A Helpful Heart

Alfred E. Mann—a visionary inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist—pioneered an astonishing number of medical devices over five decades, as he launched 17 companies, primarily in the biomedical engineering and aerospace industries.

Mann’s revolutionary ideas included the first rechargeable cardiac pacemaker, insulin pumps and inhalable insulin for diabetes, cochlear implants for the deaf, retinal implants to help the blind see, and a movable prosthetic hand controlled by the brain.

For the former USC Life Trustee the motivation was simple: “I get so much satisfaction out of helping people,” said Mann, who died in 2016 at the age of 90.

So there’s little doubt he would be delighted with the latest demonstration of his impact—a
$10 million gift in December 2024 by Alfred E. Mann Charities to Keck Medicine of USC and the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

The pivotal donation will serve as an anchor gift for the state-of-the-art USC Cardiac and Vascular Pavilion within the USC Cardiac and Vascular Institute (CVI) at Keck Hospital of USC, as well as fund research and a fellowship program in the USC Neuro Revascularization (NRV) Center, and breakthrough medical imaging in the USC Center for Innovation in Medical Visualization. In addition, the gift establishes the Alfred E. Mann Chair in Cardiac Surgery.

“With significant support from the Alfred E. Mann Charities, the bold and brilliant minds at USC will make a lasting impact on the fields of cardiac and vascular care, surgery, neurosurgery, and imaging that can extend worldwide,” said Rodney B. Hanners, Chief Executive Officer,
Keck Medicine.

The stewards of Mann’s legacy are excited about the breakthroughs to come.

“We are pleased to help support such a distinguished and dedicated group in this important lifesaving and life-enhancing work,” says Mike Dreyer, President of Alfred E. Mann Charities.

“And we look forward to learning about new discoveries by these amazing doctors,” added Anoosheh Bostani, Mann Charities CFO, “and their relentless passion for science and improving the lives of so many.”

A Home for Lifesaving Work

The USC Cardiac and Vascular Pavilion will provide a unique collaborative environment for surgeons, cardiologists, stem cell experts, imaging scientists and more to share ideas and spur advances.

Picture state-of-the-art laboratories that are home to the latest minimally invasive endovascular procedures inside the blood vessels, surgical planning supercharged by 3D-printed replicas of human hearts and custom medical devices, and hybrid operating suites where surgeons can perform image-guided procedures and open surgeries in the same room without having to move the patient to different areas.

Bringing individualized care full circle, highly trained support teams will tend to heart and vascular patients in pre- and post-procedure recovery bays and a specialty cardiovascular intensive care unit.

Fast forward over the next five to 10 years and the possibilities multiply. Imagine scientists being able to bioprint human organs and living tissue, thanks to a partnership of stem cell science and advanced imaging, or to routinely use a cell-to-cell transport system to send a patient’s DNA to the heart to prevent damage and encourage repair.

“This gift is transformational for the Cardiac and Vascular Institute,” said Vaughn Starnes, MD, Chair of Surgery and H. Russell Smith Foundation Chair for Stem Cell and Cardiovascular Thoracic Research, who founded the USC CVI in 2020 to inspire a close partnership between surgeons and cardiologists. “Thanks to the Mann Charities, we will continue pushing the boundaries to offer the latest technologies and patient care.”

Caring for the Brain

The USC Neuro Revascularization (NRV) Center is a unique collaboration between neurosurgery, plastic/reconstructive surgery and vascular/cardiothoracic surgery to provide innovative surgical solutions to complex vascular problems. Led by Jonathan J. Russin, MD and co-directors Joseph Carey M.D. and Sukgu Han M.D., the NRV Center focuses on treatment strategies to help preserve functionality, prevent disability and improve quality of life.

In the NRV Center, clinical care, research, and education is driven by our patients’ needs rather than by titles or department names. Through collaborative innovation and choreographed surgical procedures invented at USC, our specialists reduce the risk in potentially fatal or debilitating conditions, such as cerebral stroke, spinal cord stroke in aortic aneurysm patients, cerebral aneurysms and other vascular pathologies such as moyamoya disease.

A previous gift of $500,000 by Alfred E. Mann Charities enabled the NRV Center to accelerate novel scientific and surgical strategies, integrate technology into clinical solutions, and offer novel educational opportunities. This new pledge represents a continued investment in the USC NRV Center and the patients we care for.

“Mann Charities’ deliberate, and sustained support defines USC as the leader in neuro revascularization and will accelerate our collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to vascular disease” says Jonathan Russin, MD, Director of the NRV Center at Keck Medicine of USC. “Our novel approach is not an assembly-line model but instead a true immersion of subspecialists, both in and out of the OR, dedicated to improving the lives of our patients.”

Shaping a Model Future

The new USC Center for Innovation in Medical Visualization will be embedded within the USC Cardiac and Vascular Institute, giving cardiac and vascular surgeons convenient access to the latest imaging capabilities, such as 3D-printed models of human organs and custom cutting guides for surgical patients.

“Experiencing a tangible belief in our work by the Alfred E. Mann Charities means we will have an opportunity to establish our center as a destination for 3D medical technologies in Los Angeles and nationwide,” says Summer Decker, PhD, founding director.

The Center for Innovation’s anatomical models are employed for surgical planning, medical device design, and patient education. Innovation and advancements in 3D printing will bring us closer to the next realm of medicine: 3D printed tissues such as bioprinted heart valves and ventricles. Dr. Decker and her associate, Jonathan M. Ford, PhD, hold several patents for 3D modeling and printing and tailor-made medical devices—an echo of Mann’s medical patents.

The creation of the Alfred E. Mann Chair in Cardiac Surgery further spotlights the inventor’s name in the cardiovascular arena. This spring, Craig Baker, MD, chief of the division of cardiac surgery and program director for thoracic surgery at Keck School of Medicine of USC, was appointed as the the inaugural chairholder.

“An endowed chair is among the highest honors we can bestow on our physician scientists,” says Carolyn Meltzer, MD, dean, Keck School of Medicine of USC. “On a practical level, the chair serves as enduring support for clinical innovation, research, and educational initiatives, as well as reinforcement of USC’s leadership in this critical field.”

The not-so-silent partner on the team bringing the USC Keck project to fruition is Alfred Mann himself. “I have had the good fortune to join with committed people who have worked with me to help others and create value for all constituents,” he once said, in a sentiment appropriate to the current occasion.