HSC Media Relations

Study Finds Big Air Pollution Impacts on Local Communities

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:11:21 -0800

Heavy traffic corridors in the cities of Long Beach and Riverside are responsible for a significant proportion of preventable childhood asthma, and the true impact of air pollution and ship emissions on the disease has likely been underestimated, according to researchers at the University of Southern California (USC).

The study, which appears in an online edition of the American Journal of Public Health, estimated that nine percent of all childhood asthma cases in Long Beach and six percent in Riverside were attributable to traffic proximity.

The study also found that ship emissions from the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex contributed to the exacerbation of asthma. For example, approximately 1,400 yearly episodes of asthma-related bronchitis episodes in Long Beach (21 percent of the total) were caused by the contribution of ship emissions to nitrogen dioxide levels in the city.

Although there has been extensive research on the effects of traffic proximity on asthma risk, this study is one of the few that has estimated the number of cases—or “burden of disease”—associated with traffic in specific high risk communities, says principal investigator Rob McConnell, M.D., professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and deputy director of the Children’s Environmental Health Center at USC.

“The traditional approach to estimating the burden of air pollution-related disease has markedly underestimated the true effect,” McConnell says. “Our results indicate that there is a substantial proportion of childhood asthma that may be caused by living within 75 meters (81 yards) of a major road in Long Beach and Riverside. This results in a much larger impact of air pollution on asthma symptoms and health care use than previously appreciated. This is also one of the first studies to quantify the contribution of ship emissions to the childhood asthma burden.”

Such specific data about the local health burden of air pollution is useful for evaluating proposals to expand port facilities or transportation infrastructure in the L.A. area, McConnell noted. Both Long Beach and Riverside already have heavy automobile traffic corridors as well as truck traffic and regional pollution originating in the port complex, which is the largest in the United States.

The study drew upon data from the Children’s Health Study (CHS), a longitudinal study of respiratory health among children in 12 Southern California communities, including Riverside and Long Beach. Researchers estimated the number of asthma cases and related complications that occurred because of air pollution, using information from epidemiological studies that they then applied to current exposure to air pollution and traffic in Southern California. The results showed that approximately 1,600 cases of childhood asthma in Long Beach and 690 in Riverside could be linked to living within 81 yards of a major road.

“The impact of roadway proximity on the overall burden of asthma-related illness is remarkable,” McConnell says. “Air pollution is a more important contributor to the burden of childhood asthma than is generally recognized, especially to more severe episodes requiring visits to a clinic or emergency room.”

Unlike regional air pollutants, the local traffic-related pollutants around homes and their effects are not currently regulated, he notes.

“This is a challenge to communities, to regulatory agencies and to public health,” McConnell says. “Traffic-related health effects should have a central role on the transportation planning agenda.”

The study, an international collaboration between USC, the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) in Spain and the University of Basel in Switzerland, was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the Hastings Foundation, the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (Switzerland) and the Fundacion Insitut Municipal d’Investigacio Medica (Barcelona). The authors acknowledge the insights of the staff and members of the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma and the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice.

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Laura Perez, Nino Kuenzli, Ed Avol, Andrea M. Hricko, Fred Lurmann, Elise Nicholas, Frank Gilliland, John Peters, Rob McConnell. “Global Goods Movement and the Local Burden of Childhood Asthma in Southern California.” American Journal of Public Health. Doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.154955.

KNOWME Network Presentation Wins Body Computing Slam Prize

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:26:00 -0800

A team led by Donna Spruijt-Metz won co-honors with Viterbi faculty at the recent USC Body Computing Slam, a competition of presentations the day before the annual USC Body Computing Conference 3.0, which took place in mid-October 2009 at the University Park campus.

The award-winning presentation was the KNOWME Network study, which uses wireless, wearable body sensors to measure physiological activity, food intake, stress levels, heart rate, and other indicators. The KNOWME device is to be tailored to the individual and would “ping” the person whenever they were sedentary for too long.

Spruijt-Metz, associate professor, Department of Preventive Medicine, is the principal investigator on the study, which aims to develop a mobile body area network for minority youth to encourage physical activity and better health. Viterbi faculty members of the team include Urbashi Mitra, Shri Narayanan and Murali Annavaram from the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering, and Gaurav Sukhatme and Nenad Medvidovic from the Department of Computer Science. Also on the team is Giselle Ragusa, who has appointments with Viterbi and the USC Rossier School of Education.

At the Body Computing Slam, teams present projects and demonstrations of the latest medical diagnostic and intervention technology in front of other research teams, venture capitalists, and medical device developers. The presentations are critiqued by a professional panel. The audience votes for the technology they believe has the highest potential to make substantial changes in healthcare.

The annual Body Computing conference brings together leading experts in healthcare and technology to present findings on the next phase of development of applications and wireless devices that help people manage their health. The Body Computing Conference and Slam are organized by Leslie Saxon, M.D., chief, Division of Cardiology for the Keck School of Medicine, and sponsored by the Keck School of Medicine.

USC Physician-Researchers Receive $16 Million Grant From State Stem Cell Agency

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:55:32 -0800

Los Angeles, Calif., Oct. 28, 2009—Physician-researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) received a nearly $16 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to fund the development of a stem cell-based treatment for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among the elderly.

Mark Humayun, M.D., Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology, cell and neurobiology, and biomedical engineering at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and David R. Hinton, M.D., Gavin S. Herbert Professor of Retinal Research and Professor of Pathology and Ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine, will lead the four-year study.

CIRM and two international partners awarded more than $250 million to 14 multidisciplinary teams of researchers in California, the UK and Canada to develop stem cell-based therapies for 11 diseases. The Disease Team Research Awards mark the first CIRM funding explicitly expected to result in a filing with the FDA to begin a clinical trial.

The grants received formal approval today from the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC), the 29-member governing board of the institute, and were announced at a press conference held in Los Angeles.

USC faculty will also collaborate on grants awarded to other California institutions:

•   Paula Cannon, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Keck School of Medicine, is a co-investigator on a team that received $14 million to develop a novel therapy that may offer lifetime immunity to HIV infection.

•   Thomas Coates, M.D., professor of pediatrics and pathology at the Keck School of Medicine, is a co-investigator on a team that received $9 million to explore treating sickle cell disease using a gene therapy approach to modify patients’ blood-forming stem cell.

•   Michael Press, M.D., Ph.D., Harold E. Lee Chair in Cancer Research at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and professor of pathology at the Keck School of Medicine, is the co-investigator on a nearly $20 million grant aimed at developing drugs that destroy cancer stem cells in solid tumors.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive disease that causes distortion in central vision and eventually leads to blindness. It is estimated that by 2020, more than 450,000 Californians will suffer from vision loss or blindness due to AMD. Effective treatment for the disease may be achieved by replacing damaged retinal pigment epithelium—the layer of cells at the back of the eye—and retinal cells with healthy ones derived from human embryonic stem cells, Humayun said.

“The funding from CIRM will be tremendously helpful and will accelerate our research towards achieving a near-term stem cell based therapy for AMD,” he said.

Humayun was elected this month to the prestigious Institute of Medicine for his groundbreaking work to restore sight to the blind. Election to the Institute is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

CIRM President Alan Trounson said the pace of the Disease Team projects stands in contrast to the decade or more that’s usually required to reach clinical trials.

“Scientists have talked for years about the need to find ways to speed the pace of discovery. By encouraging applicants to form teams composed of the best researchers from around the world we think CIRM will set a new standard for how translational research should be funded,” he said.

CIRM was established when voters passed Proposition 71 in 2004 to borrow and spend $3 billion over 10 years to support stem cell research.

To date, USC faculty members working at the two main campuses and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles have secured $82.3 million in funding, ranking fourth in CIRM funding received behind Stanford University, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, San Francisco. USC is also part of the Southern California Stem Cell Scientific Collaboration (SC3), which is an agreement among six research institutions in Southern California allowing members to share training programs, scientific core facilities and expertise, and to team up on a wide range of research programs.

For more information on USC’s stem cell programs, please visit http://stemcell.usc.edu.

USC Awarded New $16 Million Cancer Research Center

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:32:58 -0800

The University of Southern California has been selected to establish a $16 million cancer research center as part of a new strategy against the disease by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and its National Cancer Institute.

The five-year award will create a National Cancer Institute Physical Science-Oncology Center based at USC and involving a consortium of universities. Partnering in the USC grant will be Arizona State University, the California Institute of Technology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York University, Stanford University, the University of Arizona and the University of Texas at Austin.

The Physical Science-Oncology Center initiative differs from past cancer research programs. While cancer biologists often work with scientists in other fields, this marks the first large-scale recruitment of outside scientists in the battle against the disease.

Noted technology innovator and entrepreneur W. Daniel Hillis, research professor of engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and professor of research medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, is the principal investigator for the effort.

“This funding allows us to bring together a unique team of physicists, mathematicians, engineers and biologists to work together with physicians on the understanding and treatment of cancer,” said Hillis, who is also co-chairman of Applied Minds Inc. and a former Disney Imagineering executive.

The new center is one of 12 in the nation to receive the designation as a Physical Science-Oncology Center.

“By bringing a fresh set of eyes to the study of cancer, these new centers have great potential to advance, and sometimes challenge, accepted theories about cancer and its supportive microenvironment,” said John E. Niederhuber, director of the National Cancer Institute. “Physical scientists think in terms of time, space, pressure, heat and evolution in ways that we hope will lead to new understandings of the multitude of forces that govern cancer — and with that understanding, we hope to develop new and innovative methods of arresting tumor growth and metastasis.”

The five-year grant will allow the USC center to focus on creating a set of “virtual cancer” models based on measurements from individual cancer patients. The models then would be used to simulate cancer growth and predict drug responses for each patient.

“Clinical tools to accurately describe, evaluate and predict an individual’s response to cancer therapy are a field-wide priority,” said David Agus, senior co-investigator on the grant and professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine and director of the USC Center for Applied Molecular Medicine and the USC Westside Prostate Cancer Center. “The center brings to USC a network of scientists from multiple disciplines to try and control cancer with new ideas.”

The USC-led consortium will develop a single, integrated, virtual cancer model that describes cancer’s complexity from the smallest interactions at the molecular-cellular level to large-scale phenomena of how a tumor interacts with its host.

Specifically, the consortium will model: networks of interactions at the molecular and cellular levels; tumor molecular phylogenetic evolution; tumor growth, invasiveness and vasculature; and tumor interaction with host factors and the immune system.

“The models we are going to develop are based on a dataset spanning the many facets of cancer as interrogated by a suite of novel measurement platforms. Our unique dataset will enable us to rigorously describe cancer as the complex system it is,” said Parag Mallick, assistant professor of research at the Keck School of Medicine, one of the project co-leaders who played a critical role in writing the grant establishing the center at USC. “We will be primarily describing therapeutic response of non-Hodgkins lymphoma to standard chemotherapy, but additionally ensuring the generality of our approach by investigating acute myelogenous leukemia and non-small-cell lung cancer.”

According to USC Executive Vice President and Provost C. L. Max Nikias, “This grant honors outstanding interdisciplinary research efforts that have transformational potential within the biological and medical sciences. USC is honored to lead a consortium of such a high caliber.”

The winning grant proposal was assembled and submitted with the guidance of USC’s Washington, D.C. Research Advancement Office. “We greatly appreciate the effort of Steven Moldin, executive director of research advancement, and his colleagues who brought together all the various universities and institutes into the research project,” said Randolph Hall, USC vice provost for research advancement. “Without their efforts, the grant would not have been submitted.”

In addition to the research partner institutions, the USC-led initiative features consulting researchers from several academic, industry and institutional partners, including: Prognosys BioSciences, the Translational Genomics Research Institute, Princeton University, the University of California, Irvine, the Santa Fe Institute, Applied Proteomics and Applied Minds.

Noteworthy consultants and collaborators include Stanford’s Sanjiv Gambhir, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Scott Lowe and the Santa Fe Institute’s Nobel Laureate Murray Gell-Mann.

About the NIH/NCI Physical Science-Oncology Center Initiative

The National Cancer Institute is launching a network of 12 centers that will bring a new cadre of theoretical physicists, mathematicians, chemists and engineers to the study of cancer. During the five-year initiative, the Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers will take new, non-traditional approaches to cancer research by studying the physical laws and principles of cancer; evolution and evolutionary theory of cancer; information coding, decoding, transfer and translation in cancer; and ways to de-convolute cancer’s complexity.

The National Cancer Institute has awarded grants to 12 Physical Science-Oncology Centers which will be the focal points of a research network that will span the country. The 12 institutions are:

• Arizona State University
• Cornell University
• H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
• Johns Hopkins University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• Northwestern University
• Princeton University
• Scripps Research Institute
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of Southern California
• University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston)

Each of the Physical Science-Oncology Centers has convened groups of experts that individually and collectively will support and nurture a transdisciplinary environment and promote research that originates and tests novel, non-traditional, physical sciences-based approaches to understand and control cancer; generates independent sets of physical measurements and integrates them with existing knowledge of cancer; and develops and evaluates approaches from the physical sciences to provide a comprehensive and dynamic picture of cancer.

Ultimately, through coordinated development and testing of novel approaches to studying cancer processes, the network of Physical Science-Oncology Centers is expected to generate new bodies of knowledge in order to identify and define critical aspects of physics, chemistry and engineering that operate at all levels in cancer processes.

More information about the Physical Science-Oncology Centers program can be found at http://physics.cancer.gov

For more information on the USC Physical Science-Oncology Center, visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-09-009.html

Keck School of Medicine of USC Wins $34 Million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:01:00 -0800

Faculty researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have won a total of $34 million in grants as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

ARRA, which was passed by Congress and signed into law in February 2009 by President Obama, is designed to fund research projects that will stimulate the economy and create or retain jobs while potentially making significant scientific progress over the next two years.

On National Medical Research Day, Keck School of Medicine leaders noted that the ARRA awards represent a surge of federal support for the school.

“Competition for these grants was intense, so the success of our faculty speaks to the quality of our scientific enterprise and the determination of our investigators,” said Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A. “Today—which is National Medical Research Day—I’m proud to recognize their tireless efforts and stellar accomplishments.”

Among the grants is a nearly $9 million Grand Opportunity grant awarded to two USC neuroscientists to map how genes are expressed in different regions of the human brain throughout development. The project will be done in collaboration with researchers at Yale University and the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, Wash.

Keck School of Medicine researchers have also been awarded four ARRA P30 grants—one shared with the USC School of Dentistry—totaling $4.5 million to support junior faculty recruitment in the areas of autism, cancer, lung disease and craniofacial biology.

Elizabeth Fini, vice dean for research at the Keck School, said she expects the $34 million to increase as additional ARRA grant applications are funded.

“These ARRA grant awards are a symbol of who we are and what we represent to our peers in the national research community,” she said. “They are due to the creative ideas and exceptional skills of our longstanding faculty researchers, as well as junior faculty and new chairs and research leaders we’ve recently recruited.”

For more information on ARRA grant awards to the Keck School of Medicine of USC, go to http://www.usc.edu/keck.

USC Ophthalmologist and Biomedical Engineer Mark Humayun Elected to Institute of Medicine

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:21:57 -0800

University of Southern California (USC) ophthalmologist and biomedical engineer Mark Humayun has been elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM) for his groundbreaking work to restore sight to the blind. The IOM made the announcement on Oct. 12 at its 39th annual meeting.

Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Humayun, M.D., Ph.D., is professor of ophthalmology, cell and neurobiology, and biomedical engineering at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the Doheny Eye Institute at USC and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. His research projects focus on the treatment of the most debilitating and challenging eye diseases through advanced engineering. He is also the director of the Department of Energy Artificial Retina Project and co-inventor of the retinal prosthesis—an implantable artificial retina that has restored partial sight to blind patients.

“I am extremely honored to be elected into the Institute of Medicine,” Humayun said. “I would like to thank my colleagues and my family for their support, and I am looking forward to contributing as a member to the Institute of Medicine”

Humayun has been voted one of the Best Doctors in America and has received numerous research awards, including being named Innovator of the Year by R&D Magazine in 2005.

“The election of Mark Humayun to the Institute of Medicine is a great honor that recognizes his status as an outstanding leader in bioscience,” said Keck School of Medicine Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A. “Dr. Humayun’s dedication to medicine and science, and his commitment to collaboration across disciplines, has profoundly improved the quality of life for many patients.”

Dana Goldman, Ph.D., professor and the Norman Topping Chair in Medicine and Public Policy at the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development was also elected to the IOM. Goldman oversees the newly created Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC and also has a faculty appointment at the School of Pharmacy.

New IOM members are elected by current active members through a highly selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, healthcare, and public health. IOM's total membership is 1,778.

The Institute of Medicine is unique in its structure as both an honorific membership organization and an advisory organization. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, IOM has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer their service on IOM committees, boards, and other activities. Studies and initiatives during the past year include: a review of the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury among military personnel; an assessment of health effects due to lack of insurance; recommendations for comparative effectiveness research priorities; new guidelines for how much weight women should gain during pregnancy; a blueprint for American leadership in advancing global health; a strategy for preventing medical conflicts of interest; and a series of meetings on improving healthcare value through evidence-based medicine.

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USC Body Computing 3.0 Brings Leaders Together to Debate Uses of Healthcare Management Devices

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:24:33 -0800

Leading experts in healthcare and technology will present findings on the next phase of development of applications and devices that help people manage their health at the Body Computing 3.0 conference today at the University of Southern California (USC) campus.

Demonstrations of iPhone and other apps that enable users to track their heart health, and that allow physicians to interact with patients, share data and communicate with other physicians are also part of the conference. The event takes place from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the USC University Park Campus Town and Gown Banquet Hall. The conference is sponsored by the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Guest experts from companies including Boston Scientific, Proteus Biomedical, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and the Mayo Clinic will join with experts from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and USC School of Cinematic Arts to debate everything from privacy issues posed by the use personal health data in gaming devices to figuring out how to make health monitoring devices that are fun to use.

“We’re getting closer to the day when patients will press a button to check on their own vital signs and transmit the data to their physicians and loved ones,” says Leslie Saxon, M.D., chief, Division of Cardiology for the Keck School of Medicine and principal organizer of the Body Computing conference. “But what about regulatory and privacy issues that could affect that data? Technology is moving quickly, which is why it’s important to ask questions now about where it’s going and what we want it to do.”

Body computing already exists in the marketplace in the form of networked heart defibrillator devices, implanted in more than 250,000 patients in the United States. “Smart pills” keep a tab on medications a patient has taken, and provide health status updates wirelessly to the patient’s physician, who can analyze the results or offer intervention strategies.

“The hope is that technology will not only monitor health, but also manage healthcare costs by eliminating the need for numerous office visits and streamlining record keeping,” said Saxon.

The conference was preceded by the popular Body Computing Slam and dinner on Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Davidson Conference Center, where experts in healthcare, technology and entertainment met to “think out loud” about the future of technology in healthcare.

Demonstrations include:

    * Corventis iPhone “Beating Heart” app that allows users to see their normal heart rate and see how heart rate changes with stress. App includes “lie/heart detector” that users can use with friends to see how questions and moods change heart rate.
    * Boston Scientific iPhone app enabling physicians to share patient physiological data with other physicians and to communicate information to their patients such as the battery level on their pacemaker.
    * Proteus “smart pill” app that helps schizophrenic patients to determine how their bodies are reacting to medication. Patient will be on hand to demonstrate.

      For more information on the conference, go to http://www.usccardiology.org/bodycomputing/

Breast Cancer Experts

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:13:07 -0800

Faculty and staff from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital are available to share their expertise on all matters related to breast cancer, from detection to treatment and support, as well as the steps people can take to prevent it.

Breast Cancer — General

Debu Tripathy, M.D., is a professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and co-leader of the Women’s Cancer Program at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Tripathy’s primary area of interest is breast cancer therapy. For the past 20 years, he has studied growth factor receptors, important targets in breast and other cancers. He was part of the original team that brought the now commonly used drug Herceptin into clinical care. Currently, his focus is on expanding what is known about growth factor receptors and developing newer treatments for patients who are resistant to the existing therapeutic options. In addition to his expertise in clinical research, Tripathy is deeply involved in patient care and survivorship issues.

Dennis Holmes, M.D., is an assistant professor of clinical surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, director of new technology development at USC Norris Cancer Center and Hospital and chief breast surgeon at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center. His recent research focused on the survival of women who elect to have lumpectomies for treatment of breast cancer versus those who have mastectomies. Holmes is also interested in pregnancy’s and hormone replacement therapy’s connection with breast cancer risk.

Christy Russell, M.D., is associate professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and chief of medicine at USC Norris Cancer Hospital. Russell specializes in treating breast and testicular cancer. She currently serves as the principal investigator on multiple studies evaluating new treatments for patients with early and advanced breast cancer. Russell was statewide president of the California Division of the American Cancer Society in 2002-2003. She was also named chairwoman of the National American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Advisory Committee.

Cancer Genetics/Genetic Counseling

Charité Ricker, M.S., C.G.C, is the cancer genetic counselor and genetic services coordinator for the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital. She is a board certified genetic counselor with specialization in hereditary cancer risk assessment. At USC Norris’ Cancer Genetics Program, she works with patients to provide counseling and education to evaluate families for hereditary cancer.

Cancer Prevention/Causes of Cancer

Michael Press, M.D., Ph.D., is professor of pathology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the Harold E. Lee Chair for Cancer Research at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Press is USC Norris’ leading basic scientist in the study of the molecular and genetic causes of breast and ovarian cancer. He was the principal investigator of the American Cancer Society’s study of HER-2/neu Proto-Oncogene in ovarian and endometrial cancers. He has also studied multidrug resistance in breast cancer and the pathobiology of breast cancer.

Giske Ursin, M.D., Ph.D., is an associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Her research focuses on the epidemiology of breast cancer and other hormone-dependent cancers. She is particularly interested in the role of hormones and hormone metabolism in cancer etiology and gene-environment interactions, as well as how mammograms can be used in the prevention of breast cancer.

Radiology/Radiation Oncology

Linda Hovanessian Larsen, M.D., is assistant professor of radiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Hovanessian’s clinical focus is on mammography and breast ultrasound. She also has a special competency in nuclear medicine. Her research interests include sentinel node biopsy, thermal medical imaging and computer-aided diagnosis with positron emission tomography for axillary lymph nodes.

Oscar Streeter, M.D., is associate professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and chief physician, radiation oncology, at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital. He serves as principal investigator for the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group at USC Norris.

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USC Neuroscientists to Map Gene Expression

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:25:07 -0800

Two USC neuroscientists have been awarded nearly $9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to map how genes are expressed in different regions of the human brain throughout development.

The two-year Grand Opportunity grant, funded through the National Institutes of Mental Health, will allow researchers to use DNA sequencing and profiling technologies to create an atlas of when and where thousands of genes are expressed during key periods of development. The findings will be freely accessible to scientists worldwide and provide a foundation for discovering the origins of mental disorders.

James A. Knowles, professor of psychiatry at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and Pat Levitt, director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School of Medicine, will lead the project in collaboration with researchers at Yale University and the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, Wash.

“This project will allow us to document which individual genes and sets of genes are turned on and off in different brain regions through the whole developmental time period,” said Knowles, the principal investigator on the project. “This information is essential for understanding normal and abnormal brain development.”

Mental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia are increasingly recognized as brain disorders that have their origins during development. However, relatively little is currently known about how specific genes regulate human brain development, Knowles noted.

“Breaking through the mysteries of the developing human brain and the origins of mental illnesses requires a very large, collaborative effort,” co-principal investigator Levitt said. “We are so pleased to be part of an esteemed group of scientists that will produce more information on the human brain than ever before. This will lead to new breakthroughs in determining disease risk and prevention.”

Researchers at USC and partner institutions will sequence the genomes from hundreds of brain samples in order to create a three-dimensional, Web-based model that can be used by scientists all over the world as a basis for future neuroscience research.

“This will provide investigators with a fantastically rich resource for future research,” Knowles said.

The purpose of the National Institutes of Health Research and Research Infrastructure Grand Opportunities program is to support high impact ideas that lay the foundation for new fields of investigation. The initiative is one of several being offered to help fulfill the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to help stimulate the economy through support of biomedical and behavioral research.

USC to Generate Data for Cancer Genome

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:34:46 -0800

The USC Epigenome Center has been awarded a $10.4 million National Cancer Institute grant that is expected to pave the way for more effective treatment and diagnosis for cancer patients.

The support for the USC Epigenome Center, which is affiliated with the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Keck School of Medicine of USC, will fund a collaborative effort with Johns Hopkins University to collect epigenomic data from all major types of cancer over the next five years.

The grant is part of a $5 billion infusion of new funds for cancer research and job creation announced today by President Barack Obama at the National Institutes of Health. The funds for the National Institutes of Health will come from the $787 billion economic stimulus package.

The epigenomic data collected will contribute to The Cancer Genome Atlas, a long-term genome characterization and sequencing project funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institute. The project is designed to provide a comprehensive “map” of molecular changes in cancer.

“The data we produce and analyze will lead to new targets for drug development and a better understanding of why some patients respond better to certain drug treatments than others,” said Peter W. Laird, director of the USC Epigenome Center and principal investigator along with Stephen Baylin of Johns Hopkins.

The Cancer Genome Atlas will produce and analyze data on several types of molecular changes, including mutations, chromosomal copy number alterations and gene expression. The USC Epigenome Center will be responsible for all epigenetic data production.

“The Cancer Genome Atlas will look at as many as 500 different samples of tumors and tissues from each cancer type to map the diversity of molecular changes within and between the different types of cancer,” said Peter Jones, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and co-investigator on the grant. “It’s a huge operation and a wonderful boost to our cancer research program.”

Epigenomics is the study of how parts of the genome are packaged and marked to indicate whether genes are available for use in a particular type of cell or tissue.

New Information Technology Chief Will Link Communication on USC Health Sciences Campus

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:18:40 -0800

Mark D. Amey will join the University of Southern California (USC) as chief information officer for several units, effective Sept. 21. Amey will lead development and implementation of information technology (IT) strategic plans and procedures for USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the Doctors of USC physician group.

One of Amey’s top priorities is creating a seamless information delivery system among these entities, enhancing faculty and staff communication and patient care delivery.

Amey previously served as regional CIO and vice president of Ascension Health Information Services in Tucson, Ariz., and the Carondelet Health Network hospitals of Ascension Health. There he was responsible for regional leadership and management of information services for eight hospitals totaling 1,461 beds, various clinics and related services. He also served as the liaison between the system office, regional and hospital executives, physicians, board members and customers. Prior to that Amey was chief information officer of the Southern California region for Adventist Health, which included five hospitals.

“From a patient perspective, a more effective information delivery system allows information and data to flow easily between the hospital and physician’s office,” Amey said. “The goal is to create a fully integrated healthcare delivery system where these separate units work as one, enhancing the clinicians’ effectiveness, the patients’ experience, and ultimately the clinical outcomes that we provide.”

Information and results generated in the clinical setting can be used by Keck School of Medicine faculty for research and development, a model that may lead to improved physician practices down the road, Amey noted.

The university acquired the USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital on April 1, 2009, in an historic purchase agreement with Tenet Healthcare Corp. USC's purchase included 471 inpatient beds and 1,700 hospital employees. More than 500 faculty physicians known as the Doctors of USC and associated with the Keck School of Medicine of USC practice there.

“Enhanced information technology services is a major part of our plan for developing our hospitals and providing the most cutting edge patient care,” said Mitch Creem, CEO of the hospitals. “Mr. Amey brings a wealth of experience in developing and implementing IT strategic plans in patient care environments. His leadership will be essential as we complete the transition to a world class university academic medical center.”

Keck School of Medicine Dean Carmen Puliafito noted that the work of the medical school needs to link with the hospitals and clinical practices in order to thrive.

“Mr. Amey is an excellent choice to lead our integrated technology initiative,” Puliafito said.

Amey received a bachelor’s of business administration degree in management and finance from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich., and later earned a master’s in business administration from La Sierra University in Riverside, Calif. with an emphasis in health care administration.

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Internationally Renowned Physician-Scientist Preet Chaudhary Joins USC Norris Cancer Center and Keck School of Medicine

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:12:53 -0800

Preet Chaudhary, M.D., Ph.D., has been named chief of the Jane Anne Nohl Division of Hematology and Center for the Study of Blood Diseases at the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital, effective January 1, 2010.

An internationally renowned physician-scientist, Chaudhary will serve as professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Department of Medicine, and as co-leader of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Program and associate director for translational research at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Dr. Chaudhary has a very diverse background in translational research and clinical care, which has prepared him well to lead at this pivotal time of growth in the division of hematology and at our academic medical center,” says Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

“Dr. Chaudhary is an outstanding physician scientist who will play a major role in the cancer center,” says Peter A. Jones, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. “He has an active basic science laboratory, as well as profound clinical skills, making him an exceptional addition to our institution.”

Chaudhary comes to USC from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, where he is professor of medicine, director for translational research, leader of the hematologic malignancies program and co-leader of the cancer stem cell program. He was recruited to USC after an extensive search led by Stuart Siegel, chief of the division of hematology-oncology at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

“USC has a combination of factors which make it a very exciting place to be right now. The dynamic and experienced leadership team is doing everything right to make it a powerhouse in patient care, education and research,” says Chaudhary.

As chief of the Jane Anne Nohl Division of Hematology and Center for the Study of Blood Diseases, Chaudhary has several priorities, including developing the division of hematology into a regional leader and center of excellence in the next three to five years, and a national leader in the next decade.

The division was strengthened by a $60 million gift from the estate of Jane Anne Nohl in late 2007. USC Norris and the division of hematology were chosen as a beneficiary based on the outstanding care a close friend received from Donald Feinstein, hematologist and professor emeritus of medicine at the Keck School.

As a physician-scientist dedicated to hematologic oncology, Chaudhary has research interests in several areas of cancer, including AIDS-associated cancers, cancer drug resistance, biology of normal and leukemic hematopoietic stem cells, programmed cell death and cellular signaling. He is also interested in molecularly targeted and biological therapies for leukemias, lymphomas, multiple myeloma and solid tumors, and novel strategies to improve the outcome of stem cell transplantation. Chaudhary holds six U.S. patents in the areas of hematopoietic stem cell purification, multi-drug resistance to cancer chemotherapy and cellular signaling.

His research has been continuously funded by multiple National Institutes of Health grants since 2000 and he currently serves as the principal investigator of two R01 grants, two R21 grants and one grant each from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

Chaudhary has published in some of the top scientific journals, including Cell, Immunity, JNCI, PNAS and Blood. He has been the recipient of numerous honors, fellowships and awards from national and international research organizations and has been elected to the prestigious American Society for Clinical Investigation, an honor society of the top physician-scientists in the country.

After graduating from Maulana Azad Medical College in India, Chaudhary obtained his Ph.D. under the guidance of Dr. Igor Roninson at the University of Illinois at Chicago, performing pioneering research in the isolation and characterization of bone marrow stem cells and mechanisms of multi-drug resistance to cancer chemotherapy. He did his residency training in internal medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago and fellowship training in hematology and oncology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington in Seattle.

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New Human Resources Chief Will Lead Aggressive Hiring Initiative at USC Hospitals

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:06:31 -0800

Matthew F. McElrath has joined USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital as chief human resources officer effective August 31, 2009.

McElrath, formerly chief human resources officer at Arizona State University, will direct human resources operations at both USC hospitals. One of his immediate priorities will be heading recruitment efforts to fill some 300 current job openings. Both hospitals are working to increase staffing levels of nurses, physicians and other personnel such as administrators, therapists and environmental workers.

His other duties will include workforce planning, recruitment, performance management, organizational development and other employment services.

McElrath said he was drawn to the position at USC because of the opportunity to be part of a new era for the hospitals, which were acquired by the university on April 1, 2009, in an historic purchase agreement with Tenet Healthcare Corp. The hospitals’ current workforce numbers 1,700 personnel, exclusive of more than 500 USC faculty physicians associated with the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

“This is a unique opportunity to join the university leadership in really building the USC culture at University Hospital and at Norris,” he said. “The transition from Tenet is remarkable. It’s a great opportunity not only to help grow the hospitals, but also to integrate them with the wider USC community.”

McElrath comes to USC from Arizona State University, where he served as associate vice president and chief human resources officer for a university system that encompasses more than 4,500 faculty and 16,000 classified staff, professional and student workers. Prior to his position at ASU, he was chair of the division of human resources at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Ariz. and served on the executive steering committee for the building and opening of the Mayo Clinic Hospital.

He received his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., and later earned a master’s degree in organization management from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is a member of a number of professional organizations, including the American Society for Healthcare, Human Resources Administration.

“Mr. McElrath brings a terrific mix of university and health care HR experience to our USC hospitals, along with considerable energy and enthusiasm,” said Mitch Creem, CEO of the hospitals. “He will play a vital role in the growth and development of USC’s hospitals and our integrated academic medical center.”

McElrath noted that it is a great time for individuals to consider a career at USC hospitals.

“We have a number of exciting career opportunities available in a tough market,” he said. “We are actively working in the community to tell our story about what a wonderful place USC and the hospitals are.”

An acute care hospital, USC University Hospital currently tracks 7,700 inpatient visits and 56,000 outpatient visits each year. The USC Norris Cancer Hospital is devoted exclusively to the treatment of patients with cancer and is affiliated with the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of the original eight comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S.

Back To School

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:52:29 -0800

From packing nutritious lunches to annual physicals, USC experts can provide tips for a smooth transition back to school. To contact any of these experts, please call us at 323-442-2830.

Nutrition

Jaimie Davis, Ph.D., registered dietitian and research associate with the Institute for Prevention Research at the Keck School of Medicine. She can talk about kids' nutrition and healthy school lunch options.

H1N1 "Swine" Flu

Paul Holtom, M.D., associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and hospital epidemiologist at the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center. Dr. Holtom is an expert on infectious diseases and healthcare epidemiology and can discuss concerns about the H1N1 virus in schools and what parents and educators can do to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases in schools.

Pediatric Medicine

Michael Bryant, M.D., assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. He can address yearly vaccinations and physicals.

Psychiatry

Jeff Sugar, M.D., visiting associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He can speak about children's separation anxiety on the first day of school or bullies at school.

Vaccinations

Jeffrey Goad, Pharm.D., associate professor of clinical pharmacy at the USC School of Pharmacy. He can address vaccinations children should have before returning to school.

Health Care Reform Debate Comes to Keck

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:12:45 -0800

Representative Adam Schiff discusses health care reform with Keck School students and faculty

The Keck School of Medicine brought a hot topic to the table recently when it presented a health care reform discussion with Representative Adam Schiff (D-29th Congressional District). Part of the Dean’s Council on Health Reform, the August 18 forum attracted a large crowd, filling the Mayer Auditorium and two overflow areas.

“Medical schools are an important part of the [health care reform] process,” said Carmen A. Puliafito, dean of the Keck School. “The essence of health care is people - nurses, technicians, administrators and, of course, physicians. The future of physicians all starts here in medical school.”

Rep. Schiff, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, House Judiciary Committee, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and a number of key Congressional subcommittees, outlined the key details of the health care debate.

While Rep. Schiff offered his personal opinions on the various bills being considered, his overall goal was clear.

“We have got to move forward in reforming the system. I don’t want the perfect to be the enemy of the good,” he said. “But I do think this is a test of the country. Do we still have the ability to get reasonable minds together and reach a reasonable decision? I think if we are successful, we will look back on this period … and say we did a good thing as a country.”

In his presentation, Rep. Schiff discussed common agreements among the five bills that are currently under consideration, including health plans that would not discriminate against pre-existing conditions or drop coverage due to illness. He pointed out that the bills also agree that health insurance should be portable when changing employers and take into consideration public and national health care costs with an aim of sustainability.

Where the bills differ most are on the public option issue and on the idea of requiring health care insurance of all citizens, according to Rep. Schiff. He also dismissed popular myths of the bills, such as the idea of “death panels” and that people would be forced out of their current plans. Rep. Schiff assured the audience that neither myth has a basis in truth.

He ended his discussion by talking about what he was focused on in terms of what is missing from the bills.

“I don’t think we do enough in the bill to try to affect that escalating health care premium,” said Rep. Schiff. “There are steps we are starting to take in the bill to control costs, but we need to do more.”

The floor was then opened for questions and opinions from the crowd, consisting primarily of first-year medical students and Health Sciences Campus faculty. Rep. Schiff responded to concerns about physician reimbursements, parity in mental health coverage and lack of health care providers, among others.

“The town hall format is valuable because I can hear what my colleagues are concerned about,” said Madeleine Bruning, pediatric nurse practitioner and clinical instructor of pediatrics at the Keck School. “I'm curious as a consumer of health care and as a provider.”

The forum was presented by the Dean’s Council on Health Reform, a new initiative that features monthly forums and a Web site serving as a clearinghouse for information about health care reform.

"[The forum] was very informative. I learned a few new things, and I consider myself well-informed,” said Michael Cousineau, associate professor of research in the Department of Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine at the Keck School. “I was inspired by Congressman Schiff's leadership on this issue, and I am excited that USC and our dean have taken such a strong leadership role, as well.”

For more information on health reform, or to watch a webcast of the forum, visit healthreform.usc.edu.