Focus on Urban Health - Keck School of Medicine of USC ...

Message from the DeanPhoto by Don MiliciCarmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A.DeanKeck School of Medicine of USCFriends and patients tell some of the best storiesof the Keck School of Medicine of USC.Friends like Eli and Edythe Broad, whose faith in our groundbreaking stem cellresearch has made possible a wonderful new building that encourages scientificfriends and colleagues to collaborate.Our story about the beautiful new $80 million Eli and Edythe Broad CIRMCenter for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC gives you insightinto what makes the building special and how the research conducted there willhelp save lives. The first new building to open on the USC Health Sciences Campussince the Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower in 2007, the stem cell center isthe result of a partnership between private philanthropists and the public CaliforniaInstitute for Regenerative Medicine.Patients like those in our cover story, who are suffering the ills of the urbanenvironment. And patients like the businesswoman with liver cancer who said, “Ihave three little boys, and they need their mommy.” Our patients challenge us tofind the origins of diseases and better ways to treat diseases or prevent them in thefirst place.Expediting new therapies from research concept through the lab, to the patientis the goal of the prestigious $56.8 million award described in our cover story. It exploresa huge coup for the Keck School and USC – the first Clinical and TranslationalScience 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 fundraisingevents in the history of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Morethan $1 million raised by the event will go to Norris and the new USC Center forMolecular Pathways and Drug Discovery.USC Trustee Ming Hsieh expressed friendship and faith in USC when heannounced a gift of $50 million at the inauguration of USC’s new president, C. L. MaxNikias. The gift will establish a new Institute for Research on Engineering-Medicinefor Cancer, in which the Keck School and the USC Viterbi School of Engineeringwill collaborate.Molecular medicine and physical science will contribute to new cancer therapeuticsunder the direction of Dr. David Agus, with the support of a $24 million gift frommedia executive Sumner Redstone. A patient of Dr. Agus, Mr. Redstone said, “It isa 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 thepast nine years to chair our Board of Overseers.We also celebrate another friend – John E. Bryson, whom we welcome as thenew chair of the Keck School of Medicine Board of Overseers. Mr. Bryson is aformer chairman and CEO of Edison International, the parent company of SouthernCalifornia Edison.We treasure your friendship, as well, and as always, I welcome your input and support.keck.usc.edu KECK MEDICINE 3