Health Research and Scholarship Across USC Dornsife
At USC Dornsife, we don’t make hard distinctions between art and science. We explore the entire range of complexities that affect human health. Together with collaborators across the university, our experts explore everything from the fundamental molecular mechanisms underpinning biology to the ways that culture and traditions influence therapeutics.
New Discoveries, Groundbreaking Research
At USC Dornsife, experts work across disciplines to find new ways of thinking about health and human wellbeing.
Read the recent Health and Well-being Issue of USC Dornsife Magazine
Recent Health News
Over a million US children scarred by drug overdoses
As of 2019, more than 1.4 million children have lost a family member to a drug overdose, with younger children increasingly affected, according to a USC Dornsife study.
Restricting sugar before birth and in early childhood greatly reduces risk of chronic disease later in life
Researchers at USC Dornsife, UC Berkeley and McGill University take advantage of a “natural experiment” from World War II to analyze how sugar rationing influences long-term health.
Common drug shows promise in extending lifespan
Scientists say mifepristone, used in cancer and reproductive care, could pave the way for anti-aging treatments.
How does our gut impact our health? USC Dornsife scholars give answers
Experts explain how our gut, and the trillions of microorganisms within, can influence our mood, cognition and overall health.
Falling for financial scams? It may signal early Alzheimer’s disease
New USC Dornsife research reveals a link between the thickness of a certain brain region and vulnerability to financial exploitation in older adults.
In an epidemic of loneliness, USC Researchers have answers
Feelings of isolation have skyrocketed in America. USC Dornsife scholars examine the complicated causes.
Crunching Codes, Crafting Cures
How USC Dornsife is writing the formula for the future of medicine.
A novel approach to medicine
Narrative medicine uses humanities tools to train medical students to be better listeners — and as a result, better doctors.
A new blood test could could affect how Alzheimer’s is diagnosed
Soeren Mattke, director of the Brain Health Observatory at the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research, discusses how a new blood test could affect how Alzheimer’s treatment and prevention.
Take it from the rats: A junk food diet can cause long-term damage to adolescent brains
Rats fed a diet full of fat and sugar in adolescence suffered memory impairment, USC researchers found. The study reinforces the important link between the gut and the brain.
New research shows “you are what … or rather … where you eat”
Strategies to promote healthy food choices have targeted neighborhoods lacking healthy, affordable eating options. A new study suggests a different approach by analyzing where people eat beyond their home neighborhoods.
Missed diagnosis: The hidden crisis of mild cognitive impairment in America
Two new USC Dornsife studies suggest that of the 8 million Americans who have MCI, more than 90% don’t know it — an especially worrisome finding since early diagnosis is key to delaying onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Could a simple blood test detect cancer?
USC Dornsife physicist Peter Kuhn discusses his breakthrough breast cancer detection test, which could potentially upend how we diagnose many types of cancer.
Brain scans reveal that lonely people process the world in unique ways
USC Dornsife psychology researcher compares brain images of people who are lonely with those of people who are not lonely and discovers significant differences in their brain processing patterns.
AI Sheds New Light on the ‘Code of Life’
USC Dornsife researchers employ artificial intelligence to unveil the intricate world of DNA structure and chemistry, enabling unprecedented insights into gene regulation and disease.
The cancer solution we need: uniting experts from science, engineering and the humanities
Scientists from USC Dornsife and Cedars-Sinai rally scholars around the country and in diverse fields to find better ways of beating cancer.
Medicine from garbage? New process shows promise turning plastic trash into pharmaceuticals
The novel method developed by USC pharmacy and chemistry researchers has exciting implications for plastic waste collecting on Catalina Island and L.A.-area beaches.
Fatherhood changes men’s brains, according to before-and-after MRI scans
Neuroscientists know that pregnant mothers’ brains change in ways that appear to help with caring for a baby. Now researchers have identified changes in new fathers’ brains, too.
What’s the healthiest diet? Experts give tips for optimal eating and debunk myths
Sifting through nutritional recommendations has become increasingly complicated. USC experts on healthy behavior, diet and aging recently discussed the best way to eat for optimal health.
What older adults do while they sit affects dementia risk, study indicates
Researchers at USC Dornsife exploring the link between sedentary behavior and risk of dementia found that type of activity matters when it comes to brain aging.
Another reason why you should exercise: It helps your brain
Evolutionary biologist David Raichlen of USC Dornsife talks about how our brains developed when we began moving long distances and the “runner’s high.”
Black History Month: health, wellness and a generous dose of joy
USC experts examine Black health and wellness, the national theme for Black History Month 2022. It shifts the public mindset to a more positive and mindful perspective.
Unraveling the Building Blocks of Life
Think of a cell as a tremendously complicated little machine made up of many different biomolecules such as proteins, DNA, RNA, and metabolites. Until we can explore exactly what is happening deep inside the cell and from many angles, it is difficult to fix these little machines when they break. It’s no longer impossible. Today, USC Dornsife scientists are providing unprecedented access to the building blocks of life — their structures, how they interact, and how they influence our health.
Mental Health
Physical and mental health are inextricably connected. Yet, the public dialogue frequently casts mental health in the background, and those who suffer from disorders are often stigmatized. By not only developing treatments and interventions for mental health problems but also illuminating the profound benefits of robust mental health to the public good, experts at USC Dornsife are setting new standards for our collective approach to improving human wellbeing.
Healthcare Access and Equity
A person’s background, geographic location, or income level often factors heavily into the quality of healthcare and healthy food options available. USC Dornsife experts are exploring ways to overcome the barriers that prevent underserved populations from taking advantage of the very best treatments and interventions. With creativity and compassion, we can transform healthcare systems to support a more robust, productive, and equitable future for people of all backgrounds.
Cancer
While cancer “moonshots” offer tremendous hope for the future, a revolution in treatment and prevention is already improving the outlook for millions of cancer patients worldwide. From the development of personalized therapies and targeted drugs to noninvasive screening tools and early-detection methods that rely on prediction science, scientists at USC Dornsife are expanding the arsenal in the fight against cancer.
Expressions and Experiences of Human Health
All too often, the stories and cultural traditions that impact health are overlooked in favor of treating physical symptoms alone. At USC Dornsife, experts emphasize the need to integrate all the factors that make us human into our efforts to improve wellbeing. They investigate the history of medicine, the different ways that we frame illness, and the social norms that contribute more to our healthcare than we had ever known.
Advanced Imaging and Medical Technology
Home to some of the most advanced technology on the planet, USC Dornsife researchers are providing unprecedented ways of seeing molecules and cells, leveraging big data to create medicine, and partnering with industry to accelerate the future of human health.
Cryo-electron Microscopes
To solve some of humanity’s greatest health challenges, scientists need to see small — so small, in fact, that they can see what is happening inside individual molecules. This once impossible feat is happening now at USC, where two of the world’s most advanced cryo-electron microscopes (Cryo-EMs) are housed on campus — the result of a partnership with biotech giant Amgen and instrument maker Thermo Fisher Scientific. These powerful microscopes allow scientists to take snapshots of biological molecules in three dimensions by freezing them in place. The tool also enables researchers to see how molecules act in the presence of other molecules, which is critical for the development and acceleration of new drug therapies.
Environmental economist Paulina Oliva studied what exposure to air pollution does to the mind and the economy. Using data from urban Chinese populations, she found that pollution spikes correspond to higher rates of mental illness and cost China $23 billion in unnecessary health expenditures. Oliva’s research, which focuses primarily on economics in the developing world, has also provided insights on the connection between rising temperatures and infant mortality as well as the inequitable distribution of environmental damages affecting the health of underserved populations.
Decoding Cancer: One Cell At A Time
USC Dornsife Professor of molecular biology Susan Forsburg studies how chromosome duplication and maintenance contributes to overall genome stability in a model genetic system. Loss of genome integrity and deregulation of cell division is associated with cancer, so this is a fundamental form of cancer research.
