Focus on Urban Health - Keck School of Medicine of USC ...
Focus on Urban Health - Keck School of Medicine of USC ...
Focus on Urban Health - Keck School of Medicine of USC ...
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D E V E L O P M E N T•C R E AT I V E C O L L A B O R AT I O NMing Hsieh d<strong>on</strong>ates $50 milli<strong>on</strong>to establish research institute <strong>on</strong>engineering-medicine for cancer<strong>USC</strong> Trustee Ming Hsieh announces a$50 milli<strong>on</strong> gift establishing the <strong>USC</strong>Ming Hsieh Institute for Research <strong>on</strong>Engineering-<strong>Medicine</strong> for Cancer.Mini Medical <strong>School</strong>set for March 24The <strong>Keck</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong><strong>Medicine</strong> ParentsAssociati<strong>on</strong> will hostthe sec<strong>on</strong>d MiniMedical <strong>School</strong> <strong>on</strong>Thursday, March 24,from 1-5 p.m. inMayer Auditorium.The half-day eventwill include a recepti<strong>on</strong>with light refreshments,faculty presentati<strong>on</strong>sand a tour <strong>of</strong>the <strong>Health</strong> SciencesCampus plus LAC+<strong>USC</strong>Medical Center.Watch for details orc<strong>on</strong>tact the <strong>Keck</strong> Office<strong>of</strong> Alumni Relati<strong>on</strong>s,626-457-4076,crwagner@usc.edu.26 KECK MEDICINE | Winter 2011 Issue<strong>USC</strong> Trustee and alumnus Ming Hsieh announceda substantial gift at the Oct. 15 inaugural cerem<strong>on</strong>yfor <strong>USC</strong> President C. L. Max Nikias, Ph.D., <strong>on</strong> theUniversity Park Campus.“On this day <strong>of</strong> celebrati<strong>on</strong>,” Hsieh said, “I announcemy support <strong>of</strong> <strong>USC</strong> and the leadership <strong>of</strong>President Nikias with a gift <strong>of</strong> $50 milli<strong>on</strong> for theincepti<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong> an interdisciplinary research institutethat will bring together the best engineers, scientistsand physicians in the battle against cancer.”The new gift will establish the <strong>USC</strong> Ming HsiehInstitute for Research <strong>on</strong> Engineering-<strong>Medicine</strong>for Cancer. “This institute will accelerate the pace<strong>of</strong> getting the new medicines from the lab to thecancer patients,” Hsieh c<strong>on</strong>tinued. “It will bridgethe disciplines and bridge this campus and the <strong>USC</strong><strong>Health</strong> Sciences Campus.”Expressing thanks for the gift, President Nikiassaid, “This kind <strong>of</strong> creative collaborati<strong>on</strong> is our besthope for dealing with this devastating disease. On apers<strong>on</strong>al level, I am deeply moved that Ming Hsiehchose to make this visi<strong>on</strong>ary gift commitment <strong>on</strong> theday <strong>of</strong> my inaugurati<strong>on</strong>.”<strong>Keck</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>USC</strong> Dean CarmenA. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A., noted that the d<strong>on</strong>ati<strong>on</strong>will help <strong>Keck</strong> and other <strong>USC</strong> researchers in theirquest to translate cancer discoveries into effectivetherapies for patients.“The fight against cancer has gained a powerfulally in Ming Hsieh,” Puliafito said. “This giftillustrates the critical synergy <strong>of</strong> health care andtechnology that has the potential to dramaticallychange the lives <strong>of</strong> cancer patients. We are gratefulfor his visi<strong>on</strong>ary gift.”The gift was Hsieh’s sec<strong>on</strong>d multimilli<strong>on</strong> dollard<strong>on</strong>ati<strong>on</strong> to <strong>USC</strong>. The China-born founder <strong>of</strong>Pasadena-based Cogent Inc. had previously d<strong>on</strong>ated$35 milli<strong>on</strong> to name the electrical engineering departmentin the Viterbi <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> Engineering.Viterbi Dean Yannis Yortsos, Ph.D., said, “Workingwith our colleagues at the <strong>Keck</strong> <strong>School</strong> andelsewhere at <strong>USC</strong>, gifted engineering faculty andstudents working <strong>on</strong> nanotechnology will utilizetheir remarkable talent and expertise to attackcancer and hopefully lead to effective cures. Withthis transformative gift we are positi<strong>on</strong>ed to becomeworld leaders in the field.”The endowment will be used to support researchand development, both at the bench and clinicalscales, in the burge<strong>on</strong>ing field <strong>of</strong> nanomedicine forcancer. A fundamental comp<strong>on</strong>ent <strong>of</strong> research willbe <strong>on</strong> nanoscale delivery platforms. Encapsulatingnanoparticles and other promising applicati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>of</strong>nanotechnology will be pursued. New advances willalso be sought in biomedical imaging that will helpdetermine the delivery and targeting efficiencies <strong>of</strong>these treatments. In parallel, clinical research will bec<strong>on</strong>ducted to assess the efficacy <strong>of</strong> the resulting drugdelivery with in vivo studies.The institute will bridge research from engineeringand medicine. The recently launched programHTE@<strong>USC</strong> (<strong>Health</strong>, Technology and Engineeringat <strong>USC</strong>) between the two schools has already laida str<strong>on</strong>g foundati<strong>on</strong> for such collaborati<strong>on</strong>s and willbe leveraged to augment educati<strong>on</strong>al and trainingopportunities for medical and doctoral students whoparticipate in the institute’s research.“Ming Hsieh is an exemplary trustee and alumnus,”said Edward P. Roski Jr., chairman <strong>of</strong> the <strong>USC</strong>Board <strong>of</strong> Trustees. “His generous gifts c<strong>on</strong>tinueto advance the university and improve the lives <strong>of</strong>people in our community, nati<strong>on</strong> and world.”Ming Hsieh was born and raised in northernChina and worked his way to <strong>USC</strong>, where he earneda Bachelor <strong>of</strong> Science degree in electrical engineeringin 1983 and a Master <strong>of</strong> Science degree inelectrical engineering in 1984. In 1987, he foundedAMAX Technology and in 1990 founded thePasadena-based Cogent Inc., which revoluti<strong>on</strong>izedautomated fingerprint identificati<strong>on</strong>.Photo by J<strong>on</strong> Nalick