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Mohamed Abou-el-Enein named Executive Director of USC/CHLA Cell Therapy Program

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Mohamed Abou-el-Enein named Executive Director of USC/CHLA Cell Therapy Program

January 27, 2021

Mohamed Abou-el-Enein, MD, PhD, MSPH, has joined the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Keck School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as the inaugural Executive Director of the Joint USC/CHLA Cell Therapy Program. He began his post Jan. 4.

Mohamed Abou-el-Enein

Abou-el-Enein will also serve as Medical Director of the new cGMP facility for cell and gene therapy that is under construction in the Norris Research Tower on the Health Sciences Campus, scheduled for completion in 2022.

In these roles, Abou-el-Enein will work closely with institutional leadership to provide vision and to oversee the development of a “one-stop-shop” translational platform that aims to assist investigators in bringing their basic work in cell and gene therapies into clinical testing.

Abou El-Enein has a primary faculty appointment as associate professor of clinical medicine in the Department of Medicine (oncology), with joint appointments in the Departments of Pediatrics and Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. He is also a member of the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The Cell Therapy Program and cGMP facility are part of a joint venture of the Keck School, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Keck Medicine of USC.

Dr. Abou-el-Enein has extensive training and expertise in the area of cell and gene therapy development. He obtained his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBCh) degree from Mansoura University in Egypt in 2005. In 2014, he completed a Masters of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies from the University of Strasburg in France, a Clinical Research Diploma from Harvard Medical School, and a PhD in the Economics of Manufacturing Clinical-Grade Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products from Charité Medical University in Berlin. He obtained an MPH from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a Master in Manufacturing of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products from the University of Granada in Spain in 2020.

Abou-el-Enein most recently served as Head of the Clinical Development Platform and Head of Translational Research Unit at the BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies and Berlin Center for Advanced Therapies, respectively, both at the Charité Medical University in Berlin. Abou-el- Enein is one of the inaugural Lawrence Goldstein Policy Fellows of the ISSCR, associate Editor-in- Chief of Molecular Therapy – Methods and Clinical Development, served as regional secretary of the International Society of cell and gene therapy as well as on several other organizations and committees.

He has been recognized with multiple honors and awards, including the Max-Rubner Prize for Innovation and the Global Eisenhower Fellowship. His publications reflect global leadership in translational development of cell and gene therapy products in top-tier journals such as Cell Stem Cell, BMJ, Lancet Oncology, Molecular Therapy, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.

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Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati earns AACR Distinguished Lectureship​

Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati earns AACR Distinguished Lectureship
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Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati earns AACR Distinguished Lectureship

October 29, 2020

Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, PhD, MPH, Associate Dean for Community Initiatives, was the recipient of the 2020 American Association for Cancer Research Distinguished Lectureship on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities.

Báezconde-Garbanati presented her award lecture during the opening session of the virtual AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved on Oct. 2. Her lecture was titled “Optimizing engagement to reduce disparities among Hispanic/Latinos/Latinx and other underserved communities.”

This AACR lectureship recognizes an investigator whose novel and significant work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the etiology, detection, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of cancer health disparities.

Read the AACR release for more information.

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AACR Report on Cancer Disparities

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AACR Report on Cancer Disparities

This landmark AACR Report on Cancer Disparities was released on September 16, 2020, during a congressional briefing where Dr. John Carpten, co-leader of the USC Norris Translational and Clinical Sciences Program,  delivered the keynote address. Four congressmen delivered remarks, and our USC Norris patient navigator Ghecemy Lopez shared her stories. Additionally, Dr. Mariana Stern, associate director for population sciences at USC Norris,  was a member of the Steering Committee that Dr. Carpten chaired to organize this event.

To read the full report, click HERE. 

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Dr. Caryn Lerman, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, shares why it’s important for patients to resume cancer screenings during the pandemic.

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Dr. Caryn Lerman, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, shares why it's important for patients to resume cancer screenings during the pandemic

September 28, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, cancer screenings dramatically decreased across the country. Early detection of cancer can improve the chances of survival. By delaying screening, patients are also delaying treatment and putting their health at risk. 

“At USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine, we are reaching out to our patients, emphasizing the many precautions we’ve put into place to protect their health, such as mask wearing, social distancing and frequent sanitizing of surfaces,” says Lerman. “In the age of COVID-19, it’s important for people to make, and keep, their cancer screening appointments. The coronavirus is not going away any time soon — and neither is cancer.”

To read the full article in the LA Times, click HERE. 

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USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center receives $5 million to advance cancer drug development

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USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center receives $5 million to advance cancer drug development

June 29, 2020

Gift supports underfunded pathway translating early research into cancer cures

LOS ANGELES — USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck Medicine of USC and the Keck School of Medicine of USC today announced a $5 million gift from the Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Charitable Foundation. The gift was received from Harold R. Brown, trustee of the foundation, to create and support the Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Center for Cancer Drug Discovery within the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The new center, named in honor of Brown’s parents, will focus on accelerating the development of groundbreaking cancer treatments.

“The importance of conducting research to develop more effective and less toxic cancer therapies cannot be overestimated,” says Caryn Lerman, PhD, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and associate dean for cancer programs at the Keck School. “This gift will enable us to leverage the talent of USC Norris scientists and dedicated clinicians and ensure that our groundbreaking discoveries move not from bench to bookshelf, but from bench to bedside, transforming cancer care and survivorship for all people.”

Brown, who will celebrate his 90th birthday in August, is a previous donor to USC Norris and graduated from USC with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1959.

“I have been fortunate to do well in business, and now through my efforts as trustee of the Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Charitable Foundation, want to give back to a cause that is not only personally important to me, but addresses a great need in society, finding a cure for cancer,” says Brown. “Honoring my parents and creating the Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Center for Cancer Drug Discovery at USC Norris is a rewarding and fitting legacy.”

This gift will have an immediate impact by supporting the development of new clinical trials that build on USC Norris discoveries of the underlying causes of cancer and disease progression. Initial projects will be sharply focused on cancers that disproportionately affect members of the community for whom there are dramatic ethnic and racial disparities, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer.

“This generous gift will help position USC Norris and the Keck School at the forefront of innovative cancer research and treatment,” says Laura Mosqueda, MD, dean of the Keck School. “It will significantly enhance our mission of finding cures and offering renewed hope for all who are impacted by cancer.”

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Steven Grossman named cancer physician in chief of USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

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Steven Grossman named cancer physician in chief of USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

August 4, 2020

By Alison Rainey

Keck Medicine of USC has named renowned oncologist and cancer researcher Steven Grossman, MD, PhD, as USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center’s cancer physician in chief. He will step into the role on Sept. 15.  

In this inaugural position, Grossman will provide executive leadership for oncology services, partnering with academic and clinical leaders to advance new models of multidisciplinary care delivery. He will also serve as a professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Photo/Courtesy of Steven Grossman

Grossman, an internationally recognized expert in gastrointestinal cancers, is a past recipient of a Research Scholar award from the American Cancer Society, the Kimmel Scholar award from the Sidney Kimmel Foundation and a Howard Temin Award from the National Cancer Institute. 

He previously served as the deputy director and Dianne Nunnally Hoppes Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, as well as the chair of the division of hematology, oncology and palliative care.  

“We are thrilled that Dr. Grossman will join us,” said Caryn Lerman, PhD, director of USC Norris and associate dean for cancer programs at the Keck School. “His exceptional experience and track record as a clinical and scientific leader will enable us to accelerate our mission of delivering the most innovative, evidence-based care to our diverse patient population.”

Grossman received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his medical and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the Harvard Medical School-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital and completed a fellowship in medical oncology and postdoctoral research training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  

“I am truly honored to join USC Norris in this newly created position,” Grossman said. “I am excited to expand USC Norris’ exceptional patient-focused clinical cancer services that provide multidisciplinary care and integrate cutting-edge clinical research at every level of the patient experience.”

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Lerman named president-elect of the Association of American Cancer Institutes

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Lerman named president-elect of the Association of American Cancer Institutes

June 29, 2020

Caryn Lerman, PhD, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been elected vice president/president-elect of the Association of American Cancer Institutes, the organization announced Monday.   

Lerman, who’s also a professor of Psychiatry & the Behavioral Sciences, the H. Leslie Hoffman and Elaine S. Hoffman Chair in Cancer Research, and associate dean for cancer programs, begins her two-year term on June 1, 2021.

Prior to taking over at the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center on March 15, Lerman served as associate dean for cancer programs at Keck School of Medicine of USC. She also was senior deputy director of the Abramson Cancer Center and vice dean for strategic initiatives in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She is recognized for her cancer prevention research that bridges the fields of neuroscience, genomics, pharmacology, and population science.

Lerman joined AACI’s board of directors in 2019. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and has served as a member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Board of Scientific Advisors, the National Human Genome Research Advisory Council, and the National Institutes on Drug Abuse Advisory Council.

The AACI also announced that Cornelia Ulrich, MS, PhD, and Robert Winn, MD, have been elected as new board members, and Charles S. Fuchs, MD, MPH, has been appointed to fill the remainder of Dr. Lerman’s term as a regular board member. Drs. Ulrich and Winn will replace outgoing board members Gerold Bepler, MD, PhD, and Timothy L. Ratliff, PhD.

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G. Denman Hammond, MD, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics 1923 – 2020

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G. Denman Hammond, MD, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics 1923 - 2020

It is with sadness that we note the recent passing of Dr. G. Denman Hammond, at the age of 97.   

Dr. Hammond had a distinguished career as a faculty for the University of Southern California, was highly influential in the establishment of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, and served as its Founding Director. He first joined the faculty at the School of Medicine in 1957 as an assistant professor, was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 1960, and then professor in 1965. His research focused on childhood leukemia and other pediatric malignancies.

From 1960 to 1971, he served as Head of the Division of Hematology-Oncology at Children’ s Hospital, Los Angeles. From 1971 to 1985 he served as an Associate Dean in the School, and in 1971 also became the Founding Director of the USC-Norris Cancer Center and later Research Institute.  Dr. Hammond directed the final phases of the Cancer Center’ s planning and construction, and coordinated the efforts of USC’ s basic and clinical cancer investigators in developing the Center’ s research and care programs.  At the time he was quoted as saying “The essence of a cancer research institute is the intermix of physicians trained to provide very sophisticated diagnosis and care, who can translate basic research findings into better prevention,  detection, or treatment methods. It may take several generations before better information, passed on to the public, can help prevent the many deaths from cancer that occur each year.”   

Donald Feinstein, MD, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, adds that, in fact, “Without Dr. Hammond, there may never have been a USC Norris Cancer Center, and the founding grant money for the Norris would have gone to Harvard.” (See the links below for more on the real story behind the founding of the Norris.)

During this same period of time (1968–1992), he served as Group Chairman of the Children’ s Cancer Group. Dr. Hammond was a member of a number of prestigious local, national, and even international professional societies and held important leadership positions in a number of these.  Further, he served on editorial boards of cancer journals and NIH study sections, held important leadership positions in the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute, and chaired several NIH panels, most notably  as the Presidential appointee to the National Cancer Advisor Board of the NCI as Chairman of the Committee on Cancer Centers from 1975–78 and Chairman of the Committee on Construction from 1979–80.  Dr. Denman Hammond retired from the Keck School of Medicine on June 30, 2006, and has served as an Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics.  

For more information on the history of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Hammond was interviewed in July 2007 by Keck School Dean Emeritus, Allen Mathies, as part of the USC Living History Project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTquxdK1jJo .  Dr. Hammond’s contribution to the cancer center was detailed in in the USC Living History Project interview with Gordon Cohn, the first public relations director for the cancer center, in minutes 34 through 43 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb8Zag1btbg .

To make a gift in honor of Dr. Hammond, click HERE.