Ronald K. Ross, M.D., the Catherine and Joseph Aresty Chair in Urologic Research, is deputy director of USC/Norris Cancer Center and associate director for cause and prevention research at USC/Norris. Ross is also chair of the Keck School of Medicine's Department of Preventive Medicine, the highest-ranking preventive medicine department in the nation in NIH funding.
Ross came to USC in 1976 as an instructor in what was then the Department of Community and Family Medicine, one year after receiving his medical degree from the University of Iowa.
Since then, Ross's scientific career has been exceptional. With more than 250 scientific publications to his name, he is recognized as a leading expert in hormone-related cancers. He has done extensive research on the chronic health risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy. He is currently working on strategies for preventing prostate cancer by blocking the activity of a prostatic enzyme. One of the top-funded faculty members at USC, Ross also is heavily involved in international collaborative efforts to identify dietary causes of cancer.
Ross has served as director of the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program (CSP) since 1987. The CSP is a leader in conducting population-based studies of disease and evaluating demographic patterns of cancer risk.