USC Keck Medicine Magazine Winter 2011

The Magazine of the Keck School of Medicine of USC | Winter 2011 Issue

MEDICINE

INSIDE

PA G E 1 4 - 1 7

New Stem Cell Home

Eli and Edythe Broad and CIRM honored at dedication of building that fosters collaboration.

PA G E 1 8 - 1 9

Concert to Cure Cancer

Gala raises $1 million to support USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Focus on Urban Health

$56.8 million award to translate research into healthier lives

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WINTER 2011 ISSUE

Contents

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On the Cover 8 Focus

on Urban Health $56.8 million NIH grant connects basic scientists with clinicians to improve health in Los Angeles.

Cover photo: LAC+USC Medical Center nurse educator Evelyn Zavala helps Steven Williams learn to read a blood glucose monitor, an important tool in combatting diabetes, a major health issue in urban areas. Photo by Philip Channing F E A T U RE S 1 4 New

Medicine Moves In

Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research opens 1 8 $1

Million for Norris Cancer Research

Successful Concert to Cure Cancer brings friends, fun and funds 2 0 Making

Sense of the Brain’s Genetic Code

Researchers work to understand genes and their role in neurologic and psychiatric disorders 2 2 Faster

Treatment and Recovery for Cancer

Intraoperative radiotherapy following breast lumpectomy speeds recovery, reduces costs PROFILES 2 3 Daniel Oakes improves quality of life for joint replacement patients 2 4 Keck School of Medicine student Josh Lilienstein learns from his

own experience as a cancer patient D e pa r t m e n t s 3 Dean’s Message Friends and patients tell the Keck School’s stories 4 In Brief

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Installation of 11th USC president; hospitals ranked among best; student test scores climb; and more

2 6 Development News Multimillion dollar gifts from Ming Hsieh and Sumner Redstone improve research and education; football fans “Fight On” for breast cancer; and more 3 2 Keck

in the News

A sampling of news coverage of the Keck School of Medicine C o r r e c t io n A story about minimally invasive cardiac surgery,

which appeared in the last issue of Keck Medicine, contained errors.

For the corrected story, see keck.usc.edu/cut_to_the_heart

keck.usc.edu

KECK MEDICINE

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MEDICINE

Winter 2011

Jane Brust Associate Senior Vice President for Health Sciences Public Relations & Marketing and Associate Dean

BOARD OF OVERSEERS

John E. Bryson, Chairman Edward P. Roski Jr., Vice Chairman Wallis Annenberg, Chairman, CEO and President Annenberg Foundation Peter K. Barker, Chairman of California JP Morgan Chase Gordon Binder, Managing Director Coastview Capital, LLC Eli Broad, Chairman and CEO Eli and Edythe L. Broad Foundation John E. Bryson, Chairman Emeritus Edison International Malcolm R. Currie, Chairman Emeritus Hughes Aircraft Company Kelly Day, Member The Rockefeller University Council Robert A. Day, Chairman W.M. Keck Foundation Helene V. Galen, Member USC Board of Trustees Elizabeth Garrett, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs University of Southern California Stanley P. Gold, President and CEO Shamrock Holdings Inc. Ghada Irani Occidental Petroleum Corporation Howard B. Keck Jr., Director W.M. Keck Foundation Stephen M. Keck, Senior Vice President Trust Company of the West Kent Kresa, Chairman Emeritus Northrop Grumman Corp.

John Kusmiersky, President The Brickstone Companies

J. Terrence Lanni, Chairman Emeritus MGM Mirage David Lee, Managing General Partner Clarity Partners James P. Lower, Partner Hanna & Morton, LLP Alfred E. Mann, Chairman and CEO Advanced Bionics Corp.

Richard Merkin, President and CEO Heritage Provider Network Cecil L. Murray, Pastor (Retired) First AME Church C. L. Max Nikias, President University of Southern California Holly Robinson Peete, Co-Founder HollyRod Foundation Simon Ramo, Former Chairman KSOM Board of Overseers Edward P. Roski Jr., President and CEO Majestic Realty Co. Cheryl Saban, Executive Director Saban Family Foundation Kathryn Sample University of Southern California Steven B. Sample, President Emeritus University of Southern California Steven Spielberg, Member USC Board of Trustees Wendy Stark, Editor Vanity Fair Gary L. Wilson, Chairman Emeritus Northwest Airlines Selim K. Zilkha Zilkha Biomass Energy

EDITOR

Ina Fried Executive Director, Communications and Marketing A ssistant E ditor

Sara Reeve ART DIRECTION

IE Design + Communications Hermosa Beach, CA CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Ryan Ball, Martin Booe, Tania Chatila, James Grant, Robin Heffler, Meghan Lewit, Sam Lopez, Jon Nalick, Katie Neith, Alana Klein Prisco, Leslie Ridgeway, Bryan Schneider, Carrie St. Michel, Imelda Valenzuela, Mary Ellen Zenka CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ryan Ball, Brook Photography, Philip Channing, Steve Cohn Photography, Patrick Davison, Steven Heller, Greg Mancuso, Don Milici, Brian Morri, Jon Nalick, Sara Reeve, Van Urfalian, Tony Yang, Bill Youngblood P H O T O S E R V I C E S C O O R D I N AT O R

Monica Padilla BUSINESS MANAGER

Elaine Sawitskas DISTRIBUTION

Eva Blaauw and Carol Matthieu Keck Medicine is published twice a year by the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Articles, artwork and photography may be reprinted only with permission.

Please send all correspondence to: USC Health Sciences Public Relations & Marketing 1975 Zonal Ave., KAM 400 Los Angeles, CA 90033-9029 323-442-2830 ina.fried@usc.edu

Photo by Pat Davison

Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., Dean

Message from the Dean

Friends and patients tell some of the best stories of the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Friends like Eli and Edythe Broad, whose faith in our groundbreaking stem cell

research has made possible a wonderful new building that encourages scientific friends and colleagues to collaborate.

Our story about the beautiful new $80 million Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC gives you insight into what makes the building special and how the research conducted there will C armen A. Pul iafito, M.D., M.B.A.

Dean Keck School of Medicine of USC

help save lives. The first new building to open on the USC Health Sciences Campus since the Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower in 2007, the stem cell center is the result of a partnership between private philanthropists and the public California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Patients like those in our cover story, who are suffering the ills of the urban environment. And patients like the businesswoman with liver cancer who said, “I have three little boys, and they need their mommy.” Our patients challenge us to find the origins of diseases and better ways to treat diseases or prevent them in the first place.

Expediting new therapies from research concept through the lab, to the patient is the goal of the prestigious $56.8 million award described in our cover story. It explores a huge coup for the Keck School and USC – the first Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health to an institution in Los Angeles.

Friends made the Concert to Cure Cancer one of the largest and most successful fundraising events in the history of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. More than $1 million raised by the event will go to Norris and the new USC Center for Molecular Pathways and Drug Discovery.

USC Trustee Ming Hsieh expressed friendship and faith in USC when he announced a gift of $50 million at the inauguration of USC’s new president, C. L. Max Nikias. The gift will establish a new Institute for Research on Engineering-Medicine for Cancer, in which the Keck School and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering will collaborate.

Molecular medicine and physical science will contribute to new cancer therapeutics under the direction of Dr. David Agus, with the support of a $24 million gift from media executive Sumner Redstone. A patient of Dr. Agus, Mr. Redstone said, “It is a privilege to be able to contribute to his groundbreaking work.”

We are honored to care for our patients, and we treasure the support of our friends – including our good friend Dr. David Lee, who has generously given his time for the past nine years to chair our Board of Overseers.

We also celebrate another friend – John E. Bryson, whom we welcome as the new chair of the Keck School of Medicine Board of Overseers. Mr. Bryson is a former chairman and CEO of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison.

Photo by Don Milici

We treasure your friendship, as well, and as always, I welcome your input and support.

keck.usc.edu

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In Brief

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A Quick Look at news from the Keck School of Medicine and honors for Keck faculty, students and alumni.

NEW LEADERSHIP

By Sara Reeve

“ One of the few certainties of our world is that as the pace of change accelerates, the level of uncertainty will increase.”

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From left, Academic Senate President Peter Conti, M.D., USC President C. L. Max Nikias, Ph.D., and Keck School of Medicine Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A.

The USC Health Sciences Campus was well represented during the installation of C. L. Max Nikias, Ph.D., as the 11th president of USC in a ceremony Oct. 15 on the University Park Campus.

A crowd of approximately 10,000 faculty, staff, students, alumni, community members and leaders assembled to witness the historic occasion at which President Nikias gave his broad vision to continue the university’s upward trajectory into the heights of elite research universities.

“One of the few certainties of our world is that as the pace of change accelerates, the level of uncertainty will increase,” said Nikias. “But allow me to ask, what is uncertainty? In the proper light, my fellow Trojans, uncertainty is the beginning of adventure. And the ability to turn uncertainty to adventure, into a magnificent journey forward, is what defines a Trojan.”

Faculty from the Keck School of Medicine of USC were among 1,300 USC faculty wearing academic regalia from the schools where they received their degrees. As part of a colorful procession of hundreds of university delegates, a USC Hospitals delegation included 40 invited hospital administrators, nurses and physicians from the four USC-affiliated hospitals − USC University Hospital, USC Norris Cancer Hospital, Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The Keck School physicians in the hospital delegation wore white coats, making them especially visible to the Trojan Family.

The presidential party proceeded last, led by USC Academic Senate President Peter Conti, M.D., director of the USC PET Imaging Science Center and professor of radiology at the Keck School of Medicine. Conti is the first physician to serve as president of the USC Academic Senate and had the honor of carrying the University’s mace, a ceremonial scepter symbolizing the authority of the Office of the President.

Keck School of Medicine Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., marched with the party that led President Nikias and his family to the stage in Alumni Memorial Park. “This was a momentous occasion for everyone at USC, including faculty, staff and students from both the University Park Campus and the Health Sciences Campus,” said Puliafito. “President Nikias has an inspiring vision for the future of medicine and health at USC, and I know that his presidency will inspire new forms of collaboration between the two campuses.”

In a speech drawing on the classic story of Aeneas and his quest to build a new City of Troy, President Nikias outlined ambitious plans for the university, which include strengthening academic quality and improving financial health. Among priorities for his administration are: • Give faculty the resources to fulfill their full potential while recruiting new interdisciplinary faculty superstars.

• Strengthen the USC academic community to ensure that it is ready to explore the “new frontiers of human progress,” particularly the areas of medicine, biology and biotechnology.

• By building interdisciplinary bridges, bring together the Health Sciences Campus and University Park Campus to represent a unified USC, with “one character and one shared identity.”

KECK MEDICINE | Winter 2011 Issue

Photo by Steve Cohn

C. L. Max Nikias installed as 11th president of USC

U S C hospita l s ran k ed among best

Ophthalmology, pediatrics rank high; urology leaps ahead of competition T he D ohen y E y e I nstitute and C hi l drens H ospita l Los A nge l es ,

both staffed exclusively by USC physicians, once again appeared in the national top 10 in U.S. News & World Report magazine’s 21st annual rankings of “America’s Best Hospitals.” New to the list was the urology service at USC University Hospital, which debuted in the rankings in 16th place.

The Doheny Eye Institute ranked eighth in ophthalmology based on recommendations from specialists in ophthalmology for challenging cases and procedures.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles was one of only seven children’s hospitals in the nation and the only pediatric medical center on the West Coast named to the national “Honor Roll” of children’s hospitals in the United States. Pediatric hospital listings were published in June.

The other hospital rankings, released July 15, are categorized by medical specialty, with the top 50 medical centers listed for most specialties.

In addition to urology, USC University Hospital was ranked in four other specialties. The hospital ranked 20th in neurology and neurosurgery − climbing 25 spots from last year, 28th in pulmonology, 29th in gynecology and 31st in orthopaedics.

USC-affiliated Rancho Los Amigos ranked 17th in rehabilitation, up one spot from last year.

“I’m proud of our Keck School of Medicine faculty and the hospital staff who did the hard work that made all of these rankings possible,” said Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A. “This national recognition of their dedication and professionalism is well deserved. I am especially proud of the first-time inclusion of the Department of Urology, under the leadership of Dr. Inderbir Gill, in these rankings.”

The Best Hospitals guide ranked 152 medical centers nationwide out of 4,852 hospitals in 16 specialties. The full list of hospital rankings and methodology is also available online at http://www.usnews.com/besthospitals. The rankings were published in the August issue of the magazine.

Photo by Sara Reeve

Student named AMA Foundation Minority Scholar Cianna Leatherwood, a second-year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, was one of 13 medical students in the country named by the American Medical Association Foundation as a 2010 Minority Scholars Award recipient. She received a $10,000 scholarship in recognition of scholastic achievement and commitment to improving minority health.

Leatherwood began her experience with underserved minority populations when she volunteered for the Berkeley Free Clinic, where she was stunned to see the large percentage of minorities among the homeless and uninsured clientele. She pursued this interest in minority health by working as a research assistant at the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center, investigating the effectiveness of a tool designed to increase medication awareness and compliance among non-English speaking and low health literacy patients.

Keck School donation keeps Med COR program alive

By Leslie Ridgeway

A nearly 40-year-old USC program designed to help high school students in underserved areas of Los Angeles County will remain open with a joint donation of $150,000 from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

The program, Med COR (Medical Counseling, Organizing and Recruiting), was established in 1970 by John Davis, M.D., Med COR director and professor of pediatrics at the Keck School. The goal then – to help students of color get the education, exposure and experience they need to take on careers in the health professions – has not changed, even though the reduction of funding will affect how many students can participate in the program. LAUSD experienced budget difficulties due to state reductions.

The Keck School, under the direction of Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., donated $75,000 to the program, which LAUSD agreed to match.

“We’ve helped more than 4,000 kids since Med COR was founded.

Thanks to this donation, we’ll still be able to work with 400,” said Davis.

The Keck School has provided in-kind support to the program in the past, arranging for seminars and tutoring sessions to take place in USC buildings for no cost.

“This program has helped thousands of young people not only make a decision to enter the medical profession, but also to get the education and motivation they need to apply to top universities,” said Puliafito. “Med COR must be sustained to continue to give that opportunity to these kids.”

Four medical magnet high schools – Bravo Magnet, King Drew Magnet, Van Nuys Magnet and Orthopaedic Magnet – are participating in Med COR this year.

keck.usc.edu

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D O C T O R - PAT I E N T R E L AT I O N S H I P

Keck School celebrates Introduction to Clinical Medicine’s 40th anniversary

By Ina Fried

Armed with da Vinci robot, surgeons can save face in complex cancer surgery By Ryan Ball The revolutionary da Vinci robot helps doctors save lives, and it can also help spare a patient reconstructive surgery.

Niels Kokot, M.D., assistant professor of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery, at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, performed the first transoral robotic surgery (TORS) on the West Coast at USC University Hospital. Kokot performed the surgery with Uttam Sinha, M.D., assistant professor and vice chair of otolaryngology.

TORS was developed at the University of Pennsylvania, where Kokot trained for fellowship and gained experience in using the da Vinci robot to extract cancerous tumors.

The first operation at USC was for resection of tonsillar carcinoma. Using the robotic arms and 3-D visualization, the surgeons were able to gain access to an area of the body that usually requires extremely invasive measures.

Kokot says that tumors of the tonsil and tongue base are generally removed via lip-splitting mandibulotomy, where surgeons splay open the entire jaw to get to the tumor. The procedure leaves facial scarring and a gaping hole between the neck and throat that requires reconstructive surgery involving transplantation of a skin flap from the chest or arm.

“Going transorally allows us to avoid the need for those big reconstructions,” says Kokot. “The transoral robotic surgery patients have the potential to start eating within a few days after surgery, will stay in the hospital for a few days and generally are going to do much, much better.”

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KECK MEDICINE | Winter 2011 Issue

HIV/AIDS center honored The Los Angeles HIV/AIDS Women’s Task Force recognized the LAC+USC Maternal Child and Adolescent Center (MCA) for its commitment to serving women and families living with HIV. At the annual Leadership Awards Breakfast last summer, LaShonda Spencer, M.D., associate clinical director of MCA and assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, accepted the Agency Award on behalf of MCA. MCA Director Andrea Kovacs, M.D., professor of pediatrics at the Keck School, founded the center in July 1988 as one of the first in Los Angeles County to provide care to low-income and disenfranchised HIV-positive pregnant woman and their infants.

MCA has had a 100 percent success rate in preventing transmission of HIV from mother to child since 1996. The clinic is a one-stop center where HIVpositive patients can access medical care, pediatric care for their children, mental health services, nutritional counseling, dental care, HIV and STD testing, transportation, a child care play room, and research opportunities.

Photo by Van Urfalian (left); Photo by Bill Youngblood (right)

Niels Kokot, M.D.

The patient is the reason for medicine, yet 40 years ago, the idea that medical students should encounter patients during their first semester in medical school was revolutionary.

At least it was until Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) program pioneer Lorin L. Stephens, M.D., and fellow revolutionaries changed in a fundamental way how people become physicians.

The Keck School of Medicine of USC celebrated Theresa Woehrle, M.D., leads their success and marked the USC program’s 40th medical students in Introduction anniversary with a program that drew current and former to Clinical Medicine. students and faculty to Mayer Auditorium. Welcoming the group, Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., said, “We are celebrating what is really the heart and soul of the Keck School of Medicine.” He called the ICM program “a great rich tradition.”

The ICM program was the first in the country to offer first- and second-year medical students an opportunity to interact with patients.

“Dr. Lorin Stephens had the crazy idea that medical students shouldn’t spend the first two years of their medical life in a classroom, but they should get out of the classroom and experience the centrality of the doctor-patient relationship in real life, as well as the clinical experience of developing their history and physical exam skills,” said Theresa Woehrle, M.D., assistant professor of family medicine and current ICM director.

After its introduction at USC, the ICM program was copied and implemented at medical schools across the country.

Stephen J. Forman, M.D., (’75) delivered the Lorin L. Stephens, M.D. Memorial Lectureship at the event. He is chair of hematology and hematopoietic cell transplantation at City of Hope.

Dean establishes Community Leadership Council

Keck School of Medicine Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., speaks with members of the new Dean’s Community Leadership Council, from left, Carlos Vaquerano, Roland Fargo and Richard Zaldivar.

A new Dean’s Community Leadership Council is partnering with the Keck School of Medicine of USC to explore ways to improve health services that meet the needs of the surrounding community.

“It’s important that we communicate with the community about what we’re doing and hear what the concerns of the community are on an ongoing basis. So we would like to think of this as a forum to talk about health care issues,” Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., said May 27 at the first meeting of the Community Leadership Council on the USC Health Sciences Campus.

Glenn Ault, M.D., associate dean for clinical administration (LAC+USC Medical Center), briefed the council members about the medical school and its historic relationship with the county hospital, which is the largest provider of health care in Los Angeles County.

“We want to hear from you, what your concerns are and how USC and the Keck School can help you,” Ault said.

USMLE scores continue to climb at Keck School By Ryan Ball

Photo by Brook Photography (top); Photo by Tania Chatila (center); Photo by Jon Nalick (right)

From left, Tarek Salaway, Vaughn Starnes, M.D., Ray Matthews, M.D., Leslie Saxon, M.D., May Kim, M.D., Emma Wright and Fred Weaver, M.D., display a specially outfitted ambulance used in the USC University Hospital rapid transport program.

F O R S P E C I A LT Y C A R E

New service provides rapid transport

By Tania Chatila A rapid transportation program at U S C U niversit y H ospita l is gaining momentum .

The program is designed to transfer critically ill patients to USC University Hospital for procedures or treatments that cannot be provided at their hospital of origin.

Ray Matthews, M.D., professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, was integral in launching the program based on experience he had with similar initiatives at other hospitals. And now the program is seeing increased use, says Matthews.

“We are very satisfied with the utilization of this program, and we are confident it will only continue to grow over time,” says Matthews, adding that USC’s cardiovascular medicine, vascular surgery, cardiothoracic surgery and neurosurgery programs use the transportation service now.

As part of the program, USC University Hospital has contracted with a local ambulance company to provide transportation from Los Angelesarea hospitals, using a specially outfitted ambulance emblazoned with the hospital logo. A rapid admission process has also been created to ensure there are no delays in patient care.

Keck students’ mean scores on the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Part 1 continue on an upward trajectory, rising well above the national average. When the final scores from 2009 came in, the average score for Keck’s class of 2011 reached 235, while the national mean hovered at 221.

Keck students first began to break away from the pack in 2001 after the school implemented a new, fully integrated curriculum. Since then, their USMLE scores have improved from year to year, finally hitting a plateau in 2007 and 2008. Just when they seemed to be leveling off, they shot up again.

According to Allan Abbott, M.D., associate dean for curriculum and continuing education at the Keck School, the students are simply better prepared for the test now.

The Year I-II medical school curriculum was completely revised to enhance the understanding and clinical relevance of the basic medical sciences that are taught, Abbott says. This and other factors, including more time for directed self-study, small group learning and integration of clinical case scenarios that feature applications of basic sciences have helped students better prepare for the USMLE.

keck.usc.edu

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Thomas A. Buchanan, M.D., is principal investigator for the Clinical and Translational Science Award.

NINIH award helps the Clinical and Translational Science Institute translate research into improved patient care

By Alana Klein Prisco

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KECK MEDICINE | Winter 2011 Issue

Photo by Philip Channing

$56.8 Million for Advancing Urban Health

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A 35-year-old African-American male with sickle cell anemia, a chronic blood disease, suffers a stroke in his downtown Los Angeles home. He does not have access to a specialty care facility for adults with sickle cell disease.

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A 4’6” eight-year-old boy weighing 90 pounds has been diagnosed with diabetes. He lives in a pocket of East Los Angeles where 97 fast food restaurants exist within in a four-mile radius. Neither he nor his family has been educated on the importance of proper nutrition and exercise.

A 45-year-old woman who lives near a freeway − a hotbed for air pollutants like car exhaust − has developed a chronic cough and chest pain. Her two children, who love to play outdoors, have experienced shortness of breath and wheezing and are at risk for developing asthma.

These are people who suffer from some of the health issues plaguing our urban communities.

Health care is more than taking a pill. Armed with a $56.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, researchers at USC, along with a host of academic, clinical and community partners in central Los Angeles, will work to gain knowledge that they can translate rapidly to improved health for diverse populations living in urban areas.

F I R S T I N L . A . The prestigious Clinical and Translational Science Award, which will be distributed over the next five years, is the first such award funded in

Los Angeles. It supports the expanded Los Angeles Basin Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), which was established in 2006 to promote scientific discoveries and their application in real-life settings and to improve public health and health care.

Faculty from eight USC schools and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles are partnering with Kaiser Permanente Southern California, the L.A. County health system, the Community Clinic Association of L.A. County and more than 30 community health organizations in greater Los Angeles to address the specific needs of the urban and diverse patient populations found in USC’s backyard, the Los Angeles Basin. Clinical activities also take place at USC University Hospital, USC Norris Cancer Hospital and Doheny Eye Institute.

“The CTSA is the pivot point on which new clinical research growth will turn,” says Keck School of Medicine Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A. For example, the CTSA will foster new clinical programs in such areas as biomedical ethics, clinical informatics and outcomes research.

With this award, USC joined a consortium of 55 academic health centers in 28 states and the District of Columbia that are developing new ways to advance

What is Translational Medicine?

Translational medicine is based on the philosophy that scientific discoveries must be translated to applications in human health if they are to have an important societal impact. According to the Keck School of Medicine’s strategic plan, the importance of a translational approach to medicine is critical.

“Medical advancement requires teams of bench scientists, clinical researchers, clinicians and other health providers to set research priorities that are most relevant to health needs and to assure that discoveries fulfill their potential to improve health and health care,” according to the plan.

The plan identifies six key areas for translational development that link researchers with clinicians.

Those six areas of focus include cancer, neurosciences, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and metabolic disease.

“It’s not just about studying molecules at the bench. It’s understanding how a molecule can translate into a therapeutic that can be commercialized for public use,” says Thomas A. Buchanan, M.D., associate dean for clinical research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He is also principal investigator and director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

keck.usc.edu

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Putting Urban Health First Like other members of the Clinical and Translational Science Award consortium, the Los Angeles Basin Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is committed to strengthening connections between scientists in the lab and clinicians who interact with patients.

But what makes this CTSI distinct is the unique patient demographic it serves.

“While we are trying to support a breadth of health concerns, we have also framed our CTSI to focus on diverse populations, specifically highly urban inner-city communities. That is what sets us apart from other centers,” says Michele Kipke, Ph.D., professor in the departments of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and associate CTSI director for community engagement.

Some of the issues that affect urban communities include: • • • • • •

Communicable diseases Mental health Obesity Health care access and quality Risky behaviors Environmental hazards

Relationship between childhood obesity and leukemia.

Health Problem:

Opportunity: To understand why overweight children respond less favorably to leukemia treatment than non-overweight children.

– Robert K. Ross, M.D., President and CEO, The California Endowment

KECK MEDICINE | Winter 2011 Issue

Opportunity: To identify the barriers to high-quality care for patients with sickle cell disease in Los Angeles.

Translational Goal: To

improve access to care by providing policy makers with information on how to reduce the barriers to care.

Health Problem: The relationship between air pollution and the prevalence of chronic diseases in urban communities.

Opportunity: To develop technology that assesses individual ozone exposure for use in studies of air pollution and chronic disease.

Translational Goal: A new research tool that

measures individualized ozone exposure.

medical research in many disease areas and conditions, including cancer, mental illness, neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

Funded by Clinical and Translational Science Awards, members of the consortium share a common vision to reduce the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients, to engage communities in clinical research efforts and to train clinical and translational researchers.

“It’s a very competitive process to get funding at this level. We’re excited to have this opportunity

“ The outcome of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute is expected to be better health and wellbeing for the people of California – a direct link to the goals of The California Endowment. We are pleased to partner with USC and other health and community organizations in this innovative approach to translating research findings directly into better health for members of our urban community.”

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Health Problem: The disparities in health outcomes between sickle cell anemia patients in Los Angeles and patients elsewhere.

“The goal is to eliminate the disparities that exist between these populations and the general population,” Kipke adds.

For example, the following translational projects have already been supported by the CTSI:

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Keck School of Medicine diabetes researcher Enrique Trigo interviews patient Susana Rodriguez as part of a study on the genetics of beta cell failure in Mexican-Americans.

Translational Goal: To identify a drug target that could enhance the effectiveness of leukemia therapy for overweight children.

to bring different people, departments, schools and institutions together to improve health,” says Thomas A. Buchanan, M.D., principal investigator and director of the CTSI. He is also associate dean for clinical research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. USC competed for the award against 38 other institutions. Only nine institutions received grant awards this year, and the NIH has stated that it plans to implement a maximum of 60 Clinical and Translational Science Awards overall.

The broad interdisciplinary scope of the program and the community-wide participation produced what Puliafito calls “an extraordinarily strong grant application.” The application received a score of 12 on a scale of 10 to 90, where 10 is a perfect score.

USC set itself apart from the competition by articulating the institute’s commitment to serving a diverse and urban population and forming unique local

“ We’re thrilled to partner with the CTSI in expanding the boundaries and possibilities of biomedical research. The moving image, whether in the form of film, television, animation or interactive media, is an incredibly powerful tool for reaching patients and doctors in the community, and influencing attitudes, beliefs and behaviors toward healthier lives.” − Elizabeth Daley, Ph.D., Dean, USC School of Cinematic Arts

Photo by Philip Channing

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partnerships. “We positioned our CTSI as not only an institute focused on health research, but also as a partnership among some of the largest providers of health care in Los Angeles. We are working collaboratively with others on campus and off campus, using L.A. as a real world laboratory to address issues that are important to the community here,” Buchanan says.

The CTSI’s ultimate mission is to connect basic scientists to clinical and community researchers and practitioners to accelerate the pace at which laboratory discoveries are translated into practice.

“It can take 20 years for the knowledge of a new discovery to get into general practice,” says Michele Kipke, Ph.D., associate CTSI director for community engagement and professor in the departments of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine. “That’s just too long if you think of how quickly science evolves. What was effective 20 years ago is antiquated now.”

While the CTSI has already been successful at launching community research and interdisciplinary projects on a small scale, large-scale funding from the new NIH award will open the doors to development of a premier clinical and translational institute with the potential for a very large impact on health research and care.

“The Clinical and Translational Science Award provides the funding we need to expand to full capacity,” says Buchanan.

The CTSI has four main goals for this award. The first is to create an integrated academic environment that promotes and supports clinical and translational research. Eight schools – Medicine, Pharmacy, Engineering, Social Work, Law, Education, Cinematic Arts and Dentistry – are actively involved in the institute, as well as USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital. The CTSI provides a variety of resources and services that support interdisciplinary research and translation to clinical care.

The second goal of the CTSI is to develop new translational teams and projects.

Using priorities aligned with the Keck School of Medicine strategic plan and the health needs of the surrounding community, the institute is developing and providing pilot funding to interdisciplinary teams to conduct basic, clinical and community research.

Some interdisciplinary projects are currently under way. For example, leveraging talent from the health sciences, engineering, cinema and informatics, faculty members have developed an interactive computer game that helps autistic children better interact on an emotional level, one of the deficits of those with the disorder.

“We’re not only developing innovative treatments, but also creating interactive ways (beyond what a health sciences enterprise would typically do) to achieve our goals,” says Carlos Pato, M.D., associate CTSI director for research development and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School.

The third goal of the CTSI is to expand USC’s network of professionals conducting clinical and translational research. Resources are being applied to training new basic

F A S T E R PA C E

“ The Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County is excited to work with USC on its Clinical and Translational Science Institute. We look forward to working with USC on bridging the gap between community services and academia.

The CTSI provides a structure through which we can learn from each other.” − Brian Nolan, CEO, Community Clinic Association of L.A. County

•

CTSI Partners Academic Partners

University of Southern California • Keck School of Medicine of USC • USC University Hospital • USC Norris Cancer Hospital • USC School of Cinematic Arts • Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC • USC Rossier School of Education • USC Viterbi School of Engineering • USC Gould School of Law • USC School of Pharmacy • USC School of Social Work Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Doheny Eye Institute Clinical Partners

Los Angeles County Health System Kaiser Permanente of Southern California Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County Community Partners

Health Foundations Faith Community Social Services Policy Makers Elected Officials Lay Community For a complete list of community partners, see keck.usc.edu/ctsi/community

“ This is a significant award that is going to further our goal of becoming Los Angeles’ premier academic medical center. The research this money is funding will help train the next generation of physicians and scientists, advance medical research, and translate our discoveries into better treatments for our patients.

We will be seeing the positive effects of this clinical award for decades to come.” − Mitch Creem, M.H.A., Chief Executive Officer, USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital

keck.usc.edu

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$ 5 6 . 8 M i l l i o n F O R A D V A N C IN G U R B A N H E A L T H

CTSI Internal Oversight Board Randolph W. Hall, Ph.D., Vice Provost, Research Advancement, USC (Chair) Marilyn Flynn,

Ph.D., Dean, USC School of Social Work

Jeffrey Guterman,

M.D., Director, Clinical Resource Management, Los Angeles County – Department of Health Services

Miya Iwataki,

Director, Office of Diversity Programs, LAC Department of Public Health

Michael Kanter,

M.D., Director, Quality and Clinical Analysis, Kaiser Permanente of Southern California

Susan Mandel,

Ph.D., CEO, Pacific Clinics (Mental Health)

Brian Nolan, President and CEO, Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County D. Brent Polk,

M.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chair of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; Chair of Pediatrics and Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, Keck School of Medicine

Carmen A. Puliafito,

M.D., M.B.A., Dean, Keck School of Medicine of USC

Avishai Sadan,

D.M.D., Dean, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC

Marvin Southard,

D.S.W., Director, LAC Department of Mental Health

R. Pete Vanderveen,

Ph.D., R.Ph., Dean, USC School of Pharmacy

Yannis Yortsos,

Ph.D., Dean, USC Viterbi School of Engineering

and clinical researchers in team science. Two new training programs will support predoctoral students, postdoctoral associates and junior faculty as they pursue training in translational research. The CTSI also is developing Web-based educational materials that will be accessible to faculty, trainees, staff and community partners.

“We want to train people to work in an environment where scientists and clinicians form teams to address important health problems, informed by the needs of our communities,” Buchanan says. “It is a paradigm shift that will require new skills to complement traditional scientific knowledge and training.”

U LT I M AT E R E Q U I R E M E N T The fourth goal is to share research findings with care providers, health organizations and policy makers. “This step is the ultimate requirement for translation,” Buchanan says. “This is why we have such a broad partnership of institutions and health organizations in the CTSI. Our partnership provides us with a real opportunity to improve people’s health.”

Currently, the CTSI has 30 community partners from a diversity of organizations, ranging from health practitioners from major health networks to nonprofits that help shape government policy. Many of these groups focus on a particular disease, demographic or cause.

“They are the eyes and ears of our community. They let us know what the health issues are, which can sometimes be different from what the academic community perceives them to be,” says Buchanan.

With three advisory groups in place that comprise community-based organizations, health care providers and USC faculty, respectively, the CTSI stays on top of the health priorities facing the community.

For example, in one quarterly meeting, a community partner brought up the issue of health literacy and the challenges that arise when a patient cannot understand how to manage his or her care because of a language barrier.

“This is complicated when you live in Los Angeles, where many different languages are spoken and where there are enormous disparities in peoples’ levels of education,” Kipke says. “How we receive information is often filtered through a cultural lens. You can’t hand people who can barely read the same literature you would give to someone with a high school diploma.”

As more and more local organizations are learning about the CTSI’s mission, they want to get involved. The center is also proactively reaching out to “people who are working in our communities that are in a position to take a leadership role in helping us improve the health of this population,” Kipke says. She expects to sign on more partners in the near future. •

“ As a partner of CTSI, we collaborate and have a voice to strategically plan together. As a member of several other collaborations, I was mostly impressed with the diversity of this partnership, university, hospitals, other nonprofits and grassroots groups who have their pulse on their particular communities. We are honored to participate.” − Sandra Figueroa Villa, Executive Director, El Centro del Barrio

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“ The creation of the CTSI is a matter of ethical, as well as practical importance. Beyond looking at the ethics of clinical trials, the research ethics program within the CTSI aims to promote our ethical commitment to health research that truly makes a difference in people’s lives.” − Alexander Capron, L.L.B., Scott H. Bice Chair in Healthcare, Law and Ethics, USC Gould School of Law; Professor of Law and Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC

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Translational Leaders of Tomorrow Kathleen Page, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, hopes to shed light on the causes of type 2 diabetes in order to develop ways to prevent it. As one of USC’s up-and-coming translational science leaders, Page focuses her research specifically on the risks associated with intrauterine gestational diabetes on developing obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Hispanic youth.

“There is a huge Hispanic population in Los Angeles with diabetes, and in many of them, it is poorly controlled. If we can find out why this disease happens, we can help mothers have better glucose control during pregnancy,” says Page.

With the help of her mentor, Thomas A. Buchanan, M.D., and two grants, which provided the funding for this important research, Page is on her way to making great contributions to the field of diabetes.

•

“Dr. Buchanan has shown me the way to be a leader and a clinical investigator,” says Page. “He has taken me under his wing, and together we are trying to build a translational program that supports a bench-to-bedside approach to diabetes research.”

Page is just one of many individuals with a passion for studying complex diseases in order to improve health. While the Clinical and Translational Science Award grant has funds for recruiting new translational scientists, there is an additional need for support, says Buchanan, principal investigator and director of the Los Angeles Basin Clinical and Translational Science Institute, headquartered at the Keck School.

“Right now funding is limited for those who are interested in taking time off of their clinical work or doctoral training to learn translational science,” says Buchanan, who is also associate dean for clinical research. “We need funding for scholarships and stipends in order to create a new generation of scientists with the brainpower and skill sets to go beyond studying basic science.”

For information on how to sponsor young scientists and fellows, please contact Kurt.Hinrichsen@med.usc.edu or 323-442-1700.

CTSI Leadership Principal Investigator and CTSI Director Thomas A. Buchanan,

M.D., associate dean for clinical research, professor of Medicine and chief of the Division of Endocrinology & Diabetes, professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Physiology & Biophysics, Keck School of Medicine of USC Associate CTSI Directors Michele Kipke, Ph.D., professor

of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine, Keck School, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles M.D., Franz Alexander Professor and chair of Psychiatry, Keck School

Carlos Pato,

Office of Community Engagement Director - Michele Kipke,

Ph.D., professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine, Keck School, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Office of Research Development Director - Carlos Pato,

M.D., Franz Alexander Professor and chair of Psychiatry, Keck School

Center for Scientific Translation Director - Roberta Diaz Brinton, Ph.D., R. Pete

Vanderveen Chair in Therapeutic Discovery and Development, Professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering and Neurology, School of Pharmacy Center for Human Studies Director - Fred Sattler,

M.D., professor of Medicine and Biokinesiology and chief of Infectious Diseases, Keck School Center for Biomedical Information Sciences Director - Carl Kesselman,

Center for Education, Training and Career Development Director - Jonathan M. Samet,

M.D., M.S., professor and Flora L. Thornton Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School Regulatory Knowledge and Support Program Director - Frances Richmond,

Ph.D., professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Economics, School of Pharmacy, and director, Clinical and Regulatory Science, Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering at USC Research Ethics Program Director - Alexander Capron, L.L.B., University

Professor, Scott H. Bice Chair in Healthcare, Law and Ethics, USC Gould School of Law, and Professor of Law and Medicine, Keck School

Ph.D., professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering

keck.usc.edu

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Ne w M ed i c i n e M o ve s I n

New Medicine Moves In New home for stem cell research fosters collaboration, discoveries and expansion By Carrie St. Michel

Outwardly, the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC is a striking, architectural eye-catcher. From an interior perspective, facilitating collaboration drove the design, with an eye toward catching the immensely promising potential of stem cell research.

“I just like the whole building,” says a sincerely pleased Martin Pera, Ph.D., professor and founding director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. Pera, who observed firsthand the building’s transformation from rendering to reality, is a fan of both its form and function. “With its black granite and glass, the building is very distinctive and modern looking,” he says. “In terms of layout, it’s extremely well-suited to the functions of our scientists. I think it will be a fantastic work environment.”

CONSTRUCTED FOR CO LL ABO RATION And that work − clustered under the complex catchall of stem cell research − is the pressing priority shared by Pera and

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the other preeminent investigators who now call the building home. Given the inherent challenges that accompany this ever-evolving field, the five-floored, 87,500-square-foot facility was designed to give researchers a scientific leg up. That boost comes in the form of workspaces that feature flexibility and facilitate collaboration.

Pera, who joined the Keck School of Medicine of USC in 2006 and brought with him international recognition for his pioneering work in the arena of embryonic stem cell research, says the space was structured with expansion in mind.

“As research groups grow, the layout can accommodate that. There’s also flexibility in bench areas,” he notes. “If we want to convert what are basically desks

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into lab benches, that can be done fairly easily.”

The $80 million building − which was funded through a $30 million gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation coupled with a $27 million grant awarded by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and other monies donated through private philanthropy − also dedicates interior real estate specifically for stem cell research must-haves, including four core laboratories, as well as rooms set aside for cell culture and microscopy.

While the world of scientific research is frequently fiercely competitive, the recently opened stem cell center was consciously constructed to foster collaboration. And, as Pera points out, collaboration is crucial. “The potential of stem cell research is tremendous, but so are the challenges. We’ve brought together the best scientists, and the more they work together, the more everyone will benefit.”

With synergistic benefits in mind, the building’s floor plan is open and airy. “There’s a lot of interaction space on every floor, and even out on balconies. The whole second floor is set aside for core labs and collaborative work to support researchers throughout Keck.”

He adds, “It’s also available to researchers universitywide who want to learn stem cell technologies.”

Leveraging those technologies are top-notch researchers who currently number 10 − a total that won’t stay static. “Over the next couple of years,” says Pera, “we’ll be adding another half-dozen investigators. We’re particularly looking for translational researchers who can work in the areas of clinical strength here at Keck.”

Those strengths − which have earned USC faculty members more than $85 million in CIRM funding − are many and already have resulted in a wealth of weighty discoveries published in prestigious journals, including Cancer Research, Cell, Cell Stem Cell, Developmental Cell, Nature, Nature Biotechnology, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Among the array of findings:

W E ALT H O F D I S C O VERIES

• Gregor B. Adams, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell and neurobiology, identified a new signaling pathway that helps regulate the movement of bloodforming stem cells − a finding that provides important new insight regarding how stem cells circulate throughout the body, insight that may result in more efficient bone marrow transplants.

•

methods of developing stem cells directly from patients. Additionally, under the auspices of the USC Center for Molecular Pathways and Drug Discovery, a joint venture with the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kahn and HeinzJosef Lenz, M.D., professor of medicine and preventive medicine, are looking to uncover drugs that act on signaling pathways common to stem cells in cancer. One drug has entered clinical trials.

• Wange Lu, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, identified a novel mechanism in the regulation and differentiation of neural stem cells. These findings could have important implications for regenerative medicine and disease therapies, because neural stem cells potentially can be used for cell-replacement therapy in patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, spinal cord injuries and brain cancer.

• Francesca Mariani, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell and neurobiology, conducted a study that forms the foundation for future studies focusing on limb regeneration.

• M artin Pera, Ph.D., professor and founding director, Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC, as a member of the steering committee that directs a global consortium called the International Stem Cell Initiative, helped establish the standards that define a pluripotent stem cell. Another major work focused on the genetic stability of stem cell lines − a factor that is paramount to their safe use. Additionally, Pera served as co-investigator on a successful USC CIRM Disease Team application to develop an embryonic-stem-cell-based treatment for macular degeneration.

“ It has only been a dozen years since human embryonic stem cells were discovered, and yet we are already moving into clinical trials.”

–Martin Pera, Ph.D.

• Qi-Long Ying, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell and neurobiology, was the first person to derive authentic embryonic stem cells from rats. This breakthrough finding will enable scientists to create far more effective animal models for studying a wide range of diagnoses, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, addiction and autoimmune diseases. This is a major development in stem cell research because − in many aspects of biology − rats are much more closely related to humans than are mice, which until now have been the animal model. Using this technique, Ying additionally was successful in achieving targeted, genetic modifications.

Photo by Steve Cohn

• Michael Kahn, Ph.D., Provost’s professor of medicine and pharmacy, isolated the mechanism of action in regulation of pluripotent stem cells (which can become any kind of tissue in the body) by Wnt proteins. The discovery will lead to improved

The most recent recruits to Pera’s core group of investigators are Mohamed Pashmforoush, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, and Henry M. Sucov, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and keck.usc.edu

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Rosa Dilani, histology core manager at the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center, describes the lab’s function to the Broads.

Also listening in are U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (in purple) and CIRM Chairman Robert Klein (in gray suit).

Martin Pera, Ph.D.

Commenting on the global state of stem cell research, Pera is unquestionably

IMPRESSIVE PROGRESS

‘ G reen ’ B ui l ding C ombines A esthetics and Function

By Meghan Lewit Cutting edge research needs a home that’s on the cutting edge of innovation. Standing five stories high, the sleek black granite and glass Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC combines aesthetics and function in a way that pushes the boundaries of design, as well as science.

A certified “green” building, the 87,500-square foot center has glass facades running the full length of the building. It is designed to house research teams in flexible, open lab spaces that are bathed in natural light.

The center is the first building on the USC Health Sciences Campus to receive a silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation based on the structure’s unique eco-friendly

KECK MEDICINE | Winter 2011 Issue

upbeat. “It’s actually quite amazing when you think about it. It has only been a dozen years since human embryonic stem cells were discovered, and yet we are already moving into clinical trials. That’s a remarkably fast time frame for what is essentially a brand new technology.”

On a more local level, Pera is equally enthusiastic. “I’m excited about how our program has grown and the successes that the individual investigators are having in their research. I think that USC is in a great position to make some leading contributions as we go forward.” •

features. A double-glazed “curtain wall” on the east side of the building allows ventilation in the cavity, reducing heat gain in warmer temperatures and creating an insulating barrier when it is cool. The west-facing wall uses a special low-iron glass and is fitted with translucent glass fins that block sun glare while still maintaining views to an adjacent courtyard.

The unique glazing system maximizes natural light in both the office and laboratory environments, while controlling glare and heat gain and dramatically reducing electrical demand. The building also utilizes an innovative chilled beam HVAC system, which will use water instead of air to cool the space, reducing energy consumption by more than 30 percent and improving the air quality and occupant comfort within laboratory and office areas.

“The project team consisting of ZGF Architects and Morley Construction was given a challenge to design and build a

state-of-the-art research facility,” said William Marsh, building project manager for USC Capital Construction Development. “The result is a building that is stunning and incorporates innovative energy-efficient design.”

The building design is also intended to help stimulate synergy between research disciplines and shared work and social spaces, said Ted Hyman, FAIA, partner at Los Angeles-based ZGF Architects LLP. The lab space design includes a flexible modular furniture system and moveable wall partitions. This “neighborhood” lab concept allows easy interaction between labs, while creating more intimate groupings within the open lab plan, Hyman said.

“The scientific community at the stem cell center will be performing highly collaborative research; therefore it is imperative that the design approach maximize both the functional flexibility and the collaborative environment,” he said.

PhotoPhoto

by Mark

by Steve Harmel Cohn (top); Photo by Jon Nalick (left)

molecular biology, cell and neurobiology. Both bring with them heart-development expertise that they will apply to the emerging field of cardiovascular regenerative medicine.

“Going forward, our stem cell research program will focus on areas of clinical research strength at the Keck School, including ophthalmology, gastroenterology, cardiovascular medicine, hematology and oncology,” Pera says.

Opening Brings Hope

Photos by Steve Cohn

Stem cell research at Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center holds promise for life-saving cures By Imelda Valenzuela California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined USC administrators, trustees, elected public officials and over 150 invited guests in the much-anticipated dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. “Behind me we see this beautiful building with great architecture, but this is much more than just bricks and mortar,” said Schwarzenegger. “This is an institute of hope – hope for millions of people who suffer from Alzheimer’s, from cancer, from AIDS, from Parkinson’s disease and many other diseases.

Here, 18 of the finest scientists in the world along with their research teams will expand the frontiers of science and medicine in pursuit of life-saving cures.”

USC President C. L. Max Nikias, Ph.D., and Keck School of Medicine of USC Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., hosted the Oct. 29 dedication ceremony.

Puliafito introduced the governor by recognizing his courage in supporting stem cell research. “In the fall of 2004, the future of stem cell research in this country was in great peril. It took great courage for the newly elected governor of California to oppose the policy of his party and his President by supporting the Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative (Proposition 71). Our governor supported the preservation of human life and the reversal of disability by supporting the promise of stem cell research.”

Nikias said, “This new center carries out our promise to society. In the future historians will search for the turning point in the age of medicine and biology.

And when they do, they will look to this place, they will look to this time, they will look to this CIRM (California Institute for Regenerative Medicine) center, and they will look to Eli and Edythe Broad. And they will see that what we have done together has changed not only this university, but also the world.”

Eli and Edythe Broad, the building’s namesakes and primary donors, gave $30 million toward its development, which stands as one of the largest gifts given to the Keck School in recent years.

“There’s no question that stem cell research has

From left, Keck School of Medicine Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Broad Foundation founders Edythe and Eli Broad, CIRM Chair Robert Klein and USC President C. L. Max Nikias, Ph.D., formally open the new center. the potential to revolutionize medicine,” said Eli Broad. “I truly believe that biotechnology is one of the areas that are the economic future of this city and this state. We want to be a magnet for biotech talent and business so we all have high expectations for this new center for stem cell research and regenerative medicine here at USC.” Originally conceived in 2005, the project is the product of a public-private partnership between the Keck School, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, and California’s voter-created CIRM. “The definition of ‘possible’ has changed,” said Robert Klein, CIRM chairman, Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee, and author of the California ballot initiative that launched CIRM. “The stem cell revolution has begun. Let us recognize, celebrate and thank the great scientists and post-docs and grad students who are the real heroes in this fundamental struggle against history’s plight of mankind with chronic disease,” he said.

Other notables in attendance included: U.S. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard; California State Sen. Art Torres (ret.); Edward Roski, chair, USC Board of Trustees; and USC Trustees Malcolm Currie, Ph.D., David Lee, Ph.D., Al Mann, Harlyne Norris and Lorna Reed.

“You will see today that our new building is not only a first-class research facility, but also a stunning architectural statement,” said Martin Pera, Ph.D., founding director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. “As we work together, Los Angeles can be truly a world-class center for regenerative medicine.”

keck.usc.edu

Donors Jeffrey and Johanna Gunter are honored with the naming of a conference room.

Donor Joyce Cammilleri is toasted on the bridge named for her. From left, Cammilleri, Niki Nikias, Dean Puliafito and President Nikias.

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Event chairs for A Concert to Cure Cancer, from left, producer Michael Wimer, architect Marc Appleton, actress Joanna Kerns, writer-director-producer Peter Tolan and producer Leslie Tolan applaud Rachael Worby, conducted the Pasadena POPS orchestra at the gala.

$1 Million for Norris Cancer Research

M

Successful Concert to Cure Cancer brings friends, fun and funds By Imelda Valenzuela

More than $1 million is fueling innovative cancer research at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center following one of the largest and most successful fundraising events in the cancer center’s history. because even though this is an event about cancer, more importantly it’s about beating cancer and it’s about life,” said emcee Peter Tolan in his opening remarks.

Tolan, an award-winning writer, director and producer, holds television credits that include Murphy Brown, The Larry Sanders Show and most recently Rescue Me, and also wrote the screenplays to motion pictures including Analyze This and America’s Sweethearts.

Tolan and his wife, Leslie, were event chairs, initiating the

1. From left, actor James Caan, USC Norris

Advisory Board member Marshall Ezralow, Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A. 2. USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Peter Jones with his wife, Veronica Jones, left, and USC Trustee and Norris Advisory Board Chair Harlyne J. Norris. 3. From left, front row, Lisa Holmes, patient Annette Cook and Becca Hartmeier; back row, Stan Cook and Brian Holmes in a Smart car that Hartmeier’s bid won in the auction.

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1

3

2

Photos by Steve Cohn

A Concert to Cure Cancer drew 420 guests in support of USC Norris and the new USC Center for Molecular Pathways and Drug Discovery Center. Held Sept. 26 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, the event honored the work of Heinz-Josef Lenz, M.D., and Michael Kahn, Ph.D., codirectors of the new USC research center. The Pasadena POPS orchestra, conducted by Rachael Worby, headlined the event.

“I hope we’re going to have a lot of laughter this evening,

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Photo by Steve Cohn

event, as well as underwriting the Pasadena POPS performance on behalf of Leslie Tolan’s childhood friend, Paul Anderson, who was a patient of Lenz. Anderson died in March.

Notables in the crowd included: Keck School of Medicine of USC Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A.; USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Peter Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc.; USC Norris Cancer Hospital CEO Mitch Creem, M.H.A.; USC Trustee and Norris Advisory Board Chair Harlyne J. Norris; USC Trustee and Norris Advisory Board Member Lorna Y. Reed; USC Trustee Tamara Hughes Gustavson; actress and event co-chair Joanna Kerns; and actor James Caan.

The program began with a video featuring Lenz and Kahn discussing PRI-724, a promising cancer drug that went into clinical trials in the fall. Applications for the drug are expected to extend beyond cancer and help a multitude of diseases including Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, degenerative diseases, Alzheimer’s, cardiac disease and osteoporosis, according to Lenz, Keck School professor of medicine and preventive medicine, associate director of clinical research at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Kathryn M. Balakrishnan Chair for Cancer Research; and Kahn, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and Provost’s professor of medicine and pharmacy.

“We are so excited about this drug because it not only has no side effects, but it also has incredibly good effects,” said Lenz in the video. “We never give up; we want to find treatments that can change the lives of cancer patients.”

Holding up a vial of PRI-724 while on stage at the gala, Kahn said, “This represents the last 10 years of my life. We are excited about the promise of our research, and I hope the next time we’re handing off vials, research is sped up and we can do it in far less than 10 years.”

The video introduced several of Lenz’s patients and featured Annette Cook, a 45-year-old businesswoman, wife and mother of three sons under the age of 12. Cook has stage 4 liver cancer and has undergone two surgeries and multiple rounds of chemotherapy only to see the cancer return each time.

“For me the choices have become slim,” said Cook. “I’ve got two surgeries under my belt, and I don’t want to go through a third surgery only to end up with a recurrence of this cancer. I have three little boys, and they need their mommy.”

She expressed gratitude for being under the care of Lenz and for having access to Lenz and Kahn’s research. “I’m just so thankful to be at USC. Dr. Lenz and Dr. Kahn are passionate, dedicated professionals. They are scientifically brilliant and they have so much compassion for people like me who benefit from their extraordinary research,” she said.

The evening activities offered a live auction, conducted by Tolan, which included a convertible Smart car whose glove compartment was signed by celebrities including Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Taylor Swift and Steven Spielberg.

The Pasadena POPS, featuring Tony award-nominated vocalist Valarie Pettiford, performed a “Hooray for Hollywood” themed concert. Before conducting the final piece, Worby surprised the entire ballroom with the offer of a private concert as an auction item to add to the benefit.

As Worby started the spontaneous auction, she asked the orchestra, “Will everybody on this stage whose lives have in some way been touched by cancer please stand?” The majority of the orchestra members stood up. In the end, the private concert added another $10,000 to a most successful gala. • For more information about the new USC Center for Molecular Pathways and Drug Discovery, watch the video posted at http://vimeo.com/15539190. To make a donation visit http://uscsomconvio.net/DrugDiscovery, call 323-865-0725 or e-mail tpakfar@usc.edu.

•

Heinz-Josef Lenz, M.D., accepts a vial of a promising new drug from Michael Kahn, Ph.D. Interrupting Disease Pathways, Bringing Faster Treatment By Leslie Ridgeway Most cancer research has focused on one target at a time, but cancer cells, with their voracious survival instincts, find ways to bypass single targets that have been shut down.

By focusing on networks of targets, researchers at the new USC Center for Molecular Pathways and Drug Discovery intend to control hubs where disease cells’ pathways intersect and to correct the cells’ communication “maps.” They expect the approach to be effective for many other diseases, as well as cancer.

The center sprang from a partnership between Michael Kahn, Ph.D., a research scientist, and Heinz-Josef Lenz, M.D., a clinical translational research investigator, that began more than two years with the goal of developing new drug therapies and rapidly translating them into clinical treatment. They are co-directors of the new research center.

One of the first products to come from the new center and into the clinic is PRI-724, the first drug specifically targeting the Wnt pathway, a network of proteins fundamental in the development of all major human organs, as well as an important pathway that is over-stimulated in both liquid and solid tumors. This promising new drug entered a clinical trial at USC this fall.

The Wnt pathway is particularly exciting to researchers because of the possibilities it offers to treat so many different diseases and conditions. Laboratory studies have shown that drugs targeting this pathway can affect cancers, respiratory illness, wound healing and have even restored hair growth.

The studies have shown promising results in curing leukemia and promising antitumor efficacy in colon and pancreatic cancer, as well as significant improvement of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which is a scarring or thickening of lung tissue for which there is currently no treatment.

For information on the clinical trial, call 323-865-3961.

keck.usc.edu

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Carlos Pato, M.D., and Michele Pato, M.D., are searching for genetic factors contributing to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Making Sense of the Brain’s Genetic Code Researchers identify genes and their functions to improve risk assessment, prevention and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders By Robin Heffler

Today, when physicians suspect a child may have autism, which can be as late as when the child starts school, clinical psychology specialists are recruited to administer a series of behavioral tests over several hours. If autism is confirmed, the parents face a lifetime of trying to manage the communication, socialization and emotional challenges of their son or daughter.

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But a far different outcome may be likely in the near future, according to Pat Levitt, Ph.D., Provost’s professor of neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology and pharmacy and director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “A pediatrician may one day be able to examine a 12-month-old, see a red flag or two, also learn that a cousin’s child has autism, and test for a set of genes that are believed to pose the highest risk for this disorder,” says Levitt, whose research focuses on the development of the brain architecture that controls children’s learning and emotional and social behavior. “If the child tests positive, the physician and clinical psychologist could

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recommend placement in a special program to prevent the disorder from ever developing.”

Keck School researchers believe that wide-ranging efforts to better understand the mysteries of the brain and its genetics will spur dramatic improvements in risk assessment, prevention and treatment for those facing not only autism, but also other neurological and psychiatric disorders.

A MAP O F GENES DURING BRAIN DEV E L O P M E N T

One cutting-edge study, the Developing Human Brain Transcriptome, brings together genetics, biology and advanced computational and statistical techniques to

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document how genes are being turned on and off in different areas of the brain throughout human development. James A. Knowles, M.D., Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the Keck School, is the principal investigator, and Levitt is the co-investigator of this project, which is supported by a $9 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Collaborating with researchers at Yale University and the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, Wash., the Keck School investigators are examining hundreds of samples from 16 brain regions at 11 key developmental stages in 66 donor brains, ranging in age from four weeks of embryonic development to middle adulthood.

“We expect that this will give us a nearly complete catalog of where and when every gene is expressed in human brain development,” says Knowles, whose research concentrates on the genetic factors that play a role in psychiatric illness, including anxiety disorders, depression and addiction. “That will help us to sort out the genes that are influencing various brain diseases and traits, which, in turn, may allow us to provide more personalized risk assessments and to design drugs and other treatments that are more effective.”

Previously, Levitt, who also chairs the Department of Cell and Neurobiology, discovered a gene that helps to wire the circuits involved in social and emotional behavior – the biggest difficulties in autism – and is now studying why this gene creates risk.

Knowles’ significant work has included recently finding the locale in the brain for the gene that causes early-onset major depression and the general area for the gene responsible for panic disorder.

Photos by Greg Mancuso

F O C U S O N S C H I Z OPHRENIA, BIPO L AR DISORDER

Knowles is also contributing to groundbreaking studies on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder that are designed and led by two other researchers at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute: Carlos Pato, M.D., the Franz Alexander Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine; and Michele Pato, M.D., the Della Martin Chair in Psychiatry and director of the USC Center for Genomic Psychiatry.

In their 20-year Portuguese Island Collection study, the researchers are focusing on 3,500 residents of the Azores and Madeiras archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean who have the two conditions and their families. Because the islands didn’t have a native population until they were settled by the Portuguese

in the fourteenth century, the current population of about 250,000 shares a lot of DNA. “With a more limited gene pool, you get a much clearer picture than in the general population of what is being transmitted – what part of the genes and what possible mutations are going from parent to child and may be causing illness or are associated with illness,” says Carlos Pato, who, along with Michele, has scoured family and medical records to trace symptoms of schizophrenia going back 180 years.

By documenting nearly every case of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder on the islands, the study has found strong evidence of a genetic basis for them.

“Usually, for people who have schizophrenia, there is a 15 percent prevalence of the disease among their family members,” says Michele Pato. “But we’ve found that it’s 70 percent among these families. In examining the DNA, there are two areas that seem to be linked to the two diseases. This has helped to substantiate the work of other researchers.”

In the U.S., the Patos are directing the largest research project of its kind, the Genomic Psychiatry Cohort study. Tens of thousands of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder across the U.S. are being followed through a $25 million NIMH grant to the USC Center for Genomic Psychiatry and Massachusetts General Hospital. This study is also important because the Patos are studying patients over time.

A key finding by the International Schizophrenia Consortium, a group of investigators including the Patos and Knowles, has been the identification of three missing pieces from the genome. These findings have been strongly replicated and show the possibility of identifying other subtle mutations in the genes of the study’s subjects.

“Within the next five years, we will be able to look at 100 of these patients who have a genetic deletion and by studying their response to a treatment, we’ll be able to determine that one treatment will work better than others, something we often can’t do now,” says Carlos Pato.

“Further in the future,” he projects, “when people have a genetic anomaly that puts them at risk for getting schizophrenia at age 21 or 22, we’ll learn how to intervene when they’re children or teens to protect them from getting the illness. Right now, that’s science fiction, but hopefully it will become science fact.” •

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James A. Knowles, M.D., Ph.D., left, and Pat Levitt, Ph.D., are working to learn more about how genetic factors contribute to psychiatric and neurological disorders.

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Faster Treatment and Recovery for Cancer

Dennis R. Holmes, M.D., with the Intra Beam device, which can deliver a targeted dose of radiation during surgery.

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Helping people face personal difficulties is the goal of the trauma and crisis intervention organization where Cathy Friedman is associate director. Last January, Friedman faced her own crisis – she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“It came as a total surprise,” says Friedman. “I had absolutely no risk factors. No one in my family ever had breast cancer. I am a vegetarian who exercises regularly, and I breast-fed my children.”

She knew she needed surgery and was informed about the standard six weeks of post-surgical radiation, but she did not want to endure the long treatment and recovery process, and miss running in the Los Angeles Marathon. A runner for 30 years, she has raced in the marathon for the past five years.

Friedman was referred to Dennis R. Holmes, M.D., director of intraoperative radiotherapy and breast surgeon at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital. Holmes explained to Friedman that because her type of cancer allowed for breast conservation, she would have the option of entering the TARGIT Trial – an international clinical trial of intraoperative radiotherapy.

“Rather than the typical multi-week course of radiation, the cancer site receives radiotherapy immediately after tumor removal using a device called the Intra Beam, manufactured by Carl Zeiss Meditec,” explains Holmes, who is assistant professor of clinical surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “The Intra Beam is directed into the breast and can precisely dispense radiation to the targeted area. The procedure takes as little as 17 minutes as compared to the usual 30-35 days over six weeks.”

Standard radiation covers the full breast and can

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Intraoperative radiotherapy allowed Cathy Friedman to keep running. cause injury to surrounding organs and the skin of the breast. The advantage of intraoperative radiation is that a lower dose can be used because the radiation is administered to the interior of the breast and does not pass through the skin. Intraoperative radiation also permits the temporary insertion of internal radiation barriers to protect the underlying heart and lung from the effects of radiation.

An added benefit is the reduced cost of treatment – one-third to one-half the cost of standard radiotherapy.

“More than 2,200 patients around the world have received this new form of radiotherapy with excellent results. Cancer recurrence rates using intraoperative radiotherapy are statistically equivalent to standard radiation techniques,” Holmes says. He is upbeat about what this means for improving treatment for women.

“USC Norris is now a leading institution, and the only one in Southern California, for both defining the future of this technology and expanding the trial for patients who might not have qualified for the TARGIT trial,” Holmes says.

For Friedman, the choice was simple. The intraoperative therapy option was quick with none of the side effects commonly experienced with standard radiation.

“I took one week off to recover from my procedure, and I returned to my marathon training activities the next week. I am so pleased to have found Dr. Holmes,” Friedman says. “His caring demeanor and recommendation for my inclusion in the TARGIT Trial calmed my breast cancer crisis – something I truly value.” • For further information or an appointment, contact Holmes’ referral coordinator at 323-865-3628.

Photo by Philip Channing (left); Photo by Greg Mancuso (top)

Intraoperative radiotherapy following breast lumpectomy speeds recovery, reduces cost By Mary Ellen Zenka

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Helping Patients Walk, Run and Play By Martin Booe remembers the exact moment when he set his sights on becoming an orthopaedic surgeon. As a resident doing a rotation in orthopaedics, he assisted in knee replacements for an elderly woman whose mobility was severely compromised by rheumatoid arthritis. A day later, he saw her making her way down the hallway − on a walker, yes, but moving more nimbly than she had in years.

“There was the biggest smile on her face,” Oakes recalls. “Her quality of life had been restored, and I’ll never forget how thrilled she and her family were, how grateful. I was hooked.”

Oakes became director of the USC Joint Replacement Program and associate professor of clinical orthopaedics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC in March 2010, and he feels like a kid in a candy shop.

“The beauty of practicing in a surgery care center like this is having the institutional support in anesthesiology and physical therapy. USC has a long history of excellence in joint replacement surgery, and my goal is to continue that tradition and establish us as a center of excellence for joint replacement,” he says. “We want to become a destination for our surrounding community, a place people know they can go for more serious problems. We’re doing a high volume of revision surgeries – in other words, we didn’t create the problems but we fix them – and that backup [from other departments] enables us to take on more difficult cases.”

Oakes is no stranger to Southern California, nor to USC. He was a member of the Keck School faculty from 2004 to 2006 before serving as chief of the UCLA Joint Replacement Service and assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery. At UCLA, he developed a thriving joint replacement division and was a leader in resident education. He returned to the Trojan family in 2010.

Oakes was born in Boston but grew up in the Bay Area. A Harvard Medical School graduate, he completed his residency training and a research fellowship in orthopaedic surgery at UCLA Medical Center.

Oakes completed an adult reconstruction fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

His wife, Vanessa Walker-Oakes, is an art historian who teaches Advanced Placement Art History and is the director of college counseling at the Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada. The couple has four young sons.

Photo by Philip Channing

D anie l A . O a k es

Oakes saw dramatic advances in hip and knee replacement procedures during his residency, and the pace of change has only accelerated since then. The use of less invasive surgical approaches in conjunction with regional anesthetic protocols, rather than general anesthesia, has helped to better control post-operative pain, improve early mobility and shorten hospital stays.

The patient demographic requiring total joint replacement surgery is changing, as patients are younger, more active and have high functional expectations after surgery. Treatment of the younger patient is an ongoing area of research.

Infections after a hip or knee replacement are one of the most feared complications (national infection rate is 0.5 percent). The USC Joint Replacement Program has tremendous experience in caring for these patients with good success.

“The lesson learned from these cases is that more attention needs to be given to prevention. While we know how to treat infection cases, we are becoming even better at preventing them from occurring,” Oakes says.

“There’s a lot of satisfaction knowing your patients are going to get better with the right operation, and that’s what I love about joint replacement surgery,” he says. “Part of the challenge is that people’s expectations are so much higher. Performing activities of daily living and walking without pain used to be considered a success. Our patients today are much more active than their predecessors. Now they want to ride 100-mile bike rides and play in competitive tennis tournaments. We’re always striving to improve to keep up with increasing inpatient expectations.”

As for Oakes’ extracurricular activities: well, he has those four young boys, ages 1 to 11. Spare time?

“What’s that?” he jokes. •

Daniel Oakes, M.D., brings a wealth of experience in replacing deteriorated joints, such as hips, with state-ofthe-art prostheses.

For a joint replacement consultation, contact 323-442-5860 or uscjointreplacement@health.usc.edu. keck.usc.edu

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Learning Patient Care – While Being One

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Keck medical student Josh Lilienstein brings his own experience as a cancer survivor to his work with patients.

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doctors

ma k e

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Keck School of Medicine student Joshua Lilienstein believes the converse may also be true − that patients make the best doctors.

The 31-year-old Los Angeles resident says that being able to experience medical care from a patient’s perspective viscerally underscores the importance of compassion and empathy.

“Being a patient for a long time certainly helped me understand that” in a way that no class or textbook ever could, he says.

And he should know: Lilienstein was diagnosed in 2006 with an aggressive form of testicular cancer that prompted grueling rounds of chemotherapy, multiple surgeries and hospitalizations, derailed his studies and nearly took his life.

During the years he fought the disease, he repeatedly faced frustrations as a patient that informed his understanding of how to become a better doctor. Among these was the difficulty in managing the complexity of his own care, which he received from multiple physicians and cancer centers over an extended period of time.

“As a result of my care being so fragmented, at a number of junctures, critical pieces of information slipped through the cracks, leading to dangerous and sometimes life-threatening situations. Since none of my medical records could be transmitted electronically, I had to constantly be aware of keeping it all − huge stacks of paper and dozens of compact disks containing imaging files − together and up to date, all while being so sick that I could often hardly get out of bed,” he says.

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By Jon Nalick

He notes that while his doctors did their best to stay on top of his complex illness, “it often fell to my family and me to make sure that nothing fell through the cracks. I really learned about the importance of good communication between physicians. In a world where patients are mobile and the practice of medicine increasingly depends on specialists, we as physicians have to get exponentially better at communicating with each other and with our patients.”

Lilienstein adds that his experience has made him a strong proponent of creating a national electronic medical record, “which has the potential to drastically decrease the amount of redundant tests performed and help ensure that critical information doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.”

Lilienstein says that being a patient for so long confers significant advantages, as well as disadvantages.

For example, he says, “I’ve been able to use my experience to encourage patients to advocate for themselves in ways that they didn’t know were possible, and I have been able to alert doctors to issues that they didn’t know were important.”

On the downside though, Lilienstein sometimes struggles to maintain the emotional distance physicians need to treat their patients.

“One of our jobs as doctors is to take our personal lives out of the equation and focus on what [the patients] need. But there are times when I have difficult moments and kind of flash back to my own situation,” which can make delivering objective information about patients’ medical options more difficult, he says.

Lilienstein, now performing his internal medicine rotation in his third year of medical school, has been cancer-free for more than a year.

Looking back on his time as a patient, he describes his experience as “an absolute curse, but strangely and perversely enough, kind of a blessing.” Beyond that, he adds, “It has certainly made my life more interesting and has left me even more dedicated to becoming a great doctor.” •

Photo by Philip Channing

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Photo by © Steve Cohn

Keck School receives $24 million for cancer research from Sumner M. Redstone By Imelda Valenzuela A $24 million charitable gift from media executive and philanthropist Sumner M. Redstone is supporting cancer research directed by renowned oncologist David Agus, M.D., professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and director of the USC Center for Applied Molecular Medicine and the USC Westside Prostate Cancer Center.

The donation to the Keck School of Medicine was part of more than $100 million in previously announced charitable grants that Redstone awarded to fund initiatives in the U.S. and abroad.

USC received a portion of the Redstone gift in the form of charitable grants. The remainder of the pledge will be donated over the next three years.

“David Agus is not only an accomplished scientist who is literally changing how we think about cancer, but is also a remarkable physician who brings tremendous skill and compassion to his work with patients,” said Redstone. “I was fortunate to meet Dr. Agus shortly after I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and since that time I have benefitted from his expertise. He quite literally saved my life, as he has done for many others.

“It is a privilege to be able to contribute to his groundbreaking work now under way at USC’s Keck School of Medicine, which has not only become an important center for outstanding patient care, but also for excellence in clinical cancer research,” Redstone added.

Agus said, “Sumner is one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever met; it continues to be an honor to be involved in his care. Here is a man who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer and used the diagnosis as a rally call to help advance the cause of cancer research. It’s impressive to watch him fight this disease head on, as well as make a philanthropic donation toward curing cancer that will benefit generations to come.

“We are working on new treatments for prostate cancer, and this tremendous philanthropic gift from Sumner allows our team to think outside of the box,” Agus added. “He gives us free rein to think about the world of health care in a different way, and he pushes us to be more entrepreneurial by focusing on incremental gains and taking risks in areas where there are breakthrough opportunities.”

Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., expressed appreciation for the gift. “This extraordinarily generous gift from Sumner Redstone will boost Dr. Agus’ exciting research program, which we believe has the potential to make a revolutionary impact on cancer therapy,” he said.

Agus is co-leader of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded Physical Sciences in Oncology Center at USC, which aims to bring physical science researchers, including physicists and mathematicians, together with biological scientists, in hopes of creating new paradigms with which to approach and treat cancer. Agus is a member of the NCI-designated USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center faculty.

Agus’ research focuses on the application of proteomics and genomics for the study of cancer and the development of new cancer therapeutics. These advanced technologies reveal valuable information regarding the on and off switches of cancer and the various factors involved in cancer origins, progression and response to treatment.

Redstone has served as executive chairman of the board of directors of Viacom Inc. since 2006. He serves as executive chairman of the board of CBS Corporation and has also been chairman of the board of National Amusements Inc., Viacom’s controlling stockholder, since 1986. keck.usc.edu

Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., left, oncologist David Agus, M.D., second from left, professor of medicine at the Keck School, and USC President C. L. Max Nikias, Ph.D., right, present Sumner Redstone with a mounted stethoscope at a July reception in his honor.

Redstone’s gift will support cancer research directed by Agus.

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Mini Medical School set for March 24 The Keck School of Medicine Parents Association will host the second Mini Medical School on Thursday, March 24, from 1-5 p.m. in Mayer Auditorium.

The half-day event will include a reception with light refreshments, faculty presentations and a tour of the Health Sciences Campus plus LAC+USC Medical Center.

Watch for details or contact the Keck Office of Alumni Relations, 626-457-4076, crwagner@usc.edu.

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USC Trustee and alumnus Ming Hsieh announced a substantial gift at the Oct. 15 inaugural ceremony for USC President C. L. Max Nikias, Ph.D., on the University Park Campus.

“On this day of celebration,” Hsieh said, “I announce my support of USC and the leadership of President Nikias with a gift of $50 million for the inception of an interdisciplinary research institute that will bring together the best engineers, scientists and physicians in the battle against cancer.”

The new gift will establish the USC Ming Hsieh Institute for Research on Engineering-Medicine for Cancer. “This institute will accelerate the pace of getting the new medicines from the lab to the cancer patients,” Hsieh continued. “It will bridge the disciplines and bridge this campus and the USC Health Sciences Campus.”

Expressing thanks for the gift, President Nikias said, “This kind of creative collaboration is our best hope for dealing with this devastating disease. On a personal level, I am deeply moved that Ming Hsieh chose to make this visionary gift commitment on the day of my inauguration.”

Keck School of Medicine of USC Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., noted that the donation will help Keck and other USC researchers in their quest to translate cancer discoveries into effective therapies for patients.

“The fight against cancer has gained a powerful ally in Ming Hsieh,” Puliafito said. “This gift illustrates the critical synergy of health care and technology that has the potential to dramatically change the lives of cancer patients. We are grateful for his visionary gift.”

The gift was Hsieh’s second multimillion dollar donation to USC. The China-born founder of Pasadena-based Cogent Inc. had previously donated $35 million to name the electrical engineering department in the Viterbi School of Engineering.

Viterbi Dean Yannis Yortsos, Ph.D., said, “Work-

KECK MEDICINE | Winter 2011 Issue

USC Trustee Ming Hsieh announces a $50 million gift establishing the USC Ming Hsieh Institute for Research on Engineering-Medicine for Cancer.

ing with our colleagues at the Keck School and elsewhere at USC, gifted engineering faculty and students working on nanotechnology will utilize their remarkable talent and expertise to attack cancer and hopefully lead to effective cures. With this transformative gift we are positioned to become world leaders in the field.”

The endowment will be used to support research and development, both at the bench and clinical scales, in the burgeoning field of nanomedicine for cancer. A fundamental component of research will be on nanoscale delivery platforms. Encapsulating nanoparticles and other promising applications of nanotechnology will be pursued. New advances will also be sought in biomedical imaging that will help determine the delivery and targeting efficiencies of these treatments. In parallel, clinical research will be conducted to assess the efficacy of the resulting drug delivery with in vivo studies.

The institute will bridge research from engineering and medicine. The recently launched program HTE@USC (Health, Technology and Engineering at USC) between the two schools has already laid a strong foundation for such collaborations and will be leveraged to augment educational and training opportunities for medical and doctoral students who participate in the institute’s research.

“Ming Hsieh is an exemplary trustee and alumnus,” said Edward P. Roski Jr., chairman of the USC Board of Trustees. “His generous gifts continue to advance the university and improve the lives of people in our community, nation and world.”

Ming Hsieh was born and raised in northern China and worked his way to USC, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1983 and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1984. In 1987, he founded AMAX Technology and in 1990 founded the Pasadena-based Cogent Inc., which revolutionized automated fingerprint identification.

Photo by Jon Nalick

Ming Hsieh donates $50 million to establish research institute on engineering-medicine for cancer

HONORING DONORS

Gifts inspire and improve By Imelda Valenzuela The USC Health Sciences Campus celebrated over $20 million in recent gifts and pledges and honored 24 prominent donors at an Oct. 6 invitation-only reception.

USC President C. L. Max Nikias, Ph.D., recognized the donors for their generous support of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital, and the USC University Hospital.

“The Keck School of Medicine of USC would not be the great school it is today without your exemplary support,” said Nikias as he thanked the donors. “Our hospitals would not be able to provide the highest standards of excellent care without your support. Your gifts inspire our entire community to work harder, to reach for higher goals to improve and save lives here in Los Angeles and around the globe.”

Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., hosted the reception. “The research money, the money that you supply, helps us with conquering cancer, with

Photo by Steve Cohn (left); Photo by Brian Morri (right)

From left, USC President C. L. Max Nikias, Ph.D., and his wife, Niki Nikias, with donors Nancy and Carlton Spencer. new drugs, with new treatments, with new research facilities, with progress against the most debilitating diseases of our world including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cardiac disease,” Puliafito said. “It will help train new physicians and create for us here an academic medical center environment second to none. It’s been an exciting time to be at USC, and the excitement has just begun.”

Several donors have generously supported USC for decades, and some are grateful patients who were recently treated at one of the USC-owned hospitals.

Carlton Spencer was one of those patients. Spencer’s wife, Nancy, told her husband’s story at the event. Three years ago, during a routine examination, his primary care physician, Skip Barber, M.D., a Keck School graduate, discovered that Spencer’s heart was showing signs of extreme distress. Barber immediately referred Spencer to Vaughn A. Starnes, M.D., Hastings Distinguished Professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery, H. Russell Smith Foundation Chair for Cardiovascular Thoracic Research, and surgeon-in-chief of the USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital. Spencer was admitted into heart surgery two days after his physical.

Now fully recovered, Spencer, with his wife, donated $125,000 to the Keck School for primary care scholarships in honor of Barber.

William H. Ahmanson, president of the Ahmanson Foundation and a leader in the Los Angeles philanthropic community, also spoke at the event. “Los Angeles is fast becoming a destination city for health care,” said Ahmanson. “The Keck School of Medicine is on the forefront of that industry. That’s why the Ahmanson Foundation has such a strong tie to this school, because they are healing Los Angelenos and they’re healing Americans.”

Phil Manning M.D., left, emcee of the Keck School of Medicine 50-Year Fellows Luncheon, congratulates Norman Levan, M.D., on the Crystal K Award.

Former department chair donates $2 million for medical ethics study A gift of $2 million by former department chair Norman Levan, M.D., will support studies in medical ethics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. An announcement of the Dr. Norman Levan Chair for Medical Ethics was one of the highlights of the school’s 50-Year Fellows Luncheon. Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., presented the Crystal K Award to Levan, in recognition of his gift to endow the chair.

“Your commitment to ethical behavior by physicians is really a true commitment to community service, to doing the right thing,” Puliafito said in thanking Levan, the first chairman of the Department of Dermatology.

“We have a special program in medical humanities, and your chair will make it possible for us to recruit a great new leader in this very important area.”

Levan recounted his good fortune in knowing all the deans of the medical school since 1955. “It was a wonderful experience,” he said. “The deans gave me a great deal of freedom to experiment with all kinds of innovations; for example, we had the first courses in medical humanities and the first courses in medical ethics.”

A Trojan alumnus, Levan contributed a major gift creating the USC Norman Levan Institute for Humanities and Ethics in 2007.

Levan originally enrolled as an English major at USC. After earning his M.D., he served in the Army Medical Corps before opening a private practice and returning to the university as a voluntary member of the medical faculty. From 1961-81 he chaired USC’s Department of Dermatology.

The 50-Year Fellows Luncheon in the Harry and Celesta Pappas Quad welcomed medical school alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago, along with faculty members who taught them.

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AWARENESS

Students thank Walker Trust for scholarships By Imelda Valenzuela Some $300,000 in scholarships awarded to 30 Keck School of Medicine of USC students from the George and Zelda Walker Trust were celebrated at a reception at the Edmondson Faculty Center on Sept. 29.

The students received the scholarships in $10,000 increments from the trust.

George and Zelda Walker attended USC in the early 1930s, married and lived in Pasadena. George Walker, who passed away in 1975, had a successful career in the insurance business and, as an insurance provider for the California Hospital Association, became closely involved with the health care industry. Through this involvement, he and Zelda (who died in 2004) decided to dedicate a portion of their trust to the Keck School.

“I stand here mostly to express my sincere gratitude on behalf of the entire Keck School family for the generosity and the visionary gift that the Walker Trust has been able to provide,” said Henri Ford, M.D., vice dean for medical education at the Keck School and chief of surgery, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, at the event.

“There’s no need to tell you how expensive it is to put a student through medical school, so whatever we can do to help and lower the debt burden for our students is extremely important to us,” Ford said.

Ford said that scholarships allow the Keck School to be competitive among other medical schools and provide the school with the ability to better recruit and attract “the very best and most talented students.”

“This $300,000 allows us to grant scholarships to these talented students, who will become great physicians and carry on the Keck legacy,” he said.

Keck student Crystal Ives has received $30,000 in three years from the Walker Trust.

“This has been the biggest scholarship that I’ve received my whole time at USC − it’s almost a full year of tuition,” said Ives, who is in the Dean’s Research Fifth-Year Scholars Program, created by Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A. “It’s been phenomenal for me and my husband because he’s also at USC studying pharmacy, and we’re sort of a double debt family.

[Because of this scholarship,] I feel like I don’t have to.

We’ll be able to pay back our debt and we’ll be ok.”

To make a donation to support scholarships, visit www.usc.edu/supportkeck, or contact keckdev@usc.edu or 323-442-1084.

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KECK MEDICINE | Winter 2011 Issue

By Leslie Ridgeway

D oes pin k c l ash with cardi na l and go l d ?

Layla Kiffin, far left, on the Coliseum field with USC Norris Cancer Hospital survivors, in pink, and physicians, in cardinal and gold, watching the promotional video shown during halftime to applause from the Trojan faithful. With Kiffin are, from left, Mary Yamashita, M.D., Georgia McCreery, Heather MacDonald, M.D., Jennifer Feikin, Agustin Garcia, M.D., Ami Evidente, Dennis Holmes, M.D., Kaprisha Vallecillo, Pulin Sheth, M.D., and Jennifer Mok.

Not during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Trojan Family wore all three colors proudly to promote breast cancer awareness at the Oct. 2 USC-Washington football game.

Hundreds of football fans stopped by The Doctors of USC booth at the front of the Coliseum to talk to breast cancer experts Agustin Garcia, M.D., Linda Hovanessian Larsen, M.D., Dennis Holmes, M.D., and Pulin Sheth, M.D., about breast cancer screening. Visitors picked up 650 pink and white tote bags, as well as hand sanitizers, educational materials and embroidered pink ribbon stickers from the physicians and several breast cancer survivors who volunteered at the booth.

The ribbon stickers were seen everywhere around the Coliseum, including on the bridle of USC mascot Traveler.

At the USC Bookstore and bookstore tents outside the Coliseum, specially designed pink T-shirts featuring the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital logo and the words, “For a breast cancer cure. Fight on.” were flying off the shelves. The T-shirts were sold as part of a collaborative effort among USC Norris, the USC Trojan Bookstores and USC Athletics. The slogan is part of the USC hospitals marketing campaign launched in Los Angeles in January 2009. A portion of the proceeds from the T-shirt sales benefitted cancer research at USC Norris.

The USC Song Girls and Spirit Leaders wore the pink T-shirts during pre-game festivities, and the USC football coaches’ wives also wore them for the game.

The highlight of the day came at halftime, when an inspirational video was broadcast on the Jumbotron urging the Trojan Family to promote breast cancer awareness. Bringing the video’s message to life, five breast cancer survivors and five USC Norris breast cancer experts, joined by Layla Kiffin, wife of USC Trojans head football Coach Lane Kiffin, marched onto the field to loud applause from the stands.

“We are thrilled with the response − thousands of Trojans wearing pink ribbons and buying our breast cancer awareness T-shirts,” said Jane Brust, associate senior vice president for Health Sciences Public Relations and Marketing, whose office spearheaded the campaign. “We appreciate the great collaboration with the USC Bookstores, USC Athletics and our USC Alumni Association. This is an exciting way to promote breast cancer awareness, raise money for research, and extend the USC Norris brand throughout the Trojan Family. One of our survivors who appeared on the field told us it was fun to be at the football game, wonderful to feel the support from the stands, and great to be alive. She is the reason we are doing this campaign.”

Also during October, everyone who had a mammogram at USC Norris Cancer Hospital received a free pink T-shirt. To schedule a mammogram at USC Norris, call (323) 865-3105.

Donations can be made online at www.uscnorris.com/breastcancer. For more information about breast cancer care at USC, visit www.uschospitals.com/breastcancer; for patient appointments, call 323-865-3105.

Photo by Sara Reeve (left); Photo by Brook Photography (right)

Eli Dubrow, trustee representing the George and Zelda Walker Trust, talks with Neda Roosta, one of 30 Keck School of Medicine students to receive scholarships from the trust.

USC football fans ‘Fight On’ for breast cancer

Keck in the News In a HealthDay News story, MSN quoted Stephen Sener about analyzing the genetic makeup of breast cancer tumors. The Los Angeles Times and La Opinion quoted him about the value of mammography screening in detecting breast cancer.

The Wall Street Journal quoted Anne Peters about prescribing less-expensive insulin for some of her patients who are unable to afford higher-priced versions.

Oprah.com interviewed LaShonda Spencer about how women can empower themselves against contracting HIV. Spencer also spoke about what people need to know about HIV.

Photos this page: Don Milici

Photos by Don Milici

Popular Mechanics featured research by Mark Humayun and James Weiland, which won the magazine’s 2010 Breakthrough Award. The faculty members helped to develop the Argus II retinal implant to help the blind see again. Ivanhoe Newswire and Science Channel also featured the invention.

CNBC published a story on research

by Fatih Uckun that has discovered a new way to overcome radiation resistance in a type of leukemia that affects children and adolescents. The story was also covered by Reuters, eScience News and Science Daily.

New Vision (Uganda) reported that Jonathan Samet was part of a group of USC experts who traveled to Uganda to promote sports fitness as a way of fighting disease. In an Associated Press (AP) story, the Washington Post quoted Samet on how the federal government Samet should deal

with veterans’ benefits as they relate to health problems. Newsweek, Science News, AOL News and CBC News (Canada) quoted Samet about Interphone, a study organized by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer to research the health effects of cell phones.

Saxena United Press International (UPI) featured research by Keck School student Tanmai Saxena, who found that women who reported using estrogen hormone replacement therapy for 15 years or more had a 19 percent greater risk of breast cancer compared with women who never used hormone therapy.

Medscape, Medical News Today, Bloomberg Businessweek, HealthDay News, CBS News, Scripps Howard News Service, Asian News International, The Money Times (India), WebMD and CNN covered the story.

Every week the news media cover stories from the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Here is a sampling of coverage. For complete listings see www.usc.edu/uscnews/usc_in_the_news/.

exposure was associated with an increased risk of the disease.

La Opinion featured Lilyana Amezcua and research on multiple sclerosis in minority communities.

WebMD featured research by Simon Gayther and colleagues which found that the same genetic region plays a role in both breast cancer and ovarian cancer. MSNBC.com and Asian News International also featured the research.

Los Angeles Times reported that Dean Carmen A. Puliafito has been named to the board of trustees of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, and that USC President C. L. Max Nikias has been named to the board of councilors.

Nature featured Qi-Long Ying and colleagues, who successfully created the first “knockout” rats – animals that are genetically modified to lack one or more genes – through embryonic stem cell-based gene targeting.

ScienceNews and The Scientist also covered the discovery.

ABC News quoted Jeffrey Victoroff about the psychological factors behind violent acts committed by soldiers.

BBC World Service interviewed Leslie Saxon about the new Center for Body Computing at the Keck School of Medicine. Fast Company, AOL Tech, MobiHealth News, AP and BBC World Service also quoted Saxon about body computing, and The Huffington Post ran an op-ed by Saxon on the importance of technological innovation in medicine.

Psychology Today reported on a study by Thomas Mack of twin pairs discordant for multiple sclerosis. The study showed that childhood sun

Cannon U.S. News & World Report featured research by Paula Cannon which created HIV-resistant cells that could one day allow patients to control and even suppress the infection without the use of harsh anti-retroviral drugs. Thaindian News (Thailand), Indo-Asian News Service (India), UPI, MedPage Today, Agence France-Presse, Technology Review, Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio KPCC-FM and San Diego affiliate KPBS-FM also featured the research.

keck.usc.edu

KECK MEDICINE

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Where can you find The Doctors of USC? 1-800-USC-CARE

New location now open in La Cañada, coming soon to Beverly Hills THE D O C T O R S O F U S C B EVER LY H I L L S

THE D O C T O R S O F USC LA CAÑADA

THE D O C T O R S O F U S C D O W NT O W N

D O HEN Y E Y E I N S T I T U TE

9033 Wilshire Blvd.

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

1751 Foothill Blvd., Suite 3 La Canada, CA 91011

333 South Hope Street, Suite C-145 Los Angeles, CA 90071

1450 San Pablo Street Los Angeles, CA 90033

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The Doctors of USC Beverly Hills location soon will be home to the USC Doheny Eye Center, offering comprehensive ophthalmology care, and the USC Norris Westside Cancer Center, offering expert care in diagnosis and treatment.

Advanced care is offered through cutting-edge therapies and clinical trials, as well as continuing medical education for community physicians.

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The Doctors of USC now offer their world-class care to the local community of La Cañada Flintridge through the Doctors of USC La Cañada satellite location. Primary care services include internal medicine. The office is conveniently located on Foothill Boulevard near the end of the 2 freeway.

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The Doctors of USC Downtown offers general and specialty medical care for people who live or work in the downtown Los Angeles area. Services include internal medicine, women’s health, gerontology, dermatology and imaging.

The center features an Executive Health Program with comprehensive, highly personalized disease detection and prevention exams. It also houses the USC Faculty/Staff Health Center.

HE A LTH C A RE C O N S U LT A T I O N C ENTER S I & I I

1510 San Pablo Street (HCC I) & 1520 San Pablo Street (HCC II) Los Angeles, CA 90033 5

The Doheny Eye Institute is recognized as a world leader in basic and clinical vision research and advanced patient care. Faculty physicians from the Keck School of Medicine of USC provide outpatient services for a variety of vision-related conditions.

Additional locations include: Arcadia, (626) 446-2122 Beverly Hills, (310) 601-3366 Fountain Valley, (714) 628-2966 Pasadena, (626) 395- 0778 Rancho Mirage, (760) 325-2069 Riverside, (951) 788-1231

Private practice offices for many USC faculty physicians are located at Healthcare Consultation Centers (HCC) I & II adjacent to USC University Hospital. These facilities give patients easy access to family medicine, gynecology, urology, orthopaedics, psychiatry, cardiothoracic surgery, head and neck surgery, otolaryngology, and neurology and neurosurgery. HCC I features an outpatient pharmacy. HCC II features the CardioVascular Thoracic Institute and diagnostic imaging, including MRI, PET and CT.

U S C U N I VER S I T Y H O S P I TA L

LAC+USC ME D I C A L C ENTER

1500 San Pablo Street Los Angeles, CA 90033

1200 North State Street Los Angeles, CA 90033

U S C N O RR I S C O M P REHEN S I VE C A N C ER C ENTER A N D H O S P I TA L

C H I L D REN ’ S H O S P I TA L LOS ANGELES

4650 Sunset Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90027

1441 Eastlake Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90033 6

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USC University Hospital is a private, 411-bed referral, teaching and research hospital staffed by faculty of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. The hospital offers some of the most sophisticated services available, including neurointerventional radiology, interventional cardiology and the da Vinci robot. Surgical specialties include organ transplantation and neurosurgery, as well as cardiothoracic, esophageal, orthopaedic, and plastic and reconstructive surgeries.

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A partner of the Keck School of Medicine of USC since 1885, LAC+USC Medical Center is among the largest teaching hospitals in the country. Staffed by faculty of the Keck School of Medicine of USC and more than 1,000 medical residents and students, LAC+USC serves 39,000 inpatients and 1 million outpatients annually. Among its specialized facilities are a state-of-the-art burn center, neonatal intensive care unit, trauma service and HIV/AIDS outpatient center.

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USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of only 40 centers in the United States designated as “comprehensive” by the National Cancer Institute. USC Norris clinical researchers are leaders in the development of novel therapies for the disease. The USC Norris Cancer Hospital offers advanced treatments in an intimate setting.

Photo of Senagore by Philip Channing

Photos 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 by Jon Nalick; 6 and 8 by Pat Davison; 9 courtesy of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

The Doctors of USC are among the nation’s leaders in innovative clinical care, research and education of future physicians. They are more than 500 physicians who are faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. The Doctors of USC provide care in a wide range of medical specialties from the most complex diagnoses and treatments to primary care for the entire family. The Doctors of USC practice in numerous locations throughout Los Angeles and Southern California, including the locations featured below.

To learn more, or to make an appointment, call The Doctors of USC at 1-800-USC-CARE.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is a 317-bed nonprofit hospital serving patients from newborn to age 18. Staffed by faculty of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Children’s Hospital has become a pioneer in family-centered care and is ranked among the top 10 pediatric facilities in the nation. The research program has made significant contributions to children’s health care worldwide.

Anthony Senagore, M.D., chief of the Division of Colorectal Surgery, Keck School of Medicine

Spotlight 1. Keck School graduate Michele Kovacs lets out a cheer after the school’s commencement ceremony.

2. Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., dances with characters from the movie “Despicable Me,” who were at Nevin Elementary School for the launch of The Teaching Garden.

The Keck School pledged its support to The Teaching Garden, a Los Angeles-based project organized by Kelly Meyer to teach schoolchildren about nutrition and physical fitness. Meyer is a founder of the Women’s Cancer Research Fund.

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3. Tavis Dickerson-Young receives his white coat from Henri Ford, M.D., vice dean for medical education, during the Keck School’s annual White Coat Ceremony on Harry and Celesta Pappas Quad.

4. Returning Keck School students Lon Manson, left, and Sara Safadi enjoy the games at the Dean’s reception for returning students.

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Continuing Medical Education Heart Failure 2011 DATE: January 29, 2011 LOCATION: Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles, CA FEES: To be determined CREDITS: To be determined Pulmonary Updates 2011 DATE: February 12, 2011 LOCATION: Marriott Downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA FEES: To be determined CREDITS: AMA PRA Category 1 - 6 Perinatal Medicine DATES: February 18-24, 2011 LOCATION: Hyatt Regency Mau, Kaanapali Beach, Maui, HI FEES: $745 – M.D., D.O.; $645 – R.N. CREDITS: AMA PRA Category 1 - 20 39th Annual Diagnostic and Therapeutic Skills in Internal Medicine DATES: March 7-11, 2011

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KECK MEDICINE | Winter 2008 Issue 2011 Issue

Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, Kohala Coast, HI $745 CREDITS: AMA PRA Category 1 – 28 LOCATION: FEES:

Innovations in Medical Education DATES: March 12-13, 2011 LOCATION: Hilton Pasadena Hotel, Pasadena, CA FEES: $295 CREDITS: To be determined 21st Annual National Interdisciplinary Breast Center Conference DATES: March 12-16, 2011 LOCATION: Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, NV FEES: To be determined CREDITS: AMA PRA Category 1 – 40 Van Der Meulen Neuroscience Seminar DATE: March 26, 2011 LOCATION: Mayer Auditorium, USC Health Sciences Campus, Los Angeles, CA FEES: $50 CREDITS: AMA PRA Category 1 – 5.75

18th Annual USC Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care Symposium DATES: May 12-13, 2011 LOCATION: Langham Huntington Hotel, Pasadena, CA FEES: To be determined CREDITS: To be determined 54th Annual USC Refresher Course in Medicine DATES: August 1-5, 2011 LOCATION: Hyatt Regency Maui, Kaanapali Beach, Maui, HI FEES: $795 – M.D., D.O.; $625 – R.N. CREDITS: AMA PRA Category 1 – 28 Contact the USC Continuing Medical Education Office at: TELEPHONE: 323-442-2555 or 800-USC-1119 E-MAIL: usccme@usc.edu REGISTER: www.peopleware.net/0128

Photo 1 & 4 by ©Brook Photography; Photo 2 by Jon Nalick; Photo 3 by Ryan Ball

Joyous events mark the life of the expanding USC academic medical center.

My legacy is... medical scholarships medical research innovative medical technology Help shape the future of medicine. With your gift to The USC Medical Legacy Circle, you join a society of visionary philanthropists committed to ensuring the ongoing strength of the Keck School of Medicine of USC while enjoying a broad range of benefits. By including us in your charitable gift planning, you support world-class medical scholarships, groundbreaking scientific research and innovative medical technology — and you build a lasting legacy with the power to save lives.

To learn more about The USC Medical Legacy Circle, please contact the Keck School of Medicine Development Office at 323-442-2358

What will your legacy be?

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See the doctors they see.

The Doctors of USC. 1-800-USC-CARE doctorsofusc.com

Locations in Los Angeles and La Ca単ada, coming soon to Beverly Hills. Affiliated with the USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, among other hospitals in the Los Angeles area.