Promotions
We are pleased to announce the promotions or appointments of five of our faculty in the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015.
Our congratulations to all!
Joseph Ouzounian MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Clinical Scholar)
Ouzounian is a graduate of both the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship programs at the LAC+USC Medical Center. Following completion of his training, he joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, where he became chief of service, research chairman and director of maternal-fetal medicine. During this time he conducted a series of clinical studies on shoulder dystocia and brachial plexus injury that have helped define the management of this obstetrical problem.
His national and international recognition in maternal-fetal medicine led to his recruitment back to USC in 2008 as an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology. Since his return he has continued to advance the field of maternal-fetal medicine by conducting additional studies on the management of shoulder dystocia, fetal macrosomia, vaginal birth after cesarean section and endothelial function markers in women with gestational diabetes. Ouzounian’s work has also been recognized by his selection as the USC site principal investigator for a study that evaluates the environmental effects on child health from before birth to age 21, sponsored by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development. This is a major multi-center study conducted by the premier centers in the fields of maternal, fetal and child health.
Ouzounian’s continued scholarly research productivity is even more impressive in view of the fact that during this period he was appointed director of obstetrical services at LAC+USC Medical Center, chief of the division of maternal-fetal medicine, program director of the maternal-fetal medicine fellowship training program and, in 2013, was named vice-chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In addition to his busy clinical and research efforts, Ouzounian has been exceptionally active in the teaching of medical students, residents and post-doctoral fellows.
Ramen Chmait MD, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics and Surgery (Clinical Scholar)
Chmait was recruited to the division of maternal-fetal medicine in 2006 as an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology to direct the Los Angeles Fetal Therapy Program at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, within the USC Institute of Maternal-Fetal Health. As the only fetal surgeon at USC, and one of very few in the United States, he was able to rapidly develop one of the premier programs in the country and, in 2013, was named director of the section of fetal surgery. He has gained national and international recognition for his innovative and groundbreaking work in the treatment of twin-twin transfusion and the development of a fetal cardiac pacemaker.
In collaboration with the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at CHLA and bioengineers at the Viterbi School of Engineering, he has developed a device to treat congenital heart block and the complication of hydrops fetalis. There are currently two patents pending for the prototype of this fetal pacemaker and he has received both NIH R01 funding and a humanitarian use device designation by the FDA to support this unique approach to a life-threatening condition. He has also developed collaborations with pediatric surgeons and neurosurgeons in the development of in utero treatment for myelomeningocele and diaphragmatic hernia.
William Mack MD, Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery (Clinical Scholar)
Mack joined the faculty of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC in 2006 after completing his medical training and residency in neurosurgery at Columbia University, followed by a fellowship in interventional neuroradiology at UCLA. Mack’s research interests extend from stroke models in mice and non-human primate-to-human clinical trials to population studies of cerebrovascular disease. He currently serves as principal investigator on a study of magnesium therapy for stroke, funded through an American Heart Association Western States
Affiliate Beginning Grant-in-Aid. In addition, he is co-investigator on an NIH U01 grant with James Knowles and Robert Chow. Recently, Mack has submitted an RO1 proposal as the principal investigator and has served as co-investigator on another RO1 application. Previously, he was successful in obtaining funding for his research training. This includes an NIH KL12 grant from the Los Angeles Basin Clinical Translational Science Institute, as well as a pilot grant from the NIH-funded Alzheimer Disease Research Center at USC. Mack also participates in four ongoing clinical trials. Along with his record of scholarly accomplishments, he brings an exceptional level of clinical expertise and commitment to the field.