Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

About the Division

The Division provides services in seven Intensive Care Units, three at Los Angeles General Medical Center, four at KH, and one at Norris. Consultative services to inpatients are provided at Los Angeles General Medical Center, KH and Norris. Annually, more than 4,500 patients are seen in the weekly Continuity Chest Clinic, Pulmonary-HIV Clinic and Pulmonary-Rehab Clinic, with consultations provided on over 600 patients annually at Los Angeles General Medical Center. More than 1,060 private outpatient visits were conducted at Healthcare Center 2 (HC2) in 2015, and more than 700 bronchoscopic examinations and other diagnostic procedures were performed by the Division, providing a wealth of opportunities for trainees to rapidly achieve procedural competence. The Division prides itself on the quality, depth and breadth of its clinical services. Patient satisfaction and state-of-the-art pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine services in a cordial, professional manner remain our primary clinical objectives.

Basic and applied research are the cornerstones of the Division, long known for cutting edge mechanistic studies in regulation of function and biology of the pulmonary alveolar epithelium. Applied research areas include gene regulation in lung injury and repair, immunology in lung transplantation and asthma, nanoparticle trafficking across alveolar epithelium, therapeutic interventions in interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis, stem cell biology in lung injury/fibrosis, and outcomes in critical care, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis and venous thromboembolism. Division faculty and fellows published 24 peer-reviewed research papers and received more than $5.3 million in research funds in the period from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015.

The Division of PCCSM remains strongly committed to providing the best possible educational environment and learning opportunities for USC medical students, residents, fellowship trainees and practicing physicians. Daily formal attending rounds are conducted on all division services for medical students, residents and fellows. These rounds take place at the bedside and culminate in multidisciplinary discussions involving pulmonary physiology, radiology and pathology. An extensive daily conference schedule emphasizes case discussions and grand rounds conducted in cooperation with other specialties, including infectious diseases, pathology, radiology and surgery, as well as quality improvement projects. In-depth lectures in clinical and basic research as well as journal clubs are held regularly. Our well-rounded teaching program provides outstanding educational experiences for fellows, residents and medical students throughout the Health Sciences Campus.

Overall, the Division continues to build on a tradition of excellence in its tripartite mission. We strive to be the best in teaching, research and clinical care delivery. We look forward to continued growth in partnership with our colleagues in the Department of Medicine and the entire Health Sciences Campus community.

Research

The Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine (PCCSM) strives towards excellence in all three academic missions, providing exceptional clinical care, robust basic and clinical research programs and outstanding opportunities for training of the next generation of clinicians in our highly sought after fellowship programs. Division faculty and fellows provide services in seven Intensive Care Units, two at Los Angeles General Medical Center, four at Keck Hospital, and one at Norris.

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