USC Institute of Urology receives $13.3 million gift
USC president C. L. Max Nikias, appearing at a meeting of the USC Institute of Urology on Feb. 7, announced an anonymous gift of $13.3 million that will fund the forthcoming USC Urology Robotics Center of Excellence and a program for prostate cancer targeting.
Inderbir S. Gill, professor and chairman of the Catherine & Joseph Aresty Department of Urology, executive director of the USC Institute of Urology, and associate dean of clinical innovation at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, presented updates on the department’s advancements since his arrival in 2009 and his plans for the future.
“Today the USC Institute of Urology is an internationally renowned powerhouse in robotic and open surgery. Tomorrow we look forward to being a comprehensive world leader in urology,” Nikias said. “Surgeries that were once considered fantasies are now a fact. The Institute of Urology is helping to redefine and reshape the field of urology.”
After joining USC in April 2009, Gill quickly built his team in three months. The department consists of 21 faculty physicians and researchers, 18 urology residents, 10 postgraduate fellows, five physician assistants and 29 staff members.
Gill emphasized that his team’s focus is on innovation and research, developing top clinical programs, growing the USC clinical enterprise and creating targeted outreach satellites.
“To be successful, you need a market differentiator,” he said. “A true market differentiator implies being the world’s best at a specific endeavor, which also drives your economic engine.
“You are lucky if you have one true market differentiator. USC urology has two: robotic kidney and prostate cancer surgery, and open bladder cancer surgery. We [also] lead in epigenetics research.”
Since Gill joined USC, the Institute of Urology has grown significantly: Clinic visits, major urologic surgeries and inpatient admissions rose by 35 percent, 86 percent and 78 percent, respectively. As a result, from 2010 to 2012, annual departmental collections increased by 68 percent. Peer-reviewed publications increased by 84 percent, and in 2012, the department’s research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaled $3.3 million.
As a testament to its excellence, in 2011, the USC Institute of Urology was ranked second in the nation by the NIH and 18th in the nation in U.S. News & World Report rankings.
The institute also is actively extending its services around the world. As an example, Gill is leading a group of USC urology surgeons to China next month as a follow-up to its 2011 China trip.
From left, Inderbir S. Gill, Niki Nikias and USC president C. L. Max Nikias