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$50,000 gift toward
Wasserman Foundation gives $250,000 for
otolaryngology research By Amy E. Hamaker
Thanks to a recent $250,000 gift from the Wasserman Foundation, the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Department of Otolaryngology -Head & Neck Surgery has new resources for research into chronic sinusitis, a condition in which the sinuses become inflamed for more than 12 weeks. More than 29.8 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The gift will help support the research of Dale Rice, M.D., professor and former chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at the Keck School, as he and his team try to discover the role that biofilm plays in chronic sinusitis. Biofilm is a collection of microbes that form a distinct, strong pattern. Bacteria in biofilm can be up to 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics than bacteria outside of a biofilm structure. The CDC estimates that more than 65 percent of infections in hospitals are caused by biofilm.
Photo by Jon Nalick (top); Photo by Katie Byrnes (bottom)
“Our team is focusing on finding better ways of recognizing when biofilm is present,” said Rice, who also holds the Leon J. Tiber and David S. Alpert Chair in Medicine. “In addition, we’re starting a new study to find a way to more effectively attack biofilm than the methods that are currently available. This gift will be a much-needed boon for this research.” Rica Orszag, executive director of the Wasserman Foundation, said, “Part of the Wasserman Foundation’s mission is to partner with organizations that provide high-quality health care. Dr. Rice’s research at USC has the potential to greatly help those who suffer from chronic rhinosinusitis, and we are happy to support him in his work.” The Wasserman Foundation was created by the late Lew and Edie Wasserman in 1952 as a vehicle for their intense dedication to charitable giving. Although widely recognized for their prominence in Hollywood, the couple quietly became community leaders through their awareness and generosity to countless cultural, health and social issues and organizations across the country.
Keck Parents Association scholarship endowment By Amy E. Hamaker
Service to the school where he received his start has been a way of life for George Stoneman, M.D., an associate clinical professor for the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Recently, that service took the form of a $50,000 pledge to support the full endowment of the Keck School Parents Association Endowed Scholarship Fund. Stoneman has been a tireless worker as an alumnus of the Keck School, including the founding of the Parents Association, despite having a busy private practice. Most recently, he was recognized with a 2011 Volunteer Recognition Award for his loyalty, support and dedication to USC. “The goal for our own scholarship fund was to make it fully endowed at the $100,000 level,” said Stoneman, who received his M.D. in 1965 and performed his residency in otolaryngology at the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center. Then Stoneman had a fortuitous meeting with his friend and Stanford fraternity brother Rafael Mendez, M.D., a recipient of scholarship support while receiving his own education.
George Stoneman
the scholarship fund and our goal,” recalled Stoneman. “Afterward, he just said, ‘Then, I’ll help you.’ I told him I’d match whatever he decided to give.” Thanks to that meeting, Mendez made a donation; Stoneman matched the donation and added to it to fully endow the fund. Mendez, who recently retired as a professor of urology at the Keck School, has participated in or performed more than 5,000 kidney transplants since 1970. In 1984, in affiliation with the Keck School and the Daughters of Charity Health System, Mendez and his twin brother, Robert Mendez, M.D., formed the Los Angeles Transplant Institute, now known as the Mendez National Institute of Transplantation.
“We were out together with our wives one night, and I talked about
Welcome to alums Nearly 40 members of the USC Alumni Club of San Gabriel Valley gathered at Keck Medical Center of USC Pasadena for an open house and tour of the examination and procedure rooms, refreshments and to mingle with the doctors who practice there. From left are Brian Prestwich, M.D., clinical assistant professor of family medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC; Indira Rollins, director of the Keck Medical Center of USC Pasadena; and Lizelle Brandt, president of the USC Alumni Club of San Gabriel Valley.
Advancing Keck Medicine 5A