Good Neighbors Campaign

VOLUME 14, NUMBER 28 OCTOBER 3, 2008

By Carol Matthieu

On the eve of the 2008 USC GoodNeighbors Campaign, leaders of theKeck School of Medicine called onstaff and faculty to participate morefully in the program and to becomemore active in the University’s outreachefforts to the community.

During a Sept. 29 meeting of cam-paign leaders from the School, JohnCleary, chief of staff, spoke on behalf ofKeck School Dean Carmen A.Puliafito, emphasizing that the pro-grams funded by the Good NeighborsCampaign aid andnurture the samecommunity thatserves as theUniversity’s home.

“We are membersof the community,we aren’t apart fromit, and that’s something the dean real-izes and wants to emphasize across ourcampus,” Cleary said. “Programs fund-ed in pediatrics, ophthalmology, thecampus health fair and all kinds ofthings supported by the GoodNeighbors Campaign are particular tothe health science campus, so our sup-port here is important.”

Cleary said that the Keck School hasthe lowest University-wide participa-tion rate—10 percent—and saidPuliafito has set a goal of 15 percentparticipation for this year’s campaign.

“That’s an incredibly achievable goal.We have a challenge in front of us, andwe appreciate your support in helpingus meet it,” Cleary said.

Carolina Castillo, executive directorof planning and development in theoffice of Civic and CommunityRelations, and Good NeighborsCampaign director, said the Universityencourages participation in the cam-paign and “wants people to becomeactive in our community. This is oneway people can do that to support ourneighborhoods.”

USC Neighborhood Outreach(UNO), the non-profit organizationfunded by the Good NeighborsCampaign, was born from the desire tofocus the University’s philanthropyefforts in the communities surrounding

Paramedics and staff members at the LAC+USC MedicalCenter performed their second simulated move of patients(above and right) to the new LAC+USC Replacement Facility onSept. 24. The drill involved the simultaneous transfer of eightmock patients and was designed to perfect the protocol for theupcoming transfer of as many as 500 actual patients to the newfacility.

Keck School kicks offcampaign with call forgreater participation

See GNC, page 3

Jon

Nal

ick

By Cheryl Bruyninckx

The Doctors of USC has announcedthe creation of the USC Center forOrthopaedic Oncology.

Led by Lawrence Menendez, profes-sor of orthopaedic surgery at the KeckSchool of Medicine and director oforthopaedic oncology at USCUniversity Hospital, the center special-izes in treating musculoskeletal tumors,both malignant and benign.

“The management of patients withmusculoskeletal tumors is complex,”Menendez said. “The only reason I amable to do as many cases as I do here is

because I have such a strong team.”The center brings together a broad

range of subspecialists to offer patientscomprehensive diagnostic and treatmentservices.

In addition to Menendez and hisstaff, the team also represents patholo-gy, medical oncology and radiationoncology.

“What separates us from otherorthopaedic oncology centers is ourinnovative treatment of musculoskeletaltumors,” says Menendez. “We offertechniques that are not available else-where.”

For example, the University ofSouthern California is the only facilityin Los Angeles with a Cyberknife,allowing physicians to performCyberknife Stereotactic Radiosurgeryfor metastatic bone tumors and primarysarcomas.

Additionally, USC physicians are theonly ones on the West Coast develop-ing techniques for the use of surgicalnavigation in orthopaedic oncology.

The center also offers such innovativetreatments as limb salvage procedures,as well as cryoablation of benign and

See ONCOLOGY, page 2

Doctors of USC creates center to focus on orthopaedic surgery

GETTINGREADY TO MOVE

EDITOR’S NOTE: At press time, the LAC+USC Medical

Center Replacement Facility's inpatient move, planned for

Oct. 17-18, had been postponed pending a late-October

inspection. The community open house set for Oct. 4 will

take place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with facility tours and refresh-

ments; the official ribbon-cutting ceremony has been can-

celled due to the postponement of the hospital opening.

Watch for more

about the Good

Neighbors

Campaign in

upcoming issues

of HSC Weekly.

HSC Weekly is published for the faculty, staff, students and community of the Universityof Southern California’s Health Sciences Campus. It is written and produced by theHealth Sciences Public Relations and Marketing staff. Comments, suggestions andstory ideas are welcome via the contact points listed above. Permission to reprint articleswith attribution is freely given.

Assoc. Senior Vice Pres., Health SciencesPublic Relations and Marketing: Jane BrustExecutive Director of Communicationsand Marketing: Ina FriedEditor: Jon Nalick

Senior Vice President, UniversityRelations: Martha HarrisContributors: Eva Blaauw, CherylBruyninckx, Veronica Jauriqui, MeghanLewit, Katie Neith and Sara Reeve

Phone: 323-442-2830 Fax: 323-442-2832 Email: hscwkly@usc.edu Web: uscnews.usc.edu/hscweekly/ Next Issue: October 10

By Katie Neith

A graduate of the Peking UnionMedical School in Beijing, China, RenliQiao, now associate professor of clinicalmedicine at the Keck School ofMedicine, has been helpingimprove medicine in hishomeland for years.

This past August, his serv-ice paid off with an invitationto provide medical support atthe Beijing Olympics.

Qiao’s journey to theGames began in April, whenhe organized a respiratorymedicine and intensive care conferencewith Edward Crandall, HastingsProfessor and Norris Chair of Medicineat Keck, in Beijing and Shanghai. Qiaohas presented an annual series ofContinuing Medical Education lec-tures sponsored by the ChineseMinistry of Health since 2002.

During his recent visit, the ministryasked Qiao to be involved with medicalplanning for the Olympics.

“They were not confident in han-dling all the foreigners,” said Qiao.“The levels of medical knowledge inChina are not standardized like they arein the U.S. They needed help in know-ing how to approach foreign patients.”

Upon returning to the States, Qiaohelped write and edit an 80-pageEnglish and Chinese manual of com-mon medical situations to assistChinese physicians in treating foreign-ers during the Games.

Then, he formulated a step-by-stepadmission plan, with a focus oninformed consent.

“They do not go through the processof informed consent in China,” Qiaoexplained. “I helped to make sure thepatient admissions during the Olympicswould be compatible to the Americansystem.”

Finally, just a few months before theopening day, Qiao was invited to be anofficial part of the Olympics medicalteam.

While he was resistant to take moretime off for travel, Olympic fever gotthe best of him.

“The whole nation of China was likea boiling heat—I couldn’t ignore theexcitement,” said Qiao. “Dr. Crandallworked very hard so that I could takeanother two weeks to be there.”

Once he arrived in Beijing, he was

stationed in the medical station at theOlympic Headquarters. Initially, themost treated affliction was only heatstroke. However, Qiao was involvedwith treating a young foreign reporter

in a case that made nationalmedia both in China and inhis native country. The manpresented with respiratoryfailure, but also had liverfailure—a complication thatthe local medical team couldnot clearly diagnose. Qiaowas called in to treat himand was able to quickly sta-

bilize the patient, who likely came tothe Games sick.

“The Chinese were very apprecia-tive,” said Qiao, who later received cov-eted tickets to several real Olympicevents as a gift.

The Olympics are over, but Qiao’seffort continues. He is hoping to organ-ize a return trip to China for next Apriland would love to have other doctorsjoin him.

“China has become rich, and theyhave the money to buy the best equip-ment. But how it is used, how the hos-pitals are run—that’s where they reallyneed help,” he said.

Keck School professor offers expertiseto China in run-up to Olympic Games

By Meghan Lewit

Christopher Haiman, assistant professor of preventive medicine at the KeckSchool of Medicine of USC, was named one of six national researchers toreceive a grant from the Genes, Environment and Health Initiative of theNational Institutes of Health.

Haiman was awarded $210,000 for a multi-ethnic genome-wide scan ofprostate cancer.

The national grants were awarded for studies aimed at finding genetic fac-tors that influence the risks for stroke, glaucoma, high blood pressure, prostatecancer and other common disorders.

The researchers will use a genome-wide association study to rapidly scanmarkers across the complete sets of DNA, or genomes, of large groups of peo-ple to find genetic variants associated with a particular disease, condition ortrait.

“Prostate cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among men,”Haiman said. “We know that common genetic variation contributes to racialand ethnic differences in prostate cancer risk. The grant funding will gotoward research to identify a more complete spectrum of genetic factors thatcontribute to prostate cancer in the population.”

The work will be carried out by performing a genome-wide associationstudy among multiple populations, he said.

“This initiative will yield valuable information about the biological pathwaysthat lead to health and disease and about how genetic variants, environmentalfactors and behavioral choices interact to influence disease risk,” said NationalHuman Genome Research Institute acting director Alan E. Guttmacher.“Such information is vital to our efforts to develop more personalizedapproaches to health care.”

Funding for the latest round of studies was contributed by the NationalInstitutes of Health’s 27 institutes and centers.

USC researcher awarded $210,000 for genome-wide prostate cancer scan

malignant tumors.Other services provided by

Menendez and his team include com-prehensive management of metastaticbone tumors, complex joint reconstruc-tion and anterior approach muscle spar-ing total hip replacement.

Menendez has been practicing atUSC since 1985 and also brings hisown personal approach to patient care.“I think it’s important to spend a lot oftime with the patient,” says Menendez.“I always dictate my notes and a letterto send to their referring physicianevery time they are in the office, sothere are no ambiguities or misunder-standings.”

For more information or to make anappointment, visitwww.doctorsofusc.com or call 323-442-5830.

ONCOLOGY: Doctorsof USC launchesnew centerContinued from page 1

EMERGENCY MEDICINE SYMPOSIUM—The Keck School of Medicine hosted doctors and medical stu-dents from around California on Sept. 6 for the first Emergency Medicine Symposium and ResidencyFair. The event, which included lectures, career and residency fairs, and procedural workshops, wasdesigned to bring together medical professionals and medical students to disseminate informationabout about the specialty of emergency medicine. Above, Stephen Docherty (far left), assistant profes-sor of clinical emergency medicine, demonstrates airway management to symposium participants.

Renli Qiao

Audrey Little has been recruited toThe Doctors of USC asvice president of rev-enue cycle operations.

This is a new positionresponsible for theinformation systemsand billing departmentsfor The Doctors ofUSC.

Little began her career in informa-tion systems and has been working inhealth care for 23 years. Little brings awealth of experience to USC, includ-ing project management, informationsystems hardware, and physicianbilling services. Prior to her employ-ment at USC, she ran Cedars-Sinai’sphysician billing services. Little alsoworked as a senior consultant forPartners in Healthcare Management,specializing in information system andrevenue cycle turn-around situations.She also worked as a director forGeneral Electric (formerly IDX).

In her current position, one ofLittle’s first tasks is to lead the rein-stall of the GE (formerly IDX)Centricity Business System, which is a

practice management system for allclinical departments of The Doctorsof USC. The reinstallation also willinclude standardizing processesthroughout the revenue cycle across alldepartments.

“In this position I am able to use allof my favorite skills,” said Little. “I amlooking forward to rebuilding TheDoctors of USC GE CentricityBusiness System and working withsuch a wonderful group of people.”

•••The School of Pharmacy’s new his-

tology lab is open and available on afee basis to University researchers.

The lab is poised to do paraffinembedding of tissue samples. Frozenand embedded samples can be sec-tioned and mounted on microscopeslides. A new Cryo-Jane system isused for slide mounting small frozensamples, and mounted specimens canbe hematoxylin-eosin stained. Amicroscope and camera are availablefor photography of stained samples.Rates are available on request.

Contact James Adams atjadams@usc.edu for more information.

By Sara Reeve

A study by researchers at the KeckSchool of Medicine found that over-weight Hispanic children are at signifi-cant risk for pre-diabetes, a conditionmarked by higher than normal bloodglucose levels that are not yet highenough for a diagnosis of diabetes.

The persistence of pre-diabetes dur-ing growth is associated with progres-sion in risk toward future diabetes,according to the study, which will bepublished in an upcoming issue of thejournal Diabetes, and is now availableonline.

With a population of more than 35million, Hispanics are the largest and

fastest growing minority group in theUnited States.

Despite the fact that Hispanics are athigh risk for developing type 2 diabetes,few previous studies have looked atphysiological causes of the disease with-in this population.

Researchers led by Michael I. Goran,professor of preventive medicine andphysiology & biophysics at the KeckSchool, followed a cohort of 128 over-weight Hispanic children in East LosAngeles. The children were tested overfour consecutive years for glucose toler-ance, body mass index, total body fatand lean mass, and other risk factors fortype 2 diabetes.

The study found that an alarming 13percent of the children had what theinvestigators termed “persistent pre-dia-betes.”

Most prior studies examining pre-diabetes in overweight and obese chil-dren looked at a one-time assessment ofmetabolic risk factors for type 2 dia-betes, but fluctuations over time led topoor reliability for these tests.

In the new study, Goran and col-leagues examined longitudinal data tolook at a progression of risk factors overfour years. Children were identified ashaving persistent pre-diabetes if theyhad three to four positive tests over fourannual visits.

The children who had persistent pre-diabetes had signs of compromisedbeta-cell function, meaning that theirbodies were unable to fully compensateto maintain blood glucose at an appro-priate level, and they had increasingaccumulation of visceral fat or deposi-tion of fat around the organs.

Both of these outcomes point towardprogression in risk toward type 2 dia-betes.

Visceral fat, which pads the spacesbetween abdominal organs, has beenlinked to metabolic disturbances andincreased risk for cardiovascular diseaseand type 2 diabetes.

“What this study shows is that doc-tors should be doing regular monitoringof these children over time, because aone-time checkup might not be enough

to tell if they are at risk for developingdiabetes,” Goran said.

Increased obesity has been identifiedas a major determinant of insulin resist-ance. Lower beta-cell function is a keycomponent in the development of type2 diabetes, as the cells are unable toproduce enough insulin to adequatelycompensate for the insulin resistance.

“To better treat at-risk children weneed better ways to monitor beta-cellfunction and visceral fat buildup,” saidGoran. “Those are tough to measurebut are probably the main factors deter-mining who will get type 2 diabetes.”

Future studies will examine differentinterventions, including improvingbeta-cell function and reducing visceralfat.

“The study provides great insight intothe risk factors that lead to the progres-sion toward type 2 diabetes in this pop-ulation,” said Francine Kaufman, pro-fessor of pediatrics at the Keck Schoolof Medicine at USC and head of thedivision of endocrinology and metabo-lism at Childrens Hospital LosAngeles, who was not directly involvedin the study. “Only by understandinghow this devastating disease developswill we be able to begin taking steps toprevent it.”

This study was supported by theNational Institutes of Health and theGeneral Clinical Research Center,National Center for ResearchResources.

USC study cites danger of pre-diabetes in overweight Hispanic kids

the Health Sciences and UniversityPark campuses.

Last year’s campaign marked the firstyear since its inception 14 years agothat the University-wide $1 milliongoal was reached. With 37 percent fac-ulty and staff participation in last year’scampaign, Castillo added, “there’s a lotof room for growth.”

For the 2008-2009 fiscal year thecampaign funded 38 programs sur-rounding the University’s two campus-es. This year’s campaign goal is $1.1million University-wide.

At the meeting, Joseph Cocozza,research assistant professor of ophthal-mology, spoke about his first-handexperience as an UNO grant recipient.

As co-director of the Education andOutreach Program at the NSFEngineering Research Center, Cocozzaoversees the Science for Life programwhose “overall objective is to increasethe number of students going into sci-ence, technology, engineering and math(STEM) because it’s a gateway into agood, productive life.”

UNO currently funds a Science forLife program for grades three throughfive at Murchison Elementary School.Longitudinal studies of this programfor the past five years show that with“Every grade that we looked at, we cansee a significant increase in studentachievement in science, and these aren’teasy tests,” said Cocozza.

Priscilla Aldrete, office assistant inthe Department of Anesthesiology, saidthat as a parent of two elementaryschool-aged children, she understandsthe promise these programs offer. “I’venever had experience with this, but nowI’m interested to ask the schools mydaughters’ are in, do they have these[types of ] programs, especially science.I hope they do.”

The 2008 USC Good NeighborsCampaign began on Oct. 1 and runsthrough Oct. 31. USC faculty and staffwill receive campaign informational andpledge packets via campus mail thisweek.

To view a list of HSC-area schoolsand programs that the campaign funds,visit http://tinyurl.com/4ejo5n.

GNC: Month-long campaign now in full swingContinued from page 1

Good Neighbors Campaign Director Carolina Castillo discusses the goals of the Good

Neighbors Campaign and how its programs benefit the community. ETCETERA

Ch

eryl

Bru

ynin

ckx

Audrey Little

USC Health SciencesPublic Relations1975 Zonal Ave.KAM 400Los Angeles, CA 90033

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE PAIDUniversity of Southern

California

HSC NEWSMAKERS Complete listing at: www.usc.edu/uscnews/usc_in_the_news/

A Sept. 29 Los Angeles Times article noted that the public will be invited to take tours during thecommunity grand opening of the new Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

A Sept. 26 Worcester Telegram & Gazette article quoted cardiothoracic surgeon Michael McFaddenabout a young woman who is waiting to receive a lung transplant.

A Sept. 24 Associated Press article quoted oncologist Stuart E. Siegel of CHLA about a ballotmeasure that would raise money for children’s hospitals.

A Sept. 23 La Opinion article highlighted a dental fair organized by the USC School of Dentistryfor low-income families.

On Sept. 22, KPCC-FM covered a media tour of the LAC+USC Replacement Facility and fea-tured highlights of the new medical center.

A Sept. 22 Los Angeles Times article noted that the LAC+USC Replacement Facility will have thenewest trauma center in Los Angeles when it opens this fall.

A Sept. 22 San Francisco Chronicle article quoted plastic surgeon Andre Panossian in a story abouta girl treated at CHLA for Bell's palsy.

Calendar of EventsTuesday, Oct. 7

NOON. Cancer Ctr. Grand Rounds: USCStevens Inst. for Innovation Presentation.Various speakers. NOR 7409. Info: (323)865-3147

Wednesday, Oct. 8

NOON. USC Ctr. for Excellence inResearch. “A Conversation AboutAddiction,” Carol Prescott, USC. UPC:CUB 329. Info: (213) 740-6709

Friday, Oct. 10

11 A.M. Hematology Grand Rounds.“Approach to Opportunistic Infections inthe Immunocompromised Host,” JamesIto, City of Hope. GNH 14-441. Info:(323) 865-3950

NOON. Pharmacology and PharmaceuticalSciences Seminar. “Challenges inPancreatic Cancer Research andTreatment,” Stephen Pandol, UCLA.PSA 104. Info: (323) 442-1449

7 P.M. Visions and Voices: The USC Artsand Humanities Initiative. “Scoring thePast: Exploring the Origins of MusicalImagery.” UPC: Alfred Newman RecitalHall. Info: visionsandvoices@usc.edu

7 P.M. Visions and Voices: The USC Artsand Humanities Initiative. Roberta Flackin concert. UPC: Bovard Aud. Info:visionsandvoices@usc.edu

Saturday, Oct. 11

1:45 P.M. Visions and Voices: The USCArts and Humanities Initiative. “TheSound and the Fury: April Seventh, 1928.”Redcat at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.Info: visionsandvoices@usc.edu

Wednesday, Oct. 15

NOON. Renal Grand Rounds Conference.“RAS Imaging,” Suzanne L. Palmer, USC.GNH 6441. Info: (323) 226-7307

NOON. “Platelet Considerations inNephrology,” Ajay Singh, Harvard. GNH6441. Info: (323) 226-7307

Thursday, Oct. 16

NOON. “Role of Mitochondria inIdiosyncratic Drug-induced Liver Injury(DILI),” Urs Boelsterli, Univ. ofConnecticut. HMR 100. Info: (323)442-1283

Friday, Oct. 17

11 A.M. Hematology Grand Rounds.“Update on Hemophilia,” Guy Young,CHLA. GNH 14-441. Info: (323) 865-3950

Monday, Oct. 20

3 P.M. – 5P.M. Hoyt Art Gallery OpeningReception. KAM Basement Lobby. Info:(323) 442-2553

Friday, Oct. 24

11 A.M. Hematology Grand Rounds. “ITPin Pregnancy,” Ilene Weitz, USC. GNH14-441. Info: (323) 865-3950

Monday, Oct. 27

4 P.M. “Transplant Conference,” Variousfaculty speakers. UH Salerni Rm. Info:(323) 442-9093

Monday, Oct. 29

NOON. “Renal Biopsy,” Michael Koss,USC. GNH 6441. Info: (323) 226-7307

Friday, Oct. 31

11 A.M. Hematology Grand Rounds.“Thalessemia Syndromes,” Susan Claster,CHLA. GNH 14-441. Info: (323) 865-3950

The HSC Calendar is online at www.usc.edu/hsccalendar

Notice: Deadline for calendar submission is 4 p.m. Monday to be considered for thatweek’s issue—although three weeks advance notice of events is recommended. Please note that timelysubmission does not guarantee an item will be printed. Send calendar items to HSC Weekly, KAM 400or fax to (323) 442-2832, or e-mail to eblaauw@usc.edu. Entries must include day, date, time, title oftalk, first and last name of speaker, affiliation of speaker, location, and a phone number for informa-tion.

USC UH Guild to celebrate 15 years of service on Oct. 14

STUDENT LEADERSHIP MEETING—The Graduate and Professional Student Senate

(GPSS) at the Health Sciences Campus recently hosted its annual Student Leaders

Meet and Greet at the Edmonson Faculty Center to introduce its new HSC Governing

Council members and familiarize student leaders with the organization and its servic-

es. The meeting, on Aug. 28, was also designed to encourage advocacy, joint pro-

gramming and interaction among the different schools and organizations on cam-

pus. Above, from left are GPSS HSC Governing Council members: Irina Ianculescu,

operations chair; Meleeneh Kazarian, programming chair; Sahar Bedrood, HSC chair;

Rosanne Yetemian, publicity chair; and Sonya Soni, community service chair.

The USC University Hospital Guild will celebrate 15 years of service to thehospital and the USC Keck School of Medicine at its anniversary luncheon onTuesday, Oct. 14. The luncheon at the Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeleswill honor special guest Harlyne J. Norris.

A USC trustee since 2000, Norris is a trustee and past chairman of the KennethT. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, which was established by her husband’s par-ents, Kenneth Sr. and Eileen Norris.

Through the Norris Foundation, the Norris family has given nearly $50 millionto USC.

Special guests at the luncheon will include USC President Steven A. Sample,Keck School of Medicine Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, and former NationalMedical Enterprises Chief Executive Officer Richard Eamer, and his wife, Eileen.

Tickets for the luncheon are $80 each. For more information, or to R.S.V.P.,please call Carol Corral (323) 254-0600.