Endowed Faculty Appointments

Endowed faculty positions are the highest academic recognition that USC, or any university, can bestow on a professor. The status is an honor for the faculty member and an enduring tribute to the generous donor who made it possible. With approval by USC’s president, the university awards chairs, professorships, and other prestigious endowed positions to leading faculty—those whose teaching and research enhance the reputation and quality of their departments, schools, students, and the university.

Without endowed positions, it is almost impossible to recruit or retain world-class physicians, researchers, and scholars. They attract top talent, grant stature and recognition, and provide a dependable stream of financial support.

Sloan Family Endowed Professor in Neurological Surgery
Associate Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery

Frank Attenello MD, MS is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC specializing in treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors. He employs multiple surgical modalities to map and preserve neurologic function in tumor surgery including exoscopic subcortical surgery (BrainPath) and laser interstitial thermal therapy. Dr. Attenello performs both cranial surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery.

Dr. Attenello received combined BS/MS degrees in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics from Yale University. He then received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he received the institutional Harvey Cushing Neurosurgery Award and the Ronald L. Bittner national Neuro-oncology research award. His work on glioblastoma and neural stem cells at Johns Hopkins was supported by a fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He then completed his neurosurgical residency at USC, with a postdoctoral fellowship in tumor genetics at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Attenello has authored six neurosurgical book chapters and over 140 peer-reviewed manuscripts including articles in Science, BMJ, and Cancer Discovery. He was appointed Associate Scientific Advisor for Science Translational Medicine and is an editorial board member of the Journal of Neurosurgery and the Journal of Neuroscience Research.

Dr. Attenello is also principal investigator of a basic science research laboratory studying epigenetic regulation of glioma chemoresistance as well as the role of neural stem cells in brain injury. His laboratory is supported by a NIH K08 Research Career Development Award and several NIH and foundational grants, including generous patient support. In addition, Dr. Attenello directs a clinical outcomes laboratory studying factors associated with improved outcomes in patients with neurologic disease, as well as factors driving medical trainee burnout. Using data and experience gained in the laboratory, Dr. Attenello is identifying new therapies for improved patient outcomes.

Grace Whisler Professor in Medicine
Professor of Clinical Radiology, Surgery, and Pathology
Director of the Center for Advanced Visualization Technologies in Medicine (VISTA)

Dr. Summer J. Decker is the founding director of the Center for Innovation in Medical Visualization at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Decker is responsible for leading the new Center, including developing, leveraging, and promoting advanced visualization applications to accelerate biomedical research, education, and clinical care through applications such as patient-specific anatomical models for surgical planning, medical device design, 3D-printed anatomical models to elevate medical education, and immersive simulators for training.

Dr. Decker joins USC from the University of South Florida (USF) where she served as the director of the 3D Clinical Applications Division in the Department of Radiology and Vice Chair for Research and Innovation. She held appointments as Professor in the Departments of Radiology, Pathology, Surgery, and Plastic Surgery at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine at Tampa General Hospital, and Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and Medical Engineering in the USF College of Engineering. Dr. Decker’s research focuses on the clinical applications of 3D modeling and printing, quantitative analysis of medical imaging, and forensic applications of medical imaging. She holds numerous patents on medical devices developed in her lab, and she is also a dedicated educator who has led radiology teaching for medical students and residents for over a decade. Dr. Decker received her doctorate from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, specializing in Pathology and Medical Imaging.

The Dua Family Professor in Urologic Oncologic Surgery
Director, Robotic Urologic Surgery
Professor of Clinical Urology

Dr. Mihir M. Desai is Professor of Clinical Urology, Co-Director of Robotic Urologic Surgery, and Director of the Research Council in the Catherine and Joseph Aresty Department of Urology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Desai is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in robotic, laparoscopic and endourologic surgery. He comes to USC from the Cleveland Clinic where he completed his laparoscopic and robotic fellowship in 2003 and was appointed faculty at the Glickman Urological institute. There he was director of the Center for Endourology and the Endourology Fellowship Program. His innovative pioneering work includes novel techniques for treating uretero-pelvic obstruction, developing novel flexible robotic platforms and most recently the single-port (scarless belly-button) laparoscopic surgery for various urologic conditions. Dr. Desai is part of a team at USC that has the largest experience with single-port surgery in the world. Dr. Desai has received many national and international awards for his research and has been an invited faculty member to many meetings world-wide. He is on the Editorial Board of Urology and is an invited reviewer to many national and international journals. Dr. Desai has over 150 papers in peer-reviewed literature and has edited two monographs.

Verna Richter Chair in Cancer Research
Associate Director, Clinical Research

Anthony El-Khoueiry, MD, is the Associate Director for Clinical Research at USC Norris and an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. El-Khoueiry completed his medical degree, residency in internal medicine and fellowship in hematology and oncology at USC. He has extensive experience in clinical and translational research through his roles as medical director of the Clinical Investigations Support Office and director of the phase I program at the USC Norris. He is the recipient of the National Cancer Institute Cancer Investigator Team Leadership Award in 2011.

Dr. El-Khoueiry has established an international reputation in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer and in particularly in research related to hepatobiliary (liver, gall bladder and bile duct) and pancreatic cancers. He is a member of the National Cancer Institute Hepatobiliary Cancers Task Force and chair of the Southwest Oncology Group hepatobiliary cancers subcommittee. He has lead several multicenter trials in HCC such as the phase II study of guadecitabine, a novel hypomethylating agent, and a phase I/II study of the anti-PD-1 antibody Nivolumab (checkmate 040) in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma which was published in Lancet and resulted in accelerated approval by the FDA. He also served on the steering committee of international studies such as the randomized phase 3 study of cabozantinib versus placebo in patients with HCC who failed or are intolerant of sorafenib and which culminated in the approval of cabozantinib for advanced HCC. He is currently the lead investigator on an international phase Ib study combining pembrolizumab and regorefanib in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. His other research interest includes drug development as manifested through his leadership of several first-in-human trials of various novel anti-cancer therapies, including ones that were developed at USC such as PRI 724, a novel Wnt pathway inhibitor, and sEphB4-HSA, an inhibitor of the EphB4-Ephrin B2 interaction with immunomodulatory properties. Lastly, as a member of the Stand up 2 Cancer Epigenetics Dream Team and the USC PI for this collaborative grant, he dedicates part of his time to the evaluation of epigenetics drugs in various solid tumors.

Ensign Foundation and Tony Alamo, MD, Chair in Medical Education
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Medical Education (Educational Scholar)
Vice Dean for Medical Education
Chair, Department of Medical Education

Donna D. Elliott, MD, EdD, is a professor of pediatrics and medical education, vice dean for medical education and chair of the Department of Medical Education at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Elliott oversees all academic areas related to medical student education, pathway programs, and the Master of Academic Medicine and Master of Narrative Medicine programs at the Keck School. Dr. Elliott has received numerous teaching and mentoring awards including the Mellon Award for Excellence in Mentoring and the Excellence in Teaching Award both from USC. She was also named a Master Teacher at the Keck School and elected a faculty fellow at the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Elliott received the Women Leaders in Medicine Award from the American Medical Student Association and was named a Remarkable Woman of USC. Dr. Elliott received the Edithe J. Levit Distinguished Service Award from the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the national Exemplary Service Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Student Affairs in 2021. She recently completed terms as a member of the AAMC Group on Student Affairs National Steering Committee and of the Executive Board of the NBME. Dr. Elliott is currently the chair of the National Resident Matching Program Board of Directors and a member of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

Kenneth T. Norris Chair in Medicine
Chair, Department of Medicine

Susan Bailey Gurley, MD, PhD, is the chair of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Gurley joined the Keck School from the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), where she was a tenured professor in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Nephrology and Hypertension. She also served there as division head of nephrology and hypertension since 2018; associate director of the MD/PhD Program since 2020; and interim chair of the Department of Medicine since 2021.

Before her time at OHSU, Dr. Gurley served in several leadership roles at the Duke University School of Medicine, including associate vice chair for faculty development and diversity in the Department of Medicine and chief of the renal section at the Durham VA Health Care System. She is board-certified in internal medicine and in nephrology. She has a long-standing commitment to supporting scientists and clinicians who are underrepresented in science and medicine.

Her research focuses on unraveling mechanisms underlying the most common etiologies of kidney failure in the developed world — diabetic kidney disease and hypertension — and leverages the power of gene-targeting in mice and mouse models to investigate the renin-angiotensin system.

Dr. Gurley currently serves as a member of the Pathobiology of Kidney Disease Study Section for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and is on the editorial board of several journals. She is currently an associate editor of Diabetes. She earned a BA in chemistry and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Mississippi, and she received her MD from the Washington University of St. Louis. Dr. Gurley completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Duke University Medical Center, followed by a clinical fellowship and a research fellowship, both in nephrology, at Duke University Medical Center.

Stewart Dale Fordham, MD, Chair in Radiology
Chair, Department of Radiology
Associate Dean for Faculty Professional and Leadership Development

Jamlik-Omari Johnson MD, FASER, is the chair of the Department of Radiology and inaugural holder of the Stewart Dale Fordham, MD, Chair in Radiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Johnson joined the Keck School from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, where he held numerous leadership roles in addition to his work as a professor, including the first director of the division of emergency and trauma radiology; the founding program director of the Emergency Radiology Fellowship; vice chair for diversity, equity and inclusion; and chief of radiology at Emory University Midtown Hospital. He completed his undergraduate degree with honors from Brown University in health care organization and policy, medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, and completed his surgical internship and radiology training at Columbia University.

Following training, he ventured into private practice in the emergency teleradiology domain. In addition to his clinical focus on trauma, emergency, and acute care imaging, he was involved in quality, client relations, and strategic practice growth. He was recruited into the academic arena and spent four years on faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard University. In addition to honing his clinical skills, he ignited his research interests and completed a two-year, multi-disciplinary leadership intensive sponsored by MGH/Harvard.

Throughout his private practice and academic career, Dr. Johnson has championed the recognition of emergency imaging as an essential radiology subspecialty, and closely partnered with his clinical colleagues in the emergency department. His research and operational efforts focus on process improvement, systems’ efficiencies and efficacies, and equitable delivery of health care services.

Dr. Johnson has become a nationally recognized leader in the organization and advocacy of emergency radiology. He holds leadership positions in two national medical associations: president of the American Society of Emergency Radiology and, more recently, fellow of the American College of Radiology — a lifetime honor reserved for fewer than 15 percent of the country’s radiologists.

Barbara and Houchang Modanlou Endowed Professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine
Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology
Chief, Fetal Monitoring Program

David A. Miller, MD, is the Director of the CHLA-USC Institute for Maternal-Fetal Health, a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional center specializing in fetal and neonatal diagnosis and therapy. Board certified in obstetrics, gynecology, and maternal-fetal medicine, Dr. Miller’s academic interests include antepartum and intrapartum fetal evaluation with emphasis on fetal physiology and effective, standardized methods of training in electronic fetal heart rate monitoring. Dr. Miller has served as a peer reviewer for a number of noted medical journals that focus on obstetrics and gynecology, and he is the co-author of the text, Fetal Monitoring and Assessment, 7th edition.

W.M. Keck Chair in Physiology and Biophysics
Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience
Director of the Neuroscience Translational Research Division of ATRI

Dr. Rissman is Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience. He is the founding Director of the Neuroscience Translational Research Division and the ATRI Biomarker Laboratory and Biorepository. He is the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) Biorepository Unit Lead.

The ATRI facility is comprised by a wet laboratory and a large biorepository of -80 freezers to store specimens from clinical trials and longitudinal cohort studies. Using single analyte and multiplex bioassays, the goal of the lab is to identify biomarkers for preclinical AD and better understand how treatment parameters may impact these biomarkers. Concurrently with work at ATRI, Dr. Rissman is a PI at the VA San Diego, Professor of Neurosciences at UC San Diego and leads the ADCS Biomarker Core and ADRC Neuropathology Core.

Dr. Rissman’s basic science research is focused on novel biomarker discovery in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and preclinical studies in experimental. A major focus of his lab in AD biomarkers is on the utility and mechanistic underpinnings of neuronal exosomes and his group has published manuscripts demonstrating the ability of tau and abeta in neuronal exosomes to predict conversion from MCI to AD. The lab also investigates the contribution of stress and changes in stress signaling intermediates in Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology. Using transgenic mice and in vivo pharmacology, experiments are focused on identifying the role of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors in beta-amyloid deposition, tau phosphorylation and behavioral and synaptic changes.

Ensign Foundation and Tony Alamo, MD Professor in Gynecologic
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Division Chief, Gynecologic Oncology
Director, Gynecology Oncology Fellowship

Dr. Lynda D. Roman serves as Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Southern California, as well as the Director of Research and the Fellowship Program Director. Dr. Roman is also the co-director of the Lynne Cohen & Georgia Cord Preventive Cancer Care Clinic at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. She serves on the governing council of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists. She completed her fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas in 1991.

Royce and Mary Trotter Chair in Cancer Research
Associate Professor of Translational Genomics
Interim Chair of the Department of Translational Genomics

Dr. Salhia is a translational genomics scientist with extensive knowledge and expertise in mechanisms that underlie tumorigenesis and tumor biology. She merges cutting edge genomics and epigenomics analyses with cell biological and functional studies towards the investigation of clinically relevant problems in human cancer. During her graduate training, Dr. Salhia focused on understanding the molecular and cellular determinants of glioma invasion. Her post-doctoral work focused on the genomics and epigenomics of breast cancer metastasis and multiple myeloma. She also characterized the function of AKT1(E17K) in breast cancer and performed immunophenotypic analysis of breast cancer in North Africa. Dr. Salhia leads numerous DNA methylation studies using a plethora of both array and sequencing based technologies to measure whole genome and targeted CpG methylation changes in a variety of cancer types. Dr. Salhia utilizes these data to develop DNA methylation liquid biopsies. Her lab is in the process of validating a DNA methylation liquid biopsy for breast cancer recurrence which would indicate patients with evidence of micrometastatic residual disease that are therefore likely to experience a recurrence. Dr. Salhia’s lab also has research efforts in experimental therapeutics of brain metastasis by utilizing patient-derived xenografts and cell lines to identify novel treatment methods for this dismal disease.

Dr. Salhia finds it extremely important to connect with the people her research serves. She has volunteered with the Arizona Myeloma Network, The Wellness Community, and Susan G. Komen affiliate in Phoenix. Dr. Salhia has travelled to Egypt as a US Delegate with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to raise awareness about breast cancer, and she has worked with the Navajo Nation in Arizona. She served as a Community Outreach Ambassador and was a member of the Board of Directors for Susan G. Komen for the Cure Arizona between 2012-2016. Dr. Salhia has received numerous community awards, including a service award by the Arizona Myeloma Network. Dr. Salhia was named one of 20 Faces of Komen in 2012 and 2013, was the recipient of the Phoenix Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40 award in 2014.