Creem As Vice Provost

VOLUME 14, NUMBER 18 MAY 23, 2008

USC taps medical center expert Mitchell Creem as Vice Provost

By Jon Nalick University officials have named Mitchell R. Creem, an experienced administrator widely known for his experience in revitalizing academic medical centers, to the new position of vice provost, effective June 1. Provost C. L. Max Nikias, announced the appointment in a May 16 letter to the campus community and said Creem would provide crucial expertise as the University negotiates to reacquire USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital from Tenet Healthcare Corporation. “Vice Provost Creem will provide y h

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P to the Provost, comes to USC with NEWEST GRADS, READY FOR TAKE-OFF—Above, graduate Rian Hasson jumps for joy following the Keck a decade of success in turning School of Medicine’s commencement on May 18. around academic medical HSC kicks off graduation celebration centers and with a stellar By Katie Neith Assistant Program and the School of track record of Keck School Dean Carmen A. Pharmacy were held on May 16. achievements Puliafito graduated his first class of At the Keck School ceremony, at the teaching medical students during commence- Puliafito kicked off his speech by recog- hospitals of Mitchell R. Creem ment ceremonies for the Keck School nizing the support of friends and fami- UCLA, of Medicine on May 18, marking an ly, thanking those who truly made med- Harvard University and Tufts important milestone for both the grad- ical school possible for the students. University. uates and for his first year of service at He then called on the graduates to be “His reputation and his accom- the School. heroes in their field and invoked the plishments have earned him praise Some 168 graduates received their spirit of Oskar Schindler, a man who nation-wide, and his dynamic lead- Doctor of Medicine degrees in the cer- risked his life and fortune to protect his ership will certainly accelerate the emony at the Shrine Auditorium. Five workers from the Nazis. university’s growth—and ensure its of those graduates received a joint “Every day of your professional life, prominence—at the fore of medical degree with a Master of Business whatever your specialty, you will have education,” Nikias stated. Administration, and one received a the opportunity to be a hero,” said Creem will work in close collabo- From top: Keck School graduates listen Doctor of Philosophy in conjunction Puliafito. “You will encounter patients ration with the Office of the as Andrew C. Ghatan delivers the stu- with a medical degree. and their families at the most difficult Provost and Keck School of dent address; graduate Angela The Health Sciences campus cele- moments in their lives—as they con- Medicine Dean Carmen A. Covington and daughter Jocelyn cele- brated additional commencement cere- front mental illness, or cancer, or blind- Puliafito and his leadership team. brate with friends; Jason Schiffman, monies, graduating M.S., Ph.D. and ness, or some incalculable loss. They During the transition, he will be shown after receiving the Irving I. Lasky, M.P.H. students on May 14. will be utterly dependent upon your tal- primarily focused on due diligence, M.D., Memorial Award for outstanding Graduation ceremonies for ent and compassion. You cannot let negotiations, operational planning, research at the Keck School’s senior Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, them down.” capital planning and financing awards ceremony on May 17, enjoys the Dentistry, Occupational Science and He closed his speech with words See CREEM, page 3 moment (his son, less so). Occupational Therapy, the Physician See GRADS, page 2 USC emergency medicine expert presses state legislators to preserve hospital ‘safety net’

By Meghan Lewit provide a very large share of the safety At a recent meeting with state legis- net, particularly in some subspecialty lators, Edward Newton, chair of the areas such as orthopedics, Newton Department of Emergency Medicine at said. the Keck School of Medicine, stressed In response to the increasing the importance of Los Angeles County demands and the decreasing number of hospital system as a crucial “safety net” inpatient beds elsewhere, the for uninsured patients. Department of Emergency Medicine at At the May 2 Assembly Health the LAC+USC Medical Center has Committee hearing, Newton empha- adapted its own practices to provide sized that the system, including the inpatient care more efficiently, he said. LAC+USC Medical Center, must be For example, the department has cre- preserved to deliver on “a promise socie- ated a Chest Pain Unit and an ty makes to its members—that in the Observation Unit at the medical center. event of a calamity, you will be provided The units provide an observation area with care.” to monitor patients who are at low risk He added during his testimony: for heart attack and more efficiently “Public hospital emergency rooms pro- rule out cardiac disease. vide a disproportionate amount of this The department also recently imple- safety net care.” mented a plan to address hospital over- Edward Newton (second from left), chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, awaits his turn to The hearing, held at the California crowding by developing predetermined testify at the May 2 Assembly Health Committee hearing. Science Center and chaired by responses to varying levels of over- Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally (D- crowding, he said. Lawmakers will have to allocate to some extent as flexible capacity in Compton), focused on the impact of Since implementing this system two funds to keep county hospitals open, hospitals rather than buying tents and hospital and emergency room closures months ago, the amount of time the and salaries will need to be competitive trailers that will remain in storage in the county. The closure of 15 hospi- emergency department considered “dan- with the private sector in order to retain indefinitely. tals since 1998—including Martin gerously overcrowded” has decreased physicians, he said. A major earthquake could flood Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital last from 30 percent to less than one per- Newton also recommended that fed- county emergency rooms with as many summer—has greatly increased the bur- cent. eral Homeland Security funds be used as 10,000 new patients, he said. den on existing facilities, health officials In order to preserve the safety net in to increase inpatient capacity to prepare “Preserving the county hospital sys- and experts reported. California, a statewide plan should be for a disaster. The advantage of these tem is key to making sure the safety net Medical residents in public hospitals implemented, Newton advised. funds that they could be used every day survives,” Newton said.

GRADS: HSC celebrates annual rite Stem cell study details novel self-renewal mechanism Continued from page 1 Feinstein, professor of medicine, USC researchers have discovered a new stem cells will remain undifferentiated if inscribed on a ring that was given to with more than 40 years of service mechanism to allow embryonic stem cells they are shielded from differentiation sig- Schindler by his workers at the end to the Keck School of Medicine, the to divide indefinitely and remain undif- nals. By applying small molecules that of the war, calling them a very fit- USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer ferentiated. block the chemicals from activating the ting reminder of what being a doc- Center and USC. The study, which was published in the differentiation process, the natural default tor is all about: “He who saves one “Today we are awarding the May 22 issue of the journal Nature, also of the cell is to self-renew, or multiply, as life it is as if he has saved the entire Hoffman Award to a true hero of reveals how embryonic stem cell multipli- generic stem cells. world.” USC Medicine,” said Puliafito, who cation is regulated, which may be impor- “This study presents a completely new To view a transcript of the dean’s presented the award to Feinstein. tant in understanding how to control paradigm for understanding how to grow remarks, visit: http://www.usc.edu/ “He is an exemplar of academic tumor cell growth. embryonic stem cells in the laboratory,” uscnews/stories/15287.html. medicine—a great teacher and an “Our study suggests that what we said Martin Pera, director of the Eli and A commencement address was internationally recognized scholar believe about how embryonic stem cell Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative given by Sammy Lee, otolarygolo- and a world-class clinical hematolo- self-renewal is controlled is wrong,” said Medicine and Stem Cell Research at gist and 1947 graduate of the Keck gist.” Qi-Long Ying, assistant professor of Cell USC. “The discovery has major implica- School. Lee is also an Olympic gold The School of Pharmacy celebrat- and Neurobiology at the Keck School of tions for large-scale production of spe- medalist in diving. ed commencement at the HSC Medicine of USC, researcher at the Eli cialized cells, such as brain, heart muscle In addition, numerous awards Quad. Honored were 178 new and Edythe Broad Center for and insulin-producing cells, for future were presented at the ceremony, Pharm.D.s, 42 MS recipients, 12 Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell therapeutic use.” including the Elaine Stevely Ph.D.s, 32 residents and 4 fellows. Research at USC, and lead author of the Embryonic stem cells have only been Hoffman Service Award given each Speakers included Dean R. Pete paper. “Our findings will likely change derived from a very small number of year in recognition of longstanding Vanderveen, Class President Ashley the research direction of many stem cell species. contributions and supreme dedica- Thompson, and Professor Irving laboratories.” “We believe the process we discovered tion to the Keck School of Medicine Steinberg, Steven Chen and Mary Contrary to the current understanding in mice may facilitate the derivation of and its people. Gutierrez. The commencement of stem cell self-renewal and differentia- embryonic stem cells from species like This year’s recipient of the address was delivered by Professor tion, the findings suggest that embryonic See CELLS, page 4 Hoffman Award was Donald I. Mel Baron.

Phone: 323-442-2830 Fax: 323-442-2832 Email: [email protected] Web: uscnews.usc.edu/hscweekly/ Next Issue: June 6

HSC Weekly is published for the faculty, staff, students and community of the University Assoc. Senior Vice Pres., Health Sciences Senior Vice President, University of Southern California’s Health Sciences Campus. It is written and produced by the Public Relations and Marketing: Jane Brust Relations: Martha Harris Health Sciences Public Relations and Marketing staff. Comments, suggestions and Executive Director of Communications Contributors: Eva Blaauw, Jennifer Chan, story ideas are welcome via the contact points listed above. Permission to reprint articles and Marketing: Ina Fried Veronica Jauriqui, Meghan Lewit, Katie with attribution is freely given. Editor: Jon Nalick Neith, Kukla Vera and Jon Weiner Ultrasound-plus-mammography combination boosts breast cancer detection, study shows In a new study of women at increased with a prior atypical breast biopsy and detection rate of 11.8 women per 1,000 suspicious was seen on the ultrasound risk for breast cancer, adding an ultra- personal and/or moderate family history women screened. Eight of the 40 can- which, as the result of a biopsy, turned sound examination to routine mam- of breast cancer. cers were not seen with either mam- out not to be cancer.” mography revealed 28 percent more Forty women were diagnosed with mography or ultrasound at the time of The Department of Radiology at the cancers than mammography alone. breast cancer within 12 months of the the initial screening but were discovered Keck School of Medicine, led by However, the ultrasound exam sub- department chair Edward Grant, has stantially increased the rate of false pos- ‘When discussing the option of supplementing mammography with screening ultra- been a leader in this critically important itive findings and unnecessary biopsies, sound with women, it will be important to alert them about the increased risk of research, she noted. according to the study published in the having a biopsy due to a false positive exam.’ The American Cancer Society May 14 issue of the Journal of the — Linda Hovanessian, associate professor of radiology recently recommended that certain American Medical Association. at the Keck School of Medicine women at very high risk for breast can- The Keck School of Medicine of cer be screened with magnetic reso- USC was one of 21 participating sites. initial screening. Mammography alone later during the 12-month period for a nance imaging in addition to mammog- The study enrolled 2,809 women at revealed 20 cancers (50 percent of all rate of three cancers missed per 1,000 raphy, and these results do not change increased risk for breast cancer; the cancers detected) for a detection rate of women screened. that recommendation. research data from 2,637 of these 7.6 women per 1,000 women screened, The risk of incurring an unnecessary Women should talk with their doctor women were eligible for analysis. though one cancer was dismissed. biopsy due to a false positive exam about their breast cancer risk profile Criteria used to determine an The combination of mammography result from the supplemental ultrasound and whether an ultrasound exam sup- increased breast cancer risk included plus ultrasound revealed 31 cancers (78 also was substantially increased in the plemental to mammography might be participants who were 25 years or older percent of all cancers detected) for a study. beneficial, keeping in mind the poten- Mammography alone prompted an tial for a false positive result and an unnecessary biopsy for one in 40 unnecessary biopsy. women. The combination of mammog- At present, there is a limited supply USC Kidney Dialysis Center honors Akmal raphy and ultrasound prompted an of trained personnel and facilities offer- unnecessary biopsy for one in 10 ing ultrasound. Women also should Officials of the DaVita-USC Kidney Dialysis women, or four times more women consult their health insurance policies Center have named the Mohammad Akmal, having an unnecessary biopsy. regarding the coverage for breast cancer professor of medicine at the Keck School of According to Linda Hovanessian, screening options. Medicine, recipient of the center’s 2008 Pepper associate professor of radiology at the An annual mammogram is still rec- Award. Keck School of Medicine and site prin- ommended. Neither MRI nor ultra- The award, which recognizes excellence in cipal investigator for the study, “For sound is meant to replace mammogra- patient service, integrity and clinical results, is women at elevated risk of breast cancer, phy. given each year to a physician who exemplifies we learned that ultrasound finds cancers The study was made possible through DaVita’s mission and values and who partici- not seen by mammography. funding from a novel private-public pates in the center’s Patient Enrichment “However, we also learned that there partnership between the Avon Program. Mohammad Akmal is a significantly higher false-positive Foundation and the National Cancer Lea Dee, facility administrator at the center, rate associated with the addition of an Institute, part of the National Institutes said Akmal deserved the award because he ultrasound exam. This means something of Health. served as “the driving force behind the facility’s excellent clinical results.” Additionally, Dee added, “letters from patients, housekeepers, nurses, patient care technicians, and other ancillary staff provided proof of his excellent service In Case of An Emergency... to patients and employees. He assists dieticians, social workers, nurses, and Visit the USC Web: Call the Emergency Information Phone: other employees in improving all core metrics so patients will have a better http://emergency.usc.edu 213-740-9233 quality of life.” This page will be activated in case of The emergency telephone system can The DaVita-USC Kidney Center is a large dialysis clinic with 43 stations an emergency. Backup Web servers on handle 1,400 simultaneous calls. It also located in Los Angeles, CA. The for-profit facility is operated by El Segundo- the East Coast will function if the USC has a back up system on the East Coast. based DaVita, which runs other dialysis facilities. servers are incapacitated.

CREEM: Bringing 25 years of management experience in healthcare industry Continued from page 1 focus was on developing the informa- leading each from significant operating hospital and healthcare sector, he has strategies, clinical programming, and tion technology strategy and transition losses to profitability within two years. considerable experience with business strategic planning. He also will ensure plan for the new hospital buildings. In each case, employee morale improved valuation and pricing strategies; organi- the smooth integration of university With 25 years of management expe- significantly, as did patient and referring zational, financial and governance struc- policies and resources. rience, Creem has covered all aspects of physician satisfaction. tures; strategies for clinical and opera- Creem currently serves as the associ- the healthcare industry, including hos- Creem also has held several key tional consolidation; bankruptcies and ate vice chancellor and chief financial pital, research, and faculty group prac- administrative and financial positions at reorganizations; and healthcare startups. officer for the UCLA Medical Sciences, tice management. Massachusetts General Hospital in He holds a master’s degree in Health a group of institutions that includes the Before joining UCLA, he was chief Boston, where he helped launch two Administration from Duke University Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, financial officer for the Beth Israel for-profit subsidiaries in international and a B.S. in Accounting and Business UCLA Faculty Practice, and the UCLA Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard telemedicine services and Administration from Boston University. Hospital System. teaching hospital with an annual budget hardware/software sales. He has served on numerous boards of In this capacity, he has responsibility of $1 billion, and the Tufts-New He also worked for several years in a community hospitals and hospital and for a combined budget of more than $2 England Medical Center, a Tufts senior management position at the physician joint ventures. billion, with over $400 million in med- University teaching hospital. Healthcare Practice Group of Additionally, he has been a guest lec- ical science research. The two medical centers were in sig- PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was turer at USC, UCLA and Harvard In addition, he served briefly as inter- nificant financial distress when he responsible for numerous consulting University. He is currently a visiting im chief information officer for UCLA assumed the CFO position, but he engagements, financial statement audits professor at the UCLA School of Medical Sciences, where his primary implemented their turnaround plans, and financial feasibility studies. In the Public Health. Calendar of Events Philanthropist Harlyne Norris receives honorary degree In recognition of her service, generosity and guidance to USC and numerous The HSC Calendar is online at www.usc.edu/hsccalendar organizations that support children, health care, medical research, education and the arts, the University has honored philanthropist and USC trustee Harlyne J. Tuesday, May 27 Mayer Aud. Info: (323) Monday, June 16 Norris as a Doctor of Humane Letters. 442-2555 11 A.M. “Vitamin D NOON. Fellows’ Core Norris, executive vice president of the investment firm Deficiency,” William 10 A.M. “Treatment of Curriculum Conference. KTN Enterprises, received the honorary degree—the Malone. HMR 100. Info: Localized Disease,” Eila “Psychosocial Issues of highest of commencement awards—on May 16 as part (323) 442-2806 Skinner, USC. KAM Organ Donation and of the main USC graduation ceremony. Mayer Aud. Info: (323) Transplantation,” Susana Her family is well-known for its longtime dedication Wednesday, May 28 442-2555 Dahdul, USC. GNH Drs. Dining Rm. A & B. Info: to USC and community enhancement. Norris has been NOON. Renal Grand 11:15 A.M. “Novel (323) 226-7307 a USC trustee since 2000, and she is a trustee and past Rounds. “Resistant Therapies for Advanced chairman of the Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Hypertension,” Mitra K. Disease,” Tanya Dorff, Wednesday, June 18 Foundation, which was established in 1963 by her hus- Harlyne J. Norris Nadim, USC. GNH 6441. USC. KAM Mayer Aud. band’s parents, Kenneth Sr. and Eileen Norris. Info: (323) 226-7307 Info: (323) 442-2555 NOON. Renal Grand Rounds. “Sympathetic Through the Norris Foundation, the Norris family has given nearly $50 million Friday, May 30 Monday, June 9 Reactivity,” Jeanie Park, to USC. The Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower within the USC/Norris USC. GNH 6441. Info: Comprehensive Cancer Center on USC’s Health Sciences campus is named in her 8 A.M. Pathology and NOON. Fellows’ Core (323) 226-7307 honor. Laboratory Medicine Curriculum Conference. Grand Rounds. “Clinical “NEPHSAP: Fluid, Monday, June 23 Application of Therapeutic Electrolyte and Acid-base Apheresis,” Joshua Levy, Disturbances,” Alan Yu, NOON. “NEPHSAP: CELLS: Study shows how development is regulated HemaCare Corp. NOR USC. GNH Drs. Dining Ca/Phos/Vit D/PTH in 7409. Info: (323) 442-1180 Rm. A & B. Info: (323) CKD,” Miroslaw Continued from page 1 Medical Research Council and the 226-7307 Smogorzewski, USC. pigs, cows or other large animals, which Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Monday, June 2 GNH Drs. Dining Rm. A have not been done before,” continued Research Council of the UK, the NOON. Transplant & B. Info: (323) 226-7307 Ying. “If deriving embryonic stem cells Canadian Institutes of Health NOON. Fellows’ Core Conference. “Optimizing from cows, for instance, is possible, then Research, and by the European Curriculum Conference. Outcomes in Kidney NOON. “Transplant “Renal Physiology (Adcid Transplant Recipients,” Conference,” Various perhaps in the future cows might be Commission Framework VI project Base Regulation by Kidney) Mike Bunnapradist, Transplant faculty. GNH able to produce milk containing medi- EuroStemCell. Co-authors are Philip – Part III,” Alicia UCLA. GNH 6441. Info: 6441. Info: (323) 226-7307 cines.” Cohen, a Royal Society Research McDonough, USC. GNH (323) 226-7307 With better understanding of the Professor at the University of Dundee Drs. Dining Rm. A & B. Wednesday, June 25 multiplication process of embryonic and Austin Smith, a Medical Research Info: (323) 226-7307 Wednesday, June 11 NOON. Renal Club stem cells, researchers have additional Council Professor at the University of Wednesday, June 4 NOON. Renal Grand Lecture. “Podocyte insight on tumor cell growth as these Cambridge. Rounds. “Peritoneal Survival,” Stuart cells share similar qualities. “Our study NOON. Renal Grand Dialysis,” Saeid M. Nosrati, Shankland, Univ. of reveals part of the little-known process Qi-Long Ying, Jason Wray, Jennifer Rounds. “Dyslipidemia and USC. GNH 6441. Info: Washington. GNH 6441. of how embryonic stem cells multiplica- Nichols, Laura Batlle-Morera, Bradley PTH,” Mohammad Akmal, (323) 226-7307 Info: (323) 226-7307 USC. GNH 6441. Info: tion is regulated. This is important for Doble, James Woodgett, Philip Cohen (323) 226-7307 Friday, June 13 Friday, June 30 us in understanding how to control and Austin Smith. “The Ground State tumor cell growth moving forward in of Embryonic Stem Cell Self- Sat., June 7 11 A.M. “The Role of 8:30 A.M. “Maternal cancer research,” said Ying. Renewal,” Nature (2008). Doi: Selectins in Cancer Transmission of Asthma This research was funded by the 10.1038/nature06968. 9 A.M. “Prostate Cancer Metastases,” Ajit Varki, UC Risk,” Lester Kobzik, Screening and San Diego. GNH 14-441. Harvard. GNH 11-321. Epidemiology,” David Info: (323) 865-3914 Info: (323) 226-7923 Penson, USC. KAM SAVE THE DATE

The Patient Education and Outreach Center and Jennifer Diamond Cancer Resource Library in the Notice: Deadline for calendar submission is 4 p.m. Monday to be considered for that Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower will open on June 5 at 3:30 p.m. Please save the date for the week’s issue—although three weeks advance notice of events is recommended. Please note that timely reception and ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate this state-of-the-art facility with print and elec- submission does not guarantee an item will be printed. Send calendar items to HSC Weekly, KAM 400 tronic cancer education and resource materials devoted to patients, their families and community or fax to (323) 442-2832, or e-mail to [email protected]. Entries must include day, date, time, title of members seeking information on cancer. For event information visit www.usc.edu/esvp (code: Patient) talk, first and last name of speaker, affiliation of speaker, location, and a phone number for informa- or call (213) 740-1744. tion.

HSC NEWSMAKERS Complete listing at: www.usc.edu/uscnews/usc_in_the_news/ USC Health Sciences Non-Profit Organization Public Relations U.S. POSTAGE PAID A May 19 Los Angeles Times article quoted Childrens Hospital Los Angeles’ dermatologist Justine 1975 Zonal Ave. University of Southern Park about the safety and quality of microdermabrasion home kits. KAM 400 California Los Angeles, CA 90033 A May 19 San Francisco Chronicle ran an op-ed urging California to tighten diesel emission stan- dards and cited environmental health expert James Gauderman’s study on lung function.

On May 19, Medpage Today article quoted cardiologist Leslie Saxon about a report that pacemak- ers don’t prevent arrhythmia in mild heart failure.

A May 19 Los Angeles Times quoted medical ethics expert Ron Ben-Ari about how TV ads for prescription drugs have affected the doctor-patient relationship, encouraging patients to ask for spe- cific drugs.

On May 19, the Los Angeles Times ran an obituary remembering Charles Goldstein of the USC School of Dentistry.

A May 16 Science News article quoted fertility expert Richard Paulson about new techniques to help identify which embryos are viable for pregnancy.