A new technology anticipates which type of chemotherapy drug is most likely to be effective against a patient's specific cancer before the treatment begins. Scientists invent new ways to deliver the next generation of gene therapies and study the genetics underlying heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, depression and many other diseases. Studies of stem cells and neurotransmitters offer hope to people suffering from neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s, as part of Keck School research program in the neurosciences. Keck School faculty pioneer transplantation medicine, performing the first double lobar living-related lung transplant and the first transfusion-free liver transplant, among many others. A computer-based metabolic test allows physicians to accurately predict who will develop diabetes, while other clinicians and researchers focus on advancing women’s and children’s health.

Innovations, inventions and discoveries like these come from the stand-out faculty physicians and scientists of the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and are helping to push the school into the top ranks of research-based medical schools in the nation.

The medical and graduate educational programs of the Keck School offer students opportunities to learn alongside medical innovators, scientific inventors and biological discoverers. Graduate and professional education at the Keck School of Medicine prepares students for leadership in research, teaching, the application of knowledge and professional practice. The programs are built upon the close interaction of faculty members and students. The values that characterize these interactions include dedication to excellence, mutual respect, fairness, collegiality, honesty and integrity.

Medical Degrees »
The M.D. program spans four years and trains the next generation of physicians. The Keck School also offers a number of dual degree M.D. programs, allowing M.D. students to follow career interests in public health, business administration and scientific research.

Graduate Degrees »
Graduate students take an active part in the vibrant research life of the campus through enrollment in one of the many Master’s and Ph.D. degree programs offered by medical school departments, including the interdisciplinary, university-wide Program in Biomedical and Biological Sciences, in which students can explore a number of biomedical and biological fields before choosing to enroll in a specific Ph.D. program.

Master of Public Health Program »
The two-year MPH Program offered by the Keck School Department of Preventive Medicine prepares students for careers in public health-related fields, as well as offering dual degree programs in medicine, pharmacy, psychology and others.

Primary Care Physician Assistant Program »
The Keck School’s Department of Family Medicine offers a 33-month program leading to a Master’s of Physician Assistant Practice and eligibility for state licensure.