities entering the health professions. … Read More »

July 16th, 2013|Announcements|

Keck School of Medicine set to open Biosafety Level 3 lab

By Ina Fried

A new infectious diseases laboratory at the Keck School of Medicine of USC will allow researchers to study bacteria and viruses that threaten humans with serious airborne diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), SARS and pandemic influenza.

Now under construction on the top floor of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, the lab is being built to the exacting requirements of a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) lab, a federal classification of a facility designed for the study of agents that can cause potentially severe or fatal illness as a result of exposure by inhalation. … Read More »

July 16th, 2013|Announcements|

Better patient care? Yes, there’s app for that

By Josh Grossberg

Thanks to some cutting-edge technology, inpatient nurses and Keck Medical Center of USC will soon be able to connect with patients and other nurses and receive critical alarms just by reaching into their pockets.

In August, the center will receive 300 specialty iPhones that will enable inpatient nursing staff to work faster, smarter and easier.

“This will become their communication device,” said Keith Paul, chief technology officer for USC Health Sciences. “The idea is to give them one device to do everything.” … Read More »

July 12th, 2013|Announcements|

PhD student’s research featured on journal cover

Zhengfei Lu, a PhD candidate in the lab of Michael Lieber, the Rita and Edward Polusky Professor in Basic Research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, is the first author of a research study featured on the cover of the May 30 issue of Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. The paper is titled “BCL6 breaks occur at different AID sequence motifs in Ig–BCL6 and non-Ig–BCL6 rearrangements.”

According to Lu, “chromosomal rearrangements are common in human cancer. By analyzing chromosomal break sequences collected from patients, we have discovered the fingerprints left by the process that caused the lymphoma. … Read More »

July 12th, 2013|Announcements|

Uttam K. Sinha assumes new leadership roles

Uttam K. Sinha, associate professor of otolaryngology and Watt Family Chair in Head and Neck Cancer at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, has been appointed to two key new leadership positions.

Sinha will serve as medical director of head and neck surgery, and associate dean of surgical simulation, paving the way for novel, innovative programming across clinical, research and educational practices.

As medical director, Sinha will lead the development of a Head and Neck Surgery Institute focused on providing comprehensive, translational care to patients suffering from head and neck diseases. … Read More »

July 12th, 2013|Announcements|

USC supporter John Reid weds — and presents wedding gifts to the Keck School

By Amy E. Hamaker

John and Karen Reid requested that in lieu of traditional gifts for their wedding, guests consider donations to the Darlene Dufau Reid Endowed Scholarship Fund.

When his wife, Darlene Dufau Reid, passed away after a long illness in 2008, John Reid (USC BS ’69), a Superior Court judge for 27 years who presently sits in the Santa Monica courthouse, was not sure love would ever find him again.

Then one day, John bumped into his future wife, Karen, by chance. “Darlene had been gone a couple of years and I was tired of eating my own cooking,” recalled John. “I wandered down to the pier in Malibu, and Karen was standing on the pier talking on the phone to her son. I looked at her, and she looked at me, and I couldn’t help myself — I asked her out to dinner. We stayed talking that evening until the restaurant closed.”

John and Karen were married on April 6, 2013. In lieu of gifts, the couple requested donations in support of the Darlene Dufau Reid Endowed Scholarship Fund at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. The scholarship is presented annually to an outstanding medical student. To date, donations in honor of the ceremony have reached nearly $13,000. … Read More »

July 12th, 2013|Announcements|

Dept. of Ophthalmology announces new branding

Following the expiration of an agreement with the Doheny Eye Institute, the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Department of Ophthalmology will now be known by a new name, USC Eye Institute, under the campus clinical branding Keck Medical Center of USC.

The new name will be used throughout the organization, and signs bearing the new name will begin to appear in coming weeks. Newspaper and radio ads announcing the change have already begun running. … Read More »

July 12th, 2013|Announcements|

KECK SCHOOL FETES NEW RECRUITS

Keck School of Medicine Dean Carmen A. Puliafito recently celebrated the recruitment of world renowned neuroscientists Arthur Toga and Paul Thompson — and more than 100 faculty, researchers and staff — to the Keck School. … Read More »

July 12th, 2013|Announcements|

Birds of a feather flock together for stem cell research

By Robin Heffler

The cellular and molecular composition of feathers can be experimentally manipulated to test the hypothesis that certain molecular components may enhance or suppress pigment differentiation.

To eventually use stem cells in regenerative medicine, scientists need to understand how stem cells become organized into particular tissue patterns and shapes. With that in mind, researchers at USC recently found clues by studying the cellular and molecular basis of complex pigment patterns in bird feathers.

Keck School of Medicine of USC researchers uncovered several fundamental rules of morphogenesis ─ the organizational process of functional cellular patterning. Their study appeared on April 25 in Science Express, the online version of the journal Science.

“Feathers are a good research model because they are unique, able to regenerate repetitively under normal conditions and are positioned at the surface of the body so that we can see their patterns,” said Cheng-Ming Chuong, the study’s team leader and professor of pathology at the Keck School. “Therefore their cellular and molecular composition can be experimentally manipulated to test the hypothesis that certain molecular components may enhance or suppress pigment differentiation.” … Read More »

June 28th, 2013|Announcements|

More than 1,000 flock to learn ‘sidewalk CPR’

In honor of National CPR Week, the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency offered a countywide CPR training program to the greater Los Angeles Area. … Read More »

June 24th, 2013|Announcements|

Pfizer and USC team up to create a new R&D partnership

By Amy E. Hamaker

A significant number of drugs originate in the academic medical community, but progress toward translating new pharmaceutical breakthroughs to the clinic is often slow and prohibitively expensive.

Research suggests that since the early 1980s, the number of Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs has stayed the same, while investments in research have increased from $5 billion to $35 billion. … Read More »

June 24th, 2013|Announcements|

Analyze This!

A team of graduate students from the Keck School of Medicine Department of Preventive Medicine’s Health Behavior Research PhD Program recently won the Sloboda Bukoski Cup competition at the Society for Prevention Research conference. … Read More »

June 24th, 2013|Announcements|

50-Year Fellows visit campus that has changed much since 1963

By Josh Grossberg

Tuition was a few thousand dollars. The campus was dotted with open fields. There were a handful of women students.

A lot has changed since Robert Ouwendijk graduated from the Keck School of Medicine of USC. But one thing hasn’t — the camaraderie he shared with his fellow members of the Class of 1963.

Fifty years later, on May 31, he joined many of his classmates for induction as a 50-Year Fellow, a distinction that is bestowed only on former students who graduated at least 50 years ago. … Read More »

June 24th, 2013|Announcements|

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