Honors for University Professor Jean Shih
Photo/Lee Salem
Shih’s work focuses on monoamine oxidase, also know as MAO, an enzyme that regulates brain chemicals – serotonin, dopamine and norpinephrine. These chemicals help cells communicate, affecting brain functions related to mood and behavior.
Shih’s findings have garnered international attention as her lab was the first to clone human MAO-A and MAO-B genes and to unravel their structures, functions and regulations. This work is an important building block in the development of therapeutics for aggression, anxiety and depression.
“The continuing support of the NIMH will allow us to study the developmental and environmental factors that impact brain function and behaviors. Ultimately, this will help us better identify and understand the most critical periods for prevention and treatment of these brain disorders,” said Shih, whose work has been at the forefront of neuroscience research with 32 years of consecutive funding from the National Institutes of Health.
The news about the award was complemented by the announcement that Shih will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America. This award will be presented at the Biennial International Symposium of the Society this summer in Taipei. Shih is a founding member of the society.
Among Shih’s numerous honors are two MERIT awards from the National Institutes of Health, recognizing her distinguished scientific achievement in the research community. In 2007, she was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Shih is a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the School of Pharmacy and in the Department of Cell and Neurobiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
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USC in the News
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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