USC Media and Public Relations

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India America Today reported that USC will create the first chair of Hindu studies in the United States funded by the Indian-American community. A $3.24 million gift from the Dharma Civilization Foundation will establish the Swami Vivekananda Visiting Faculty in Hindu Studies and the Dharma Civilization Foundation Chair in Hindu Studies at the USC Dornsife College, promoting the study of Indian civilization. "USC has a long history of welcoming and embracing people from a wide variety of cultures and creeds, backgrounds and beliefs," said USC President C. L. Max Nikias. Duncan Williams of the USC Dornsife College called this a "historic gift to the USC School of Religion." USC is "a leader in the study of Asian religions," added USC Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni. Press Trust of India (India) also covered the news.

The Washington Post ran an op-ed by Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College about the significance of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act. Schnur wrote that neither President Obama nor Republican hopeful Mitt Romney will want to speak much about the health care law going forward. Obama knows it's still unpopular, and Romney doesn't want to have to defend his Massachusetts health care plan. "For most voters, the conversation will be back to the economy in a matter of days," Schnur wrote.

Foreign Affairs ran an op-ed by Pamela Starr of the USC Dornsife College on what the presidential election means for the drug war. Starr wrote that the close working relationship between U.S. security agencies and Mexico's government is built on "an unusual coincidence of national interests and close personal relationships." A new president could trigger a shift in Mexico's focus from stemming the flow of drugs to fighting organized crime. "Policymakers on both sides of the border must prepare for this thorny transition in order to mitigate its impact on their shared struggle against organized crime," she wrote.

KPCC-FM's "Patt Morrison" interviewed Charlie Beck, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), about the shooting deaths of two USC students. Beck said that since the shootings, the LAPD has decided to add police officers to cover the USC area and is aggressively working with USC's Department of Public Safety. "Because of that, I think we're going to enhance safety in that area," Beck said.

Press Trust of India (India) featured research by Kathleen Page of the Keck School of USC and colleagues, finding that images of sugary foods induce cravings for the same foods, possibly contributing to diabetes and obesity. They also found that desire for savory foods increased after people drank sugary beverages. "These findings suggest that added sweeteners could be one of the main contributors to the obesity epidemic," Page said. The study was also featured by ABC News Chicago affiliate WLS-TV.

RedOrbit featured a study by Rodney Mason of the Keck School of USC and colleagues, finding that obese patients who need their appendixes removed do better after a minimally invasive procedure. Obese patients had longer hospital stays and higher rates of infectious complications if they underwent the traditional open surgery. "We expect to see more and more obese people with medical conditions that require general surgical intervention," Mason said. "We need to know what approach works best for these patients."

Minnesota Public Radio featured David Agus of the Keck School of USC, who spoke about his book "The End of Illness." Agus said that the best way to reduce health care costs is to prevent illness at the earliest stages, using new technologies to monitor changes in the body. "We need to figure out ways to design and determine the metric for health," he said.