Group of speakers at The Future of City Diplomacy panel

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.

Problem-solvers come together

Inventing Solutions

Health care, science, engineering & design

Exploring Medical Frontiers

A forward-looking mindset

Creating New Knowledge

Faculty Spotlight

Impact can also be measured by others through awards that recognize groundbreaking contributions. 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.

As University Professor, center director and associate dean of research in dentistry, stem cell biology/regenerative medicine and craniofacial molecular biology, Yang Chai received a $30 million NIH grant for his leadership in California’s Center for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Tissue and Organ Regeneration.

As associate professor and co-director of the Aging and Cognition Program at the USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, Mireille Jacobson is advancing research in how health care policies affect well-being. She publishes work on supply and demand in modern health care, the risk-protective value of health insurance and more.

An established leading investigator in air pollution research, respiratory health and cancer epidemiology, and gene-environment interactions, Frank D. Gilliland combines his medical degree with doctoral degrees in public health and environmental epidemiology to examine the effects of pollution on disease, from respiratory illnesses to cancer.

 

Art & Science Interdisciplinary Collaborations

    A man filming an actress that is wearing a body suit with motion sensors attached to it.

    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.