Once painfully shy, this alum is now USC’s director of belonging
It took a while for Cat Moore to learn how to create meaningful relationships. Now she’s helping USC students overcome the challenges and isolation caused by the pandemic.
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Keck Medicine of USC vaccinates elderly relatives of hospital staff
Roughly 300 family members of Keck Medicine’s environmental services, cafeteria and warehouse workers were vaccinated over the weekend in an effort to further combat COVID-19 disparities in L.A.
Multi-continental study examines brain scans of HIV-positive patients
By analyzing MRI data from patients around the globe, USC researchers are learning how HIV can lead to cognitive challenges, especially as the brain ages.
Universal COVID-19 vaccine adoption will require a coordinated and creative strategy
Make it easy to schedule appointments. Ensure the process is fair and transparent. USC experts lay out a plan to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible.
Why Los Angeles County should not return to ‘normal’ after the pandemic
COVID-19 exposed deep social and economic vulnerabilities in L.A. County, according to a report co-authored by USC researchers — and there’s no better time than now to correct them.
Los Angeles Times
Why the mob thought attacking the Capitol was their ‘1776 moment’
The storming of the Capitol illustrates how the language of patriotism and revolution has been co-opted to excuse behavior that could be described as inciting an insurrection, USC Gould’s Franita Tolson writes in an op-ed.
MarketWatch.com
The U.S. is overlooking a powerful tool to loosen the COVID-19 vaccine logjam
Local pharmacies are ideally suited for the job, notes Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos of the USC School of Pharmacy. For starters, they’re convenient — and neighborhood pharmacists often already have a relationship with their customers.
Business Insider
Months after George Floyd’s death, companies are still ‘diversity washing’ instead of making actual changes
While some companies are making real progress, an op-ed from USC Marshall’s Susan Harmeling and a colleague issues a warning: Some overtures may be nothing more than slogans for an Instagram feed or cynical marketing opportunities.
U.S. News & World Report
Stressed out in lockdown, America’s young adults are overeating
Nearly half of those surveyed said they were using food to cope with the pandemic, said Tyler Mason of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. And women were more likely to be doing so.
KNBC-TV
USC will be able to conduct 100,000 COVID-19 tests per week this spring
It’s a huge jump from fall’s 5,000 tests per week. Most results will be ready on the same day as the test.
Los Angeles Daily News
L.A. County cities face a tough task if serious about own public health departments
Only a handful of L.A. County cities have their own health departments. Those that might want to set one up face an uphill battle for staff, funding, accreditation and more, says USC Price’s Howard Greenwald.
The New York Times
What’s between 30 million Americans and an eviction tsunami?
USC Price’s Gary Painter proposes that the government finance 10-year, low-interest loans so tenants can pay their accrued back rent — a program ideally subsidized and negotiated with landlords.
CNN
As COVID-19 cases surge, health care workers say PPE is still a struggle
California hospitals fared better in the beginning of the pandemic and were able to stockpile PPE early on as they watched what was unfolding in the Northeast, notes Sunny Jha of the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Foster youth face enough hardships — the path to college shouldn’t be one of them
Transition to adulthood is much more complex for foster youth compared to those growing up outside the foster care system, write Rachel Kuebler and Rachelle Rivera, graduate students at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
Variety
USC screen scoring diversity scholarship expands opportunities for Black composers
Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Bleeding Fingers Music have established a Screen Scoring Diversity Scholarship for Black composition students at the USC Thornton School of Music. The scholarship is funded by a gift from Quincy Jones and will cover the full cost of the school’s Screen Scoring master’s program.
Psychology Today
New AI predicts movie ratings before filming
The machine learning model, which analyzes language data in a movie script, was developed by USC researchers in collaboration with a UCLA colleague.
KCET
Even with museums closed, art finds a way through public spaces
Art can help us make sense of these charged, complex and difficult times, says USC Dornsife’s Enrique Martínez Celaya. And Amelia Jones of the USC Roski School of Art and Design notes that art displayed in public needs to reflect the current conditions — not just be plunked down without context.
Newly discovered mutation increases diabetes risk in Japanese men
Results likely apply to all East Asian carriers, but exercise may eliminate greater likelihood of getting the disease, say USC researchers.
Derrell ‘Turk’ Marshall, offensive tackle on USC’s 1988 Rose Bowl team
He was a seven-game starter at right tackle on the 1988 squad that won its first 10 games and rose to a No. 2 national ranking.
COVID-19: Update on campus vaccinations for those 65 and older
USC Student Health will be opening vaccination appointments to faculty, emeriti, students and staff who are 65 and older.
Richard Lindheim, 81, founder of the USC Institute for Creative Technologies
Along with founding Paramount Digital Entertainment and creating beloved TV shows, Lindheim — who passed away on Jan. 18 — helped unite academia and technology to advance military training.
Half of U.S. adults don’t wear masks around people outside their households
Though a large majority of Americans believe wearing a mask provides protection from COVID-19, USC research finds that many — including 3 in 10 Angelenos — still don’t wear them in high-risk situations.
Wetlands have saved Australia $27 billion in storm damage over the past five decades
Tropical storms have caused about $3 billion in damage in Australia over 50 years — a figure that would have been 10 times larger if not for coastal wetlands, a USC researcher and colleague found.
COVID-19, suicide and substandard medical care driving high rate of death among ICE detainees
Deaths among ICE detainees increased sevenfold since April 2018 despite far fewer people being in custody, a USC study shows.
Bold initiative strengthens partnerships with local diverse businesses
Office of Business Diversity and Economic Opportunity will connect with small businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans.
USC Dornsife launches first undergraduate civil rights advocacy clinic in U.S.
Led by noted civil rights attorney Olu Orange, the Agents of Change Initiative enables students to participate in key areas of social reform.
USC’s Crosstown project launches national data journalism partnership
Tools and training from USC will help newsrooms in Louisiana and North Carolina access and transform data into high-impact local journalism.
‘Exercise protein’ shows potential to restore physical fitness and performance
Data from hormone research reveal new target for reversing age-related decline, according to USC study.
Expect political polarization and fake news to persist throughout 2021
New survey results from USC Annenberg’s Center for Public Relations deem it unlikely that a Joe Biden presidency will inspire national unity or limit the spread of conspiracy theories.
Jon Arnett, 85, USC football and L.A. Rams running back great
“Jaguar Jon” excelled as both a running back and punt and kickoff returner.
Relief and excitement as USC pharmacy teams vaccinate front-line health care workers
USC School of Pharmacy students rush to volunteer at L.A. County clinics, helping to administer the COVID-19 vaccine in hard-hit communities.
USC celebrates the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Students, faculty, staff and community members come together to recognize the life and legacy of the civil rights leader.
What if silent heart attacks could be diagnosed at home?
USC researchers are creating a new approach to detecting heart attacks that will allow patients to get potentially lifesaving treatment earlier.
Combining two walking therapies to help stroke survivors
USC researchers study how combining two rehabilitation approaches might improve outcomes for survivors of stroke who are having trouble getting around.
Seven new films that tell the stories of older adults
Caroline Cicero of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology recommends a crop of recent movies that tackle important topics like caregiving and living with dementia.
Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. during a moment of racial reckoning
USC experts examine the civil rights leader’s life and legacy amid protests for racial justice and riots aimed at disrupting democracy.
The inauguration of Joe Biden: Can he bring together a fractured America?
With COVID-19 spreading, unemployment rising and insurrection in our nation’s capital, the 46th president will have his work cut out for him. USC experts examine the many challenges Biden will face.
Pioneering professors’ innovations make the most of remote learning
President Carol L. Folt sits down with Emily Nix, whose teaching hack generated more than 100,000 social media views, and Jack Feinberg, who revolutionized the way lab experiments are carried out.
A sequel 17 years in the making: How a USC staffer’s side project became the perfect follow-up to his cult hit
Though Patricio Ginelsa only makes films in his spare time, his recent passion project, Lumpia with a Vengeance, is winning awards and charming audiences.
COVID-19 reduced U.S. life expectancy, especially among Black and Latino populations
Americans’ life expectancy at birth is projected to shorten by 1.13 years, the largest single-year decline in at least four decades, according to USC researchers.
Social work professor and alum appointed to L.A. County Crime Victims Advisory Board
Susan Hess, clinical associate professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, and alumna Patricia Ramirez were named two of the board’s six founding members.