Featured Health News

Dental Hygiene Students Screen for Oral Cancer

Members of the USC School of Dentistry’s Dental Hygiene Class of 2010 provided oral health screenings and tobacco cessation advice for USC students, staff members and visitors during the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout.

Former USC Intern Fights for Cleaner Air

Otana Jakpor’s essay on how she spent her time with USC would include leading demonstrations on how to map demographic data and conducting research on diesel emissions from locomotives and other rail yard equipment.

D. Brent Polk to Lead Pediatrics Programs

D. Brent Polk has been named chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and chair of pediatrics and vice president of academic affairs at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, effective April 1, 2010.

Richard Bergman Honored by Columbia University

USC professor Richard Bergman has been honored with the Naomi Berrie Award from Columbia University Medical Center for his achievements in research on type 2 diabetes.

Sykes Gift Endows New Faculty Chair

A $1 million gift from the Sykes family has established the first endowed faculty chair within the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy.

Pollution’s Impact May be Underestimated

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 USC.

Study Links Children's Sites to Air Pollution

Research produced by Summer Undergraduate Research Fund students has won a top honor from the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers.

Samet Addresses International Health Concerns

Jonathan Samet reached an international audience with messages about global health during two sessions at USC’s 2009 Global Conference in Taiwan.

Agency Grants $16M for Stem Cell Research

Physician-researchers at USC received a nearly $16 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine to fund the development of a stem cell-based treatment for age-related macular degeneration

New Cancer Research Center to be Based at USC

USC 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.

Newton Takes Part in Cancer Research

Paul K. Newton, a USC specialist in applied mathematics, will participate in a new physics oncology center, working with scientists at the Scripps Research Institute and other institutions.

Chen Named Co-Chair of Safety Group

USC School of Pharmacy associate professor Steven Chen has been appointed co-chair of the Health Resources and Services Administration Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Collaborative 2.0.

USC to Generate Data for Cancer Genome

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.

Dana Goldman to Head Schaeffer Center

Dana Goldman, a widely respected expert in health economics, has been named director of the new Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC.

New Health Policy and Economics Center at USC

A major new research center focused on health policy and economics has been established at USC, USC Executive Vice President and Provost C. L. Max Nikias announced.

USC Launches Health Care Reporting Project

The USC Annenberg School for Communication has announced a partnership with the California HealthCare Foundation to do in-depth reporting on health policy issues throughout the state.

Preet Chaudhary Joins USC Cancer Center

Preet Chaudhary has been named chief of the Jane Anne Nohl Division of Hematology and Center for the Study of Blood Diseases at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

Leaving No Scars Behind

For the first time in Southern California, urologic surgeons at the Keck School of Medicine of the USC Institute of Urology and USC-affiliated Childrens Hospital Los Angeles performed “belly-button” single-port laparoscopic kidney removal surgery on a child with non-functioning kidneys.

USC Studies Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases have discovered high concentrations of a specific mutator protein in cells that develop resistance to drug treatment in chronic myeloid leukemia.

Changes Linked to Prenatal Smoke Exposure

A new study by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has found that the lifelong effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy may occur through specific changes in DNA patterns.

Rep. Schiff Sizes Up Health Reform

The Keck School of Medicine of USC brought a hot topic to the table on Aug. 18 when it presented a health care reform discussion with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-29th Congressional District).

USC Braces for Tough Flu Season

Health officials around the world are expecting the 2009-10 flu season to be more intense than usual, with the possibility of significant rates of infection because of a new strain of flu that most people under the age of 50 have not encountered.

Is Heart Disease Not a Thing of the Past?

Heart attacks and strokes — the leading causes of death in the United States and other developed countries — may have been rare for the vast majority of human history, suggests a study published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.

Safe Sleep Through Anesthesia

Some students may complain about professors making them drowsy, but in one Keck School of Medicine of USC program, the students are learning how to put others to sleep.

There Is a Doctor in the House

The USC Home Visit Program provides care for Los Angeles-area patients who have difficulty leaving their homes to attend medical appointments.

Keck School Launches Health Reform Initiatives

As the health reform debate heats up across the country and in Washington, D.C., the dean’s office at the Keck School of Medicine of USC is launching a number of initiatives to keep the university’s community well informed and engaged.

Doheny Eye Institute Wins R&D 100 Award

The Doheny Eye Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has won a prestigious 2009 R&D 100 Award for its U.S. Department of Energy-funded artificial retina project designed to restore sight to the blind.

Stress and Pollution Up Risk for Children

Children with stressed-out parents may be more susceptible to developing asthma associated with environmental triggers such as high levels of traffic-related pollution and tobacco smoke, according to a new study led by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Jae Jung to Lead Virus Control Study

A multi-institutional team of researchers has received more than $10 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health to investigate virus control mechanisms.

Girth Plays Large Role in Social Networks

Researchers from the Institute of Prevention Research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC found in a recent study that overweight youth were twice as likely to have overweight friends.

Benefits of Healthy Kids Program

A program that provides health care coverage to uninsured children saved Los Angeles County health facilities more than $37 million in uncompensated costs over the past three years, according to an analysis led by USC community health expert Michael Cousineau.

Professor Receives Cancer Institute Award

Alan L. Epstein, professor in the Department of Pathology, recently received an award of $3.5 million for a drug development project through the National Cancer Institute’s Rapid Access to Intervention Development (RAID) program.

Stressed Men More Likely to Gamble

New research, published July 1 in the journal PLoS One, shows that men under stress may be more likely to take risks, correlating to such real-life behavior as gambling, smoking, unsafe sex and illegal drug use.

How One Kidney Became Four — And Counting

The story of Keenan Cheung and his new kidney is an unusual one. It began ordinarily enough. When Cheung, director of housing services at USC, began losing function of his kidneys, he was placed on dialysis. Because his wife, Jeanne, has an incompatible blood type and was unable to give him one of hers, he began the long wait for a donor.

A Chance to Serve Is Its Own Reward

Judy Stark gets a natural high coming to USC Norris Cancer Hospital. The cancer survivor has been a volunteer at USC Norris for five years and loves her work because of “the endorphins it creates.”

Renowned Breast Oncologist Heads to USC

A national figure in breast cancer research is headed to USC to serve as co-leader of the Women’s Cancer Program at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Rethinking Housing and Aging in Place

Combining home modifications with the Obama administration’s plan to retrofit dwellings throughout the country for energy conservation could help millions of older adults to age in place.

Andrus Center Swings for Healthy Aging

The Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center honored Edward P. Roski Jr., president and chief executive officer of Majestic Realty Co. and chairman of the USC Board of Trustees, at the 12th annual Rod Dedeaux Memorial Swing for Healthy Aging Golf Classic.

Renowned Surgeon Inderbir Gill Welcomed

Pioneering urologist and surgeon Inderbir S. “Indy” Gill was welcomed to Los Angeles and the Trojan family at a Beverly Hills reception hosted by actress Shirley MacLaine and Keck School of Medicine of USC Dean Carmen A. Puliafito.

Pharmacists and Physicians Team Up at Clinic

“Patients don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” advised USC School of Pharmacy commencement speaker Paul Gregerson at the ceremony held at the Health Sciences Campus Quad.

Surrounding Tooth Characteristics Don’t Govern Jawbone Graft Outcomes

The genetics of surrounding teeth do not necessarily predict how successful a jawbone graft will be.

Balancing Fitness and Fun

Staying fit in college can be a challenge. For many students, their rigorous academic schedules barely leave time to breathe, let alone hit the gym regularly.

$5M Gift Funds Cancer Research Initiative

The Keck School of Medicine of USC announced a $5 million gift from the Ellison Medical Foundation to support cancer research under David B. Agus.

Antipsychotic Drugs and Schizophrenia

Postponing antipsychotic medications and integrating psychological treatment to those suffering early episodes of schizophrenia may help reduce long-term dependence on antipsychotic drugs.

National Satellite Broadcast Held at USC

The School of Pharmacy presented outcomes data as part of a broadcast bringing together nearly 500 health professionals from across the country.

Aiming to End Alzheimer Disease

The USC Davis School of Gerontology welcomed Potamkin Prize winner Rudolph E. Tanzi, the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, on April 9 to discuss how genes affect Alzheimer disease.

USC Study Examines Diabetes Risk Factors

Reducing sugar intake by the equivalent of one can of soda per day and increasing fiber intake by the amount equivalent to one half cup of beans per day appears to improve risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes in Latino adolescents.

Preventing Falls Throughout L.A.

The USC Andrus Gerontology Center’s Fall Prevention Center of Excellence received a three-year, $240,000 grant from the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. to build a fall prevention coalition for the city of Los Angeles.

Creem Named CEO of Two USC Hospitals

Mitchell R. Creem has assumed the position of chief executive officer for USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital as the university has taken ownership of the two hospitals.

Researchers Uncover Stem Cell Pathway

The discovery of a mechanism that regulates movement of blood-forming stem cells may help scientists increase the effectiveness of bone marrow transplants.

Report Reveals Surprising Data on Bulimia

The ailment is being underreported among black and low-income adolescents, according to a 10-year survey.

Stumping for Changes in Health Care

Brookings Institute senior fellow Henry Aaron discusses possible reform at a USC Davis School gathering.

Tiny Brain Region Better Part of Valor

Piece of hypothalamus is key to animals’ fear of territorial rivals and predators, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A Celebration of Research

School of Dentistry’s Research Day lauds the scientific investigation and innovation of students and faculty members.

How Nitric Oxide Maintains Health

Pharmacologist Louis Ignarro discusses the ‘miracle molecule’ responsible for dilation of blood cells in the human body.

Building Partnerships With Safety-Net Clinics

Pharmacy schools, clinics, government and associations come together to expand clinical pharmacy services in clinics nationwide.

Prevention: The Best Gift for Loved Ones

Correlation between chronic oral infection and heart disease highlights the need for good oral hygiene and healthy choices.

He Leads the Longevity Revolution

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Butler discusses how longer lives and an aging population will affect America’s health care system.

USC to Purchase Two Private Hospitals

The deal to acquire the USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital is expected to close March 31.

Children With a Reason to Smile

Dentistry students and faculty provide oral health education, screenings and care referrals to youngsters at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary.

From Hospital to Home Care

Susan Enguidanos receives a three-year grant to study transitional care for diabetic Latinos.

Saying ‘Open Wide’ in a Virtual World

Treating ‘patients’ in an online clinic will test dental students’ knowledge and diagnostic skills.

Brushing Up on Oral Health Resolutions

A bright smile can yield success on many levels in everyday life.

Cancer Research Findings Explained

Valter Longo discusses his groundbreaking research on a rare population of dwarves who are seemingly immune to cancer.

Diabetes Increases Risk for Dementia

Getting diabetes before 65 more than doubles the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia, according to the latest findings from a longtime study of twins.

Traube to Study Adolescent Drug Abuse

Social work professor will examine key objectives associated with HIV-risk related behavior.

O.R. Downtime Cut at Three Hospitals

USC Viterbi department’s recommendations improve the work flow at safety net hospitals in Los Angeles, Riverside County and Ventura County.

Data Links Drugs to Jaw Necrosis Risk

USC School of Dentistry study is among the first to acknowledge correlation between the common medications and jawbone death.