Research at the Keck School of Medicine attains a level of critical mass within its research centers and programs. Built on faculty excellence, innovation and collaboration, Keck’s research centers and programs draw upon the expertise of physicians, scientists and engineers from across the school and the university, as well as local, national and international affiliates.
The centers are housed within the academic departments, research institutes with departmental status, or the office of research advancement. Some have a physical presence while others are virtual centers. All are designed to leverage the full spectrum of collegial opportunities and resources available across the schools of USC. All offer a lively intellectual environment that fosters creative, innovative approaches to research.
Alzheimer Disease Research Center (Memory and Aging)
The center provides participants with access to leading-edge studies of new medications, clinical trials and treatments that advance our knowledge of memory problems associated with aging. Over the past 30 years, USC physicians and researchers have made major contributions to our knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease, vascular brain injury and memory problems.
Biomimetic MicroElectronic Systems
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the goal of this center is to develop the science and engineering of novel biomimetic microelectronic systems based on fundamental principles of biology. The newly developed systems will allow bidirectional communication with tissue and by doing so enable implantable/portable microelectronic devices to treat presently incurable human diseases such as blindness, paralysis and memory loss. This center is jointly supported by the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research
Our investigators are exploring the normal mechanisms that build, maintain and repair our body systems to develop knowledge-based approaches for regenerative medicine. Scientists are researching kidney, liver, neural, blood, cardiovascular, skeletal and skin disease models. The center serves as a hub for USC Stem Cell, which connects researchers in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine across USC.
Center for Applied Molecular Medicine
This center comprises a multidisciplinary team of investigators dedicated to furthering the development and use of proteomic technologies to guide doctors in patient management decisions. The center is based within the Department of Medicine.
Center for Applied Network Analysis
The Center for Applied Network Analysis (CANA) hosts a twice monthly, two-hour lab meeting in which students, postdoctoral candidates and faculty present work in progress. CANA meetings cover a diverse set of topics centered around conducting research using the social network approach. CANA also organizes workshops on technology and techniques for conducting analysis.
Center for Genetic Epidemiology
The Center for Genetic Epidemiology studies the genetic factors that contribute to disease, with a major focus on diverse populations that have different risks of developing disease. The center also concentrates on the establishment of population-based resources and the development and application of genomic methods for understanding the genetic basis of disease.
Center for Health Equity in the Americas
The Center for Health Equity in the Americas (CenHealth) conducts and promotes research and collaborations that address health equity in vulnerable populations throughout North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. CenHealth’s mission is to eliminate health disparities by encouraging and facilitating research in the Americas.
Center for Image Acquisition
The Center for Image Acquisition is an MRI facility housing a Siemens Magnetom Prisma, a new 3 Tesla MRI scanner and a Siemens Magnetom 7T MRI scanner. Opened in 2016, the center is part of the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, which aims to enhance discovery through the application of imaging and information technologies in the study of the brain.
Center for Integrative Connectomics
The Center for Integrative Connectomics, home of the Mouse Connectome Project (MCP), seeks to develop a multimodal, multiscale connectome and cell-type map of the mammalian brain using advanced tracing, imaging and computational methods. The center’s multidisciplinary team develops neuroanatomic and neuroinformatic approaches in order to understand connectivity patterns in both health and disease.
MADRES – Center for Environmental Health Disparities
The MADRES Center facilitates research efforts, research translation and dissemination, capacity building, and mentoring in its efforts to identify opportunities for policy, clinical, and programmatic interventions to increase environmental and health equity for Los Angeles communities disproportionately impacted by obesity and environmental chemical pollutants. MADRES Center is based within the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences.
MESH Academy
The MESH Academy is a joint initiative of the Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Office of the Provost. The mission of the MESH Academy is to empower the convergence of research disciplines to address challenges in human health and disease.
Research Center for Liver Diseases
The key goal of the Research Center for Liver Diseases is the facilitation and fostering of interdisciplinary collaborative research, which leads to a better understanding of the pathobiology of diseases of the liver and digestive tract and the development of new treatments for these diseases.
Southern California Center for Children’s Environmental Health Research Translation
The mission of the Southern California Center for Children’s Environmental Health Translational Research is to reduce the burden of childhood air pollution-related diseases by building an innovative framework for multidirectional engagement in which communities, government and civil society use science to develop solutions, with a focus on environmental justice communities. The theme of the Center is Urbanism, Air Pollution, Children’s Health and Environmental Justice. The Center framework includes novel approaches to youth engagement and community science, urban design and policy solutions, and communication and public knowledge.
Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center and Children’s Environmental Health Center
This center studies the effects of the environment on human health, concentrating on air quality and the multiethnic populations of California and the Pacific Rim. The center is based within the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences.
Southern California Research Center for ALPD and Cirrhosis
Funded in 1999 by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the Southern California Research Center for Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Diseases (ALPD) and Cirrhosis unifies 60 investigators from major academic institutions in Southern California to pursue a common mission of being a leader in research, training, and outreach for the diseases.
USC+CHLA Alpha Clinic
The USC+CHLA Alpha Clinic is one of nine Alpha Clinics (ACs) funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) at top medical centers in California. With its AC network partners, the USC+CHLA Alpha Clinic engages patients, clinicians, researchers, community providers and community members in clinical research, education and outreach to accelerate the development and delivery of regenerative medicine treatments to patients from all backgrounds.
USC Gehr Family Center for Health Systems Science
The USC Gehr Family Center for Health Systems Science aims to accelerate the adoption of high-value and equitable health care for the Los Angeles community and nationwide, through science, advocacy and education. The center’s mission is to help collaborating health systems deliver better, more efficient care and to learn about the science of health care delivery in the process.
USC Hastings Center for Pulmonary Research
The USC Hastings Center for Pulmonary Research (HCPR) is making strides to combat lung disease through scientific investigations into the biology of lung injury, repair and regeneration. As part of its mission, HCPR seeks to expand and enhance pulmonary research through the creation of interdisciplinary research programs, enhanced training and career development, and targeted faculty recruitments.
USC Imaging Genetics Center
The Imaging Genetics Center (IGC) is a research team of neuroscientists, engineers, medical doctors and computer scientists who are studying brain imaging, genetics and the connections between them. For 20 years, IGC has made advances in understanding major diseases and disorders of the human brain.
USC Neurorestoration Center
The USC Neurorestoration Center is a multi-institution collaboration for breakthrough discoveries that, for the first time, bring together neural engineering, neuroscience and neurorehabilitation to restore neurological function in the human brain. Driven by patient needs and further refined within our world-class clinical programs, strategies created by the center aim to restore an injured or diseased nervous system by developing new technologies that harness advances in basic neuroscience and neural engineering.
USC/UKRO Kidney Research Center
USC/UKRO Kidney Research Center (KRC) conducts basic, translational and clinical research into kidney diseases in the United States. KRC’s mission is to promote innovative clinical research that significantly contributes to advances that improve the health of people living with kidney disease.
To view a comprehensive list of all USC research centers and facilities, visit the University Research website.