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4 USC researchers named AAAS fellows
Carolyn C. Meltzer, Massoud Pedram, Remo Rohs and Richard M. Watanabe join more than 40 USC faculty as fellows of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Black History Month at USC offers opportunities to celebrate and educate
This year’s theme is “Reclamation Through Resistance, Rebirth Through Reconciliation.”
Allison Brightman uses her USC law degree at CBS Studios
“I love strategizing,” says CBS Studios’ executive VP and co-head of business affairs.
New USC/Children’s Hospital Los Angeles lab to accelerate next-gen cell therapy
The joint laboratory on the USC Health Sciences Campus is designed to advance early-stage research into lifesaving, commercially viable therapies.
Americans don’t know what’s a healthy blood pressure — and that’s a problem
People say they know what their blood pressure is — but two-thirds of adults don’t know the upper thresholds for normal or healthy blood pressure, according to a new USC study.
Brand New Theatre puts original student productions on the stage
The independent student production company, which connects Trojans from different majors and schools, has been producing original works since 1996.
Kevin Feige, producer and president of Marvel Studios, named USC’s 2023 commencement speaker
The USC alumnus — the creative force behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe — earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination in 2019 for producing Black Panther, the first superhero film
Social work researchers examine the health impacts of U.S. immigration policy
Deporting immigrants to countries where they never lived is causing mental and physical health disparities for individuals and families.
Jason King named dean of USC Thornton School of Music
The multihyphenate musician and scholar comes to USC from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
USC trailblazer Tracy Poon Tambascia is no stranger to being a ‘first’
TITLE IX: The USC Rossier professor — the first woman of color to lead the university’s Academic Senate — mulls the impact of the groundbreaking legislation that prohibited
USC student curators and designer bring ‘MLK in Los Angeles’ exhibit to life
The exhibit at the USC Fisher Museum of Art spotlights civil rights leader’s words, while historic images, audio and video recordings chronicle his visits to L.A. and USC.
After screening of ‘MLK/FBI,’ filmmaker and audience consider how surveillance of King affected his legacy
“They found stuff they thought would help to destroy his career,” says the film’s director, Sam Pollard, during USC visit. “But it didn’t.”
Trojan helps musicians with autism showcase their talents
Ifunanya Nweke launched Jazz Hands for Autism, which has provided music training, vocational development and job placement for more than 150 musicians with autism.
Gas stoves ignite a heated climate and health policy debate
Who could have predicted that gas stoves would be the latest hot topic to ignite the nation’s culture wars?
Gibney Company’s L.A. debut has 2 Trojans at center stage
USC Kaufman alums Jordan Powell and Jake Tribus are the newest member of the dance group, which performs at Bovard Auditorium on Friday.
Exactly how many senses do we really have?
If we think of our senses as limited to only five, we might be missing out.
USC Libraries name finalists for 35th annual Scripter Awards
The award honors the year’s most accomplished film and episodic series adaptations, as well as the works on which they are based.
Researchers find music education benefits youth wellbeing
Results highlight areas for state legislators and school leaders to consider as they expand music education programs across California.
USC study reveals the key reason why fake news spreads on social media
The USC-led study of more than 2,400 Facebook users suggests that platforms — more than individual users — have a larger role to play in stopping the spread of misinformation online.
Discoveries help bone marrow transplant recipients
Scientists from the USC Stem Cell laboratory of Rong Lu share new discoveries about the influence of multipotent progenitor cells (MPPs) that are co-transplanted along with stem cells during bone
Graphic novel puts prescription opioid addiction in the spotlight
Jackie’s Pain — the 11th book in a popular health literacy series created by USC Mann faculty member Mel Baron and producer Gregory B. Molina — combines health
How to rewind the clock on arthritic cartilage
A key protein, called Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3), might turn back the clock on aging cartilage that leads to osteoarthritis.
How USC-led innovation can solve global challenges
Ishwar Puri, USC senior vice president for research and innovation, discusses some of the past year’s major accomplishments and what might be in store for 2023 and beyond.
Trojan trailblazer has blended professional dreams with marriage and parenthood
TITLE IX: Willow Bay was a high-profile TV news anchor before becoming USC Annenberg’s first female dean.
USC Annenberg journalism majors honored as Chick Hearn Scholars during Lakers game
Anthony Gharib and Rachel Grode were honored in an on-court ceremony, where members of the Hearn family joined them.
How old is your brain, really? Artificial intelligence knows
AI-powered analysis developed at USC accurately reflects risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease based on brain age.
Tracking the pulse of the nation during a pandemic
The Understanding America Study, created and managed by USC Dornsife’s Center for Economic and Social Research, enables researchers to quickly field surveys to the public.
Consumption of fast food linked to liver disease
The risk of liver damage is highest for people who are obese or have diabetes, a Keck School of Medicine of USC study found.
MLK/FBI screening is centerpiece of USC’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration
Other highlights include the Trojan Marching Band and Cardinal Divas participating in the Kingdom Day Parade and an exhibit at the USC Fisher Museum of Art.
Study shows how liver cancer hijacks circadian clock machinery inside cells
Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC are now one step closer to understanding how to halt the spread of the deadly disease in the body.
USC Viterbi’s Azad Madni receives National Academy of Engineering’s Gordon Prize
This is the second year in a row that a Trojan has received the top award in engineering education.
Study suggests a solution to the opioid epidemic: Tell doctors their patients fatally overdosed
The USC team’s study showed that an informational letter from the county medical examiner reduced the number of opioid prescriptions clinicians wrote.
Study challenges previous ideas regarding Alzheimer’s disease
The buildup of a protein called amyloid beta in the brain, often thought to be connected to Alzheimer’s, may instead be a general change that occurs with age even in healthy brains,
Making smarter stoplights to get traffic moving
Gridlock warrior Ketan Savla is designing computational solutions to improve the flow of traffic in congested cities. Learn how his work soon could shorten your commute.
7 USC Rossier faculty members among Education Week top public influencers
Dean Pedro Noguera and Professor Shaun Harper are in the top 10 in the RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings for 2023.
The power of scent: Turns out, the nose knows quite a lot
From aiding romance to communicating with God, scent has long been attributed near mystical abilities.
How will the House speakership battle come to an end?
USC Price’s Jeffrey A. Jenkins, who literally wrote the book on contested speakership elections, breaks down the ongoing political battle.
What do good investing and saving the world’s dying coral reefs have in common? Diversification
Scientists aiming to save failing reefs by transplanting healthy coral reveal that success lies with genetic diversity — and not a single, coveted “super coral.”
3% of kids have elevated sensory issues that seem to worsen through early childhood
The USC-led study demonstrates the strong association between children’s early sensory trajectories and later sensory challenges impacting their development.
Cross-disciplinary approach seeks to revolutionize addiction treatment
A curriculum partnership among USC’s pharmacy, social work and medical schools drives the new Master of Addiction Science program. It’s the first of its kind at a major university.
The year the floods came to Southern California
In 1861-62, a series of deadly winter storms caused widespread devastation and flooding in the West — and it could happen again. Learn why in this piece that first published in 2020.
Putting mental health, inequities of care atop the state’s health care ‘to-do’ list
Diana Ramos, California surgeon general, is a proud double Trojan. She shares her goals in the statewide role.
Dramatic change from pandemic brought on extra stress for moms
A large-scale study of mothers shows those who experienced sweeping changes to their daily lives were particularly susceptible to experiencing symptoms of traumatic stress specific to the pandemic.
Creating space for equity in academia
An award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funds continued efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of
Juggling performing with teaching: Lessons from a balancing actor
Natsuko Ohama of the USC School of Dramatic Arts discusses balancing teaching and performing, maintaining a healthy voice as an actor — and receiving certain letters from a famous
Keck Medicine of USC launches Gender-Affirming Care Program
The program provides a full range of gender-affirming health care services for transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse adult patients in a safe and supportive environment.
Scholarships change lives in USC’s stem cell master’s program
Meet five students for whom scholarships are providing an education in USC’s one-of-a-kind master’s program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.
Military spouse aims to improve community health with online master’s degree
For Kristin Reichardt, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical need for experienced, passionate and knowledgeable public health professionals.
Cochlear Implant Music Hour strikes a chord
USC program — supported by the university’s Good Neighbors Campaign — connects implant recipients with musicians to recapture and rediscover the feelings one gets from listening
Homelessness linked to higher risk of death from COVID in L.A. County, study shows
In Los Angeles County, 256 homeless people died of COVID-related causes in a 22-month period — a rate more than twice that seen in the general population.
How USC Thornton trains the next generation of music teachers
As the music school unveils a new master’s degree in popular music teaching and learning, graduates who are already teaching are adapting to the growing demand for music instruction beyond
A viral ‘triple-demic’ of COVID, 2 other viruses hits hard
“COVID has proven to be the costliest disaster in U.S. history,” says one USC expert on the economic impact of disasters. Now the fast-spreading virus is intersecting with a rise in
Uncovering the secrets of the ‘SuperAgers’
A new effort from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology aims to glean life lessons from people who are redefining what old age looks like.
Greener Gases
Keck Medicine of USC is curbing the environmental impacts of anesthesia in operating rooms — and saving money
Debbie Allen, USC alums share lessons on moving from acting to directing
Professor Kate Burton notes that Allen is one of the only directors she’s worked with who pays attention to each of the extras in a scene, knowing that they are valuable contributors to the
New research focuses on cells’ building blocks, aging and stress
Foundation grants support newly published research at the intersection of stress responses, aging and cellular structure and function.
USC works with Polaris Dawn to study in-flight space medicine
Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC have designed a study, to be conducted during the upcoming space mission, that tests a new way to collect X-rays in outer space.
USC Viterbi team develops ‘heart attack on a chip’
Associate Professor Megan McCain and postdoc Megan Rexius-Hall’s creation could one day serve as a testbed for personalized heart drugs.
The potentially adverse impact of Twitter 2.0 on scientific and research communication
For researchers who use Twitter as a primary source of data, recent changes to the platform and the exit of many users altogether could be debilitating.
Can tech billionaires make prescription drugs more affordable?
Another big industry is being targeted for disruption. USC experts discuss the significance of Mark Cuban and Jeff Bezos launching online pharmacies as Americans pay high costs for prescription drugs.
USC Marshall student launches a digital game to change the world
Larissa Gurjão Pereira De Lima’s game teaches teams to tackle the most difficult problems facing organizations, governments and countries across the globe.
For costume design expert Ann Closs-Farley, performance has always been a family affair
“I’m No. 9 nine of 14 kids, so I’ve been making my own clothes my whole life,” says the assistant professor of costume design. “I feel in a way that I’m doing
USC receives $10.5 million to develop cutting edge machine learning approaches in cancer research
The Research Program Project Grant will enable researchers to develop statistical methods aimed at uncovering new risk-factors associated with cancer by drawing upon datasets of several cancer studies.
Trojan’s new hit app Instafest brings music fans together
USC Viterbi student Anshay Saboo shows users the concert festival lineup of their dreams.
Report updates USC’s Culture Journey, an ongoing examination of the university’s values
Tens of thousands of Trojans have taken part in the continuing effort.
USC Norris Cancer Hospital earns top teaching hospital award for 2nd year in a row
The Leapfrog Top Teaching Hospital national designation recognizes the institution for outstanding quality and safety.
It takes two: Research synergy links L.A. biomedical pillars
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Keck School of Medicine of USC team up on dozens of important research programs.
5 things to know about the cost of insulin
More than 9.3 million Americans take insulin; it’s a lifesaver for millions of people. And yet, the drug’s list price more than doubled between 2012 and 2019.
Unlocking the potential of monoclonal antibodies
Lab-made antibodies are increasingly important in the fight against Alzheimer’s, COVID and other diseases
National survey sheds light on dimensions of teen mental health concerns
Researchers at USC’s Center for Economic and Social Research documented worsening mental health since 2013 among both boys and girls.