MARCH 24 • 2017 PUBLISHED FOR THE USC HEALTH SCIENCES CAMPUS COMMUNITY VOLUME 1 4 • NUMBER• NUMBER 2 6 John S. Oghalai tapped to lead otolaryngology ohn S. Oghalai, MD, has been recruitedJ to serve as the new chair of the USC Tina and Rick Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, effective Aug. 1. Courtesy John S. Oghalai Courtesy He joins the Keck John S. Oghalai School of Medicine of USC from Stanford University School of Medicine after a national search, according to Rohit Varma, MD, MPH, dean of the Keck School and director of the USC Gayle and Edward Roski Eye Institute. “We look forward to Dr. Oghalai’s arrival in August and have great expectations for him to continue the department’s ascending trajectory in quality clinical care, resident and fellow Ricardo Carrasco III Carrasco Ricardo education, and research,” Varma said in a memo Maria de Fátima Reyes shows her match results to gathered friends and family during Match Day celebrations on March 17 at Pappas Quad. announcing Oghalai’s recruitment. “Please join us in welcoming him to the Trojan family.” Oghalai has been a professor in the Match Day brings smiles, See OGHALAI, page 2 tears to Pappas Quad Grant to fund By Leigh Bailey model for heers, tears and champagne toasts rang across the Harry elder abuse andC Celesta Pappas Quad in the morning sunshine as the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s class intervention of 2017 learned where they would By Claire Norman be spending their next few years of training as medical professionals. aura Mosqueda, Coordinated by the National MD, chair and Resident Matching Program professorL of family (NRMP), thousands of graduating medicine at the Keck medical students opened envelopes School of Medicine at the same time across the of USC, has been country on March 17, to find out Cohn Steve awarded a grant from where they will be spending their Julian Wu, 2, places a pin on a map of the United States on behalf of his parents, the John A. Hartford residency. Julie Jang, center, and Brian Wu, back right, during Match Day celebrations. Foundation for Maria de Fátima Reyes stood on $775,000 to develop, test and evaluate a Cohn Steve the quad steps with her beaming dream is to be able to bring medical community who really understood Laura Mosqueda father and proud sister who had care to communities that don’t and supported that culture.” model to help identify joined her to celebrate the day. usually have access to that care,” she Kansas, however, will have to victims of elder abuse Minutes before picking up the explained. make do with another resident, during hospital stays, and to intervene when envelope with her residency One of the programs on her list as Reyes is going to University abuse is suspected. She will work with a team information, Reyes said that no was located in Kansas. of California, San Francisco, to of elder abuse prevention experts from four matter what the results, she was “It was a great program,” she complete her residency in obstetrics states to mobilize over a two-year period. thrilled and honored to have recalled, “and I was honestly and gynecology. The intervention is intended to ensure that reached this milestone. surprised. I didn’t really know Opening remarks were led by older people seen in medical settings are prop- “I’m from here, I grew up here anything about Kansas but I Donna Elliott, MD, EdD, senior erly assessed for mistreatment. Once screened, and of course I would love to stay found a ton of Latinos there and associate dean for student and they can receive appropriate treatment or here (in California), but my real not a lot of people in the medical See MATCH DAY, page 3 See GRANT, page 2 $12 million award supports tissue regeneration center By John Hobbs researchers to develop safe and effective includes seven other California-based research team initiated by faculty clinical strategies for dental, oral and universities and organizations, hopes in the Herman Ostrow School of craniofacial tissue regeneration. to develop is an effective way to use a DentistryA of USC, called C-DOCTOR “This is really about engineering 3-D printed, dissolvable scaffold to help (Center for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial products,” explained Ostrow’s Associate organize stem cells for focused repair and Tissue and Organ Regeneration), is one Dean of Research Yang Chai, DDS, PhD, regrowth of bone tissue. step closer to developing products that one of the study’s principal investigators. “Bone deficiency is a very common facilitate tissue regeneration, thanks to “It’s not only about being able to problem that patients face when they need a $12 million award from the National understand what stem cells can do, but an implant or when they have periodontal Institute of Dental and Craniofacial also how you deliver the stem cells for disease, traumatic injury or a birth defect,” Research (NIDCR). patient care.” Chai said. “Instead of stealing bone from Philip Channing The award stems from a challenge An example of the projects that the other parts of the body, we’re going to be Yang Chai issued by NIDCR two years ago for Ostrow-initiated research team, which See CENTER, page 2 MARCH 24 • 2017 2 Steven Siegel discusses research, plans for psychiatry department By Hope Hamashige develop a drug delivery system to deliver occur when a drug crosses the blood-brain teven Siegel, MD, PhD, recently was antipsychotic medications with a single barrier and engages its target. It won’t tell appointed the chair of the Department injection per year. That research led to you if the drug is going to be efficacious, ofS Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences several patents, which were licensed but it helps you distinguish a drug that at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. to a company that was sold to Teva didn’t cross the blood-brain barrier and He talked with HSC News about his Pharmaceutical Industries. Teva currently one that didn’t have its intended effect background and where he wants to take is developing this type of drug delivery even though it did. the department in the coming years. system for schizophrenia. How do you see the future of You have done a lot of translational Are you still doing research now and the Department of Psychiatry and science in your career. Will you talk what is the subject of your current work? Behavioral Sciences? about one of your early projects? I started to study electrophysiology in Psychiatry has a reputation as a top I came from a basic science background mice — understanding changes in brain clinical department at Keck Medicine of and originally wanted to study imaging function in awake and alert animals — to USC. We want to maintain that standing of people with psychiatric disorders. I look at what might be the underlying since we have some of the top clinicians came to realize they didn’t need their cause of schizophrenia. It occurred to me in the country, and we want to bolster the brains imaged — what they needed was that we could use our mouse models to reputation on the research side. III Carrasco Ricardo to take their medications. I decided to understand what changes in brain activity Steven Siegel CENTER: Ten groups initially funded by NIDCR OGHALAI: New chair to begin Aug. 1 Continued from page 1 Continued from page 1 just two were selected, including and Neck Surgery several times. able to use stem cells to regenerate their C-DOCTOR, to continue their work Department of Otolaryngology – Oghalai received his bachelor’s own bone.” into Stage 2. A University of Michigan- Head & Neck Surgery at Stanford degree in electrical engineering From the NIDCR’s original request led group is the other awardee. University School of Medicine from the University of Wisconsin- for applications, 10 groups were selected Chai explained that, during Stage 2, since 2010. He also is director of Madison, where he also received as Stage 1 awardees, allowing them to the research team will take their study the Stanford Children’s Hearing his medical degree. He then did an continue competing for Stage 2 funding. from a small- to large-animal model to Center and has joint academic internship in general surgery and During Stage 1, the groups — com- prepare it for a Phase I clinical trial. appointments in the departments residency training in otolaryngology posed of dental clinicians, researchers, “USC already had a strong history of neurosurgery and pediatrics – head and neck surgery at Baylor engineers, biomaterials experts and and reputation in developmental biology at Stanford. He is the director of College of Medicine. During that regulatory scientists — worked together and stem cell tissue regeneration,” Chai the Clinician-Scientist Training time, he took two years off from to identify areas in which tissue regen- said of C-DOCTOR’s success in the Program in Otolaryngology – Head clinical activities for a basic science eration could improve patient outcomes competition. “But in this case, it was our and Neck Surgery at Stanford, research post-doctoral fellowship. and make an immediate impact. partnership with really strong academic which is funded by a National He completed his medical training Ostrow researchers and DDS students institutions throughout California that Institutes of Health (NIH) Ruth with a subspecialty fellowship in also surveyed craniofacial surgeons, oral really made this consortium stand out.” L. Kirschstein National Research neurotology and skull base surgery surgeons and dentists from all specialties The California-based C-DOCTOR Service Award (T32). at University of California San to determine areas of clinical need.