Our Impact

There is no more powerful mission than truly effecting change. The USC community — faculty, students and staff — work side by side with partners in Los Angeles to solve immediate problems, creating a constellation of people and networks collaborating toward the public good. Worldwide, our efforts address global health inequities, develop leadership and research in key cultural areas, train diplomats from myriad countries and more.

Rima Habre, MSc, ScD and Lisa Valencia work in the Soto Street wet lab and perform air monitoring activities as part of environmental health research.
Problem-solvers come together

Inventing Solutions

A doctor looking at a scan on an MRI scanners.
Health care, science, engineering & design

Exploring Medical Frontiers

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A forward-looking mindset

Creating New Knowledge

Scientist handling vials of blood.

Discovery, Creativity, Impact

USC is a premier research institution that provides a steady stream of new knowledge, art and technology. It has more than $1 billion in annual research expenditures, with the largest graduate program in science, engineering and health of all private research universities.

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Research Highlights

From unexpected climate solutions to unearthing truths about today’s information ecosystem and more, USC researchers roll up their sleeves for the problems of today.

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Creative Expression

Los Angeles is considered the “Creative Capital of the World.” With six major arts schools, USC is one of the city’s driving forces for new ideas and emerging talent, playing a prominent role in the film, television, music, architecture and arts industries.

USC Thornton School of Music Jazz Band performing on stage.
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Faculty Spotlight

USC’s award-winning scholars and researchers look beyond the ordinary to bring new, much-needed insights and developments to a rapidly changing world with complex needs. Within the health and medical fields, this has translated to a wide range of breakthroughs and discoveries that affect every aspect of our daily lives.

Ellis Meng

An influential force at USC, Ellis Meng explores the intersection between technology and medicine. Meng directs the Biomedical Microsystems Laboratory, which specializes in advancing medicine using microsystems technologies. She is associate professor of biomedical and electrical engineering and chair of USC’s Women in Science and Engineering program.

Ellis Meng

Marlena Fejzo

Working in genetics since 1995, Marlena Fejzo’s research focuses on conditions and diseases that primarily affect women, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. Fejzo discovered the first genes associated with uterine fibroids, nausea and vomiting during pregnancy known as hyperemesis gravidarum. She is a science advisor and board member for the global nonprofit Hyperemesis Education and Research Foundation.

Marlena Fejzo

Paul Aisen

Paul Aisen is founding director of the Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute and professor of neurology. A distinguished Alzheimer’s researcher for over two decades, Aisen pioneers novel methodologies and extensive therapeutic trials to advance understanding of the continuum of Alzheimer’s disease, from the long pre-symptomatic phase through cognitive and functional decline.

 

Paul Aisen

Art & Science Interdisciplinary Collaborations

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    Bridge Institute & the USC School of Cinematic Arts

    In pursuit of a cure for diabetes, faculty and students collaborate to explore the molecular structure of the pancreatic beta cell — the molecule responsible for creating insulin. 

    Two students wearing a virtual reality headset.

    Brain & Creativity Institute

    The Brain & Creativity Institute studies the effects of music processing on the developing brain, how the brain organizes narratives, and the role of feeling and consciousness in humans and machines. Applications include the diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders, child development and education.

    Three students looking through a film camera on the street.

    Wrigley Institute Storymakers Program

    Scientists become storytellers through this weeklong intensive workshop that teaches hands-on tools such as podcasting, creative content production and more to empower the people behind the science to move hearts and minds with their work in order to accelerate change.

    Arts and Climate collective speaking event.

    Arts and Climate Collective (ACC)

    Inspired and fueled by students, the ACC is a collective commitment to sustainability and environmental justice using the building blocks of arts, culture and storytelling. Participation develops essential skills and attitudes that prepare students for long-term success and create a shared sense of USC community.

    A man filming an actress that is wearing a body suit with motion sensors attached to it.
    Two students wearing a virtual reality headset.
    Three students looking through a film camera on the street.
    Arts and Climate collective speaking event.

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