usc health economics phd

Application deadline: December 1

The Department of Economics and the Department of Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy (USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences) jointly offer a program of study leading to the PhD degree and to the MA degree in the process of work toward the PhD degree.

Required courses include both core requirements and area requirements. Core requirements include courses in economic theory, econometrics, and research methods. Area requirements include courses in health economics, pharmaceutical economics, welfare theory and applied econometrics.

For a detailed description of this program, see the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences   section of this catalogue.

Primary site

Glenn melnick, phd, glenn melnick, phd's contact information, glenn melnick, phd's bio.

Glenn Melnick, PhD, is a world-renowned expert in health economics and finance. He joined the USC Price School of Public Policy faculty in 1996 and currently holds the Blue Cross of California Chair in Health Care Finance. Previously, he served as a faculty member of the UCLA School of Public Health, a consultant at RAND and an expert witness to the Federal Trade Commission. He has been published in the American Journal of Public Health , Health Affairs , Medical Care , the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law , Health Policy Reform: Competition and Controls , and the Journal of Ambulatory Care Management . He has been principal investigator for a number of funded projects in Jakarta, Indonesia, and in Taiwan.

Recent Work

Trauma Center Hospitals Charged Higher Prices For Some Nontrauma Care Than Non–Trauma Center Hospitals, 2012–18

Abstract Rising prices are a major cause of increased health care spending and health insurance premiums in the US. Hospital prices, specifically—for both inpatient and outpatient care—are the largest driver of rising health care spending in the commercial insurance market. As a result, policy makers and employers are increasingly interested in understanding the determinants of […]

• Journal Articles

Post-COVID Trends in Hospital Financial Performance: Updated Data from California Paint an Improved but Challenging Picture for Hospitals and Commercially Insured Patients 

Total hospital volume has returned to pre-COVID levels, but with changes.

• COVID Initiative

After Their Initial Diagnosis, Many Adult COVID-19 Patients Continue Seeking Medical Care for up to Six Months or More

Analyzing claims data, does COVID-19 related healthcare utilization persist in for 180 days or more, also known as long COVID, after their initial diagnosis?

• Perspective

California Must Quickly Implement Policies for Tracking and Controlling Health Care Costs and Price Increases

To protect Californians from rising health care costs, the state needs to strengthen price transparency and price competition, according to Melnick.

Regulating Out-Of-Network Hospital Emergency Prices: Problem And Potential Benchmarks

Melnick focuses on the need and options to regulate hospital out-of-network emergency prices. Using data from California, he analyzes potential benchmarks for setting these prices.

PhD Program

The Marshall PhD Program is one of the premier Business PhD programs in the world. With a diverse and outstanding faculty and a student-centered culture, we have achieved stellar success in placing our graduates in faculty positions at the top business schools in the U.S. and abroad.

Accounting PhD Program

The Accounting PhD program includes research focused on several accounting disciplines, including Financial, Managerial, and Auditing and Corporate Governance Accounting.

Data Sciences + Operations PhD Program

Operations Management studies how firms organize their resources and recurring activities in order to be competitive in cost, price, responsiveness and quality. The field stresses quantitative techniques ranging from applied probability to optimization and game theory.

Finance PhD Program

The finance Ph.D. program is designed to prepare students for academic careers in financial economics. Financial economics is the study of how individuals and firms raise and invest resources, and how financial assets are priced. Specific topics in asset pricing include the determinants of asset returns, pricing of risk, behavior of investors, and trading mechanisms. Specific topics in corporate finance include capital structure, payout policy, financial intermediation, internal capital markets, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.

Management + Organization PhD Program

MOR research includes the study of human behavior in organizational settings, the design of organizational structures and the relationship of organizations to their environments. MOR research draws on the basic disciplines of psychology, sociology and economics to investigate research questions in three general areas: organizational behavior, organizational theory and strategic management.

Marketing PhD Program

Marketing is an interdisciplinary field that examines the interactions of consumers and businesses in the marketplace. Academic research in marketing draws upon theories and methodology from a wide variety of fields, including psychology, sociology, mathematics, statistics, and economics. Faculty members in Marshall’s marketing department represent numerous theoretical backgrounds and substantive interests. As mentors, they encourage students to identify their own interests and develop the analytic and methodological skills to pursue their own research questions.

Marshall PhD Program

Maya Cratsley is a PhD Candidate in the Management and Organization department at USC Marshall.

PhD Program Benefits

Why pursue a Ph.D. at Marshall?

Because Marshall offers a distinct set of advantages that is rarely available at other schools.

World-Renowned Faculty

Marshall faculty are top-tier professionals with a passion for academia and research. Currently, Marshall Faculty rank 8th in the world in terms of publication output in the top business journals. Many of our faculty are thought leaders in their profession, conducting innovative and influential research, serving as editors at top journals, and taking leadership roles in research bodies and associations. During the past few years, Marshall has engaged in an aggressive and successful strategy to recruit some of the top researchers in various areas of business.

Student-Centered Culture

- Our student-centered program is based on flexibility, a collegial environment, free inquiry, informed risk taking and exposes students to top quality research early in the program.

- We employ a “learner-centered” approach, fostering intellectual partnerships between faculty and students as students hone their skills in identifying interesting research topics, conducting rigorous research, and presenting their research to academic and non-academic audiences.

- We maintain a high faculty-to-student ratio, allowing students to receive quality mentoring and to develop research and teaching skills under the apprenticeship of renowned faculty members.

- We strive for students to have ample co-authorship opportunities with faculty; most of our graduates produce multiple papers with faculty before graduation.

- Students have unmatched exposure to global cultures as USC is home to more international students than any other university in the United States.

- Graduates join two powerful networks with unsurpassed reach: the Trojan Family, with more than 375,000 USC alumni worldwide, and the Marshall Trojan Family, with 80,000 graduates in 123 countries.

Abundant Research Opportunities

At Marshall, we believe in exposing students to research early in the program and providing all the necessary support to prepare students for conducting top quality research. This includes providing resources such as state of the art computers/information systems support, innumerable research databases, behavioral labs, research grants and industry access. It also includes working with faculty on research projects, and receiving the necessary training, guidance and mentorship from a top-flight researcher.

Many of our Ph.D. students will publish at least one top journal paper along with faculty prior to graduation.

Cutting-Edge Curriculum

The Marshall Ph.D. program offers you the opportunity to explore your research interests and take advantage of the classes, centers and programs offered both within and outside of Marshall.

- Our curriculum includes numerous electives that can be taken within Marshall, at USC schools outside of Marshall and at other universities.

- USC offers more than 400 highly regarded graduate and professional programs that prepare students for leadership positions in research, education and professional practice.

- Our interdisciplinary approach to research includes productive collaborations with other USC professional schools and access to USC’s 100-plus research centers and institutes.

Competitive Financial Assistance

Fellowship & Graduate Assistantships

Accepted students receive a competitive fellowship and/or graduate assistantship package. The package includes full tuition, a generous stipend, health and dental insurance, and coverage of mandatory student health center fees. The combination of fellowship and graduate assistantship is guaranteed for five years for those who maintain satisfactory degree progress.

Outside Funding

Occasionally a student brings outside funding to replace or supplement the funding from the USC Marshall School of Business. Examples of outside funding sources include the Ph.D. Project, foreign governments, and the Accounting Doctoral Scholars program. Such funding is acceptable, but applicants should understand that funding source is not considered in the evaluation process. We accept only the top applicants regardless of the source of funding.

Research Support & Awards

Marshall Ph.D. students are provided with a discretionary account for teaching and research activities. The annual funding increases as the student progresses in the program into more research activities in the later years.

After advancing to candidacy, students become eligible for competitive research awards open exclusively to USC Marshall Ph.D. students. Past awards have been sponsored by the USC Graduate School, the Ford Foundation, the USC Marshall Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurship and the USC Marshall James S. Ford Award.

Location Advantage

Marshall is located at the heart of Los Angeles and Southern California, giving students access to the people and places that make the region a global force. As one of the world’s most dynamic, diverse and successful business centers, Los Angeles is equal parts international trendsetter and cultural crossroads. Students at Marshall are immersed in a vibrant international city that is a major player in emerging economies across the Pacific Rim.The University of Southern California, one of the world’s leading private research universities, offers a global outlook as well as close ties with the local community, providing opportunities to gain real-world experience while making a lasting impact.

• ADMISSIONS INFO
• INFO SESSIONS

Our students have had job offers from top business schools including Stanford, MIT, Harvard, University of Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, UT Austin, Duke, NYU, Cambridge, London Business School, University of Michigan, Rochester, Nanyang, North Carolina, Emory, and others.

Shuping Chen, PhD '03

Current Position: Wilton E. and Catherine A. Thomas Professor in Accounting, University of Texas at Austin

Initial Placement: Foster School of Business, University of Washington, Seattle

Shuping is a highly published researcher in accounting with an emphasis in voluntary disclosure, who no holds an endowed chair in accounting at UT Austin. She is on the editorial board of The Accounting Review .

Ran Duchin, PhD '08

Current Position: William A. Fowler Endowed Professor at University of Washington (Seattle)

Initial Placement: University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business

Ran has published extensively in the top finance journals in areas as disparate as corporate finance and behavioral economics. He was recently awarded an endowed professorship at the University of Washington in record time. He also serves as Associate Editor of the Review of Financial Studies .

Negin Golrezaei, PhD '17

Current Position: Assistant Professor of Operations, Sloan School of Management MIT

Initial Placement: MIT, Sloan School of Management

Prior to graduation, Negin won the University of Southern California Graduate School PhD Achievement Award. This prestigious award is granted to a select few graduating PhD students across the entire university. Negin's dissertation has also won two prestigious awards: the INFORMS Revenue Management and Pricing Section Dissertation Prize, and the Dantzig Dissertation Award.

FACULTY + RESEARCH

Select phd faculty, patricia dechow.

• Robert R. Dockson Professor of Business Administration
• Professor of Accounting, Finance and Business Economics

Professor Dechow's research focuses on accounting accruals, the quality and reliability of earnings, the use of earnings information in predicting stock returns, and the effect of analysts' forecasts on investors’ perceptions of firm value.

Mark Leroy DeFond

• A. N. Mosich Chair in Accounting
• Professor of Accounting

Professor DeFond is the A. N. Mosich Chair of Accounting, Leventhal School, University of Southern California. His research investigates issues in auditing, international accounting, and earnings management.

Nathanael Fast

• Jorge Paulo and Susanna Lemann Chair in Entrepreneurship
• Associate Professor of Management and Organization
• Director of the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making
• Co-Director of the Psychology of Technology Institute

Nathanael Fast studies the psychological underpinnings of power, leadership, and technology adoption. His research examines how power and status hierarchies shape decision making, how people’s identities shape their professional networks, and how AI is shaping the future.

Fast is Director of the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making and Co-Director of the Psychology of Technology Institute.

He received his PhD in Organizational Behavior from Stanford University and has been recognized for both teaching and research, including USC’s Golden Apple Teaching Award, the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research, and Poets & Quants "best 40 B-school profs under the age of 40.

Peer C. Fiss

• Jill and Frank Fertitta Chair in Business Administration
• Professor of Management and Organization, and Sociology (by courtesy)
• Associate Vice Dean for Research

Peer is broadly interested in how meaning structures shape organizational actions. His work has been published in journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, American Sociological Review, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Organizations Science, Organization Studies, MISQuarterly, and the Strategic Management Journal, among others. Peer has also been working for almost two decades on the use of set-analytic methods in the social sciences, specifically on the use of fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) in management and related fields. Most recently he has been working on applying set-analytic methods to policy analysis, specifically the intersectionality of poverty. His recent book with Charles Ragin (UCI) is entitled “Intersectional Inequality: Race, Class, Test Scores, and Poverty” (University of Chicago Press, 2017).

• ALL PhD FACULTY

SELECT RESEARCH

"how do accounting practices spread an examination of law firm networks and stock option backdating".

Patty Dechow, Samuel Tan (2021)

The Accounting Review 96, 431-464

"Implied Equity Duration: A Measure of Pandemic Shutdown Risk"

Patty Dechow, Ryan Erhard, Richard Sloan, Mark Soliman (2021)

Journal of Accounting Research 59, 243-281

"Is It a Home Run? Measuring Relative Citation Rates in Accounting Research"

Patty Dechow, Richard Sloan, Jean (Jieyin) Zeng (2020)

Accounting Horizons 34, 67-91

"Understanding the Determinants of Analyst Target Price Implied Returns"

Patty Dechow, Haifeng You (2020)

Accounting Review 95, 125-149

"Virtual (freedom from) reality: Evaluation apprehension and leaders’ preference for communicating through avatars."

Roshni Raveendhran, Nate Fast, Peter Carnevale (2020)

"“Theorizing the Multiplicity of Digital Phenomena: The Ecology of Configurations, Causal Recipes, and Guidelines for Applying QCA"

YoungKi Park, Peer Fiss, Omar El Sawy (2020)

MIS Quarterly

"Director Networks and Innovation Herding"

Felipe Cabezon, Gerard Hoberg (2021)

"Product Life Cycles in Corporate Finance"

Gerard Hoberg, Vojislav Maksimovic (2021)

Review of Financial Studies Accepted

INSIGHT + ANALYSIS

Op-ed: if roe is overturned, democracy could be the best path forward on abortion.

John Matsusaka , the Charles F. Sexton Chair in American Enterprise, pens his thoughts for Politico .

Research: Do Employees Accept Behavior Tracking?

Research conducted by Nate Fast, Associate Professor of Management and Organization, and colleagues is discussed in Forbes .

Quoted: Peer Fiss in the Los Angeles Times

FISS , Jill and Frank Fertitta Chair in Business Administration, explains how a "poison pill" strategy works in a LOS ANGELES TIMES piece on Elon Musk's Twitter bid.

Recap: 40th Annual SEC and Financial Reporting Conference

DEAN WILLIAM HOLDER [Leventhal] and RICHARD SLOAN , professor of accounting, are mentioned in a recap of this year's conference by ACCOUNTING TODAY .

STAY CONNECTED

Ph.D. Program Marshall School of Business University of Southern California 3670 Trousdale Parkway, BRI 306 Los Angeles, California 90089-0809

Lomonosov Moscow State University

Preparatory course (pre-university programme).

• Duration of study: March 2024 – July 2025.
• Holidays: July – August 2024.
• Start date: 1 March – 30 March 2024.
• Exams: June 2025.
• Tuition: $8900.
• The level of Russian: Beginner.
• Duration of study: September/October 2024 – July 2025.
• Start date: September – October.
• Tuition: $7000.
• The level of Russian: All levels.

• 1 BUSINESS SCHOOL
• 2 FACULTY OF BIOENGINEERING AND BIOINFORMATICS
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• 4 FACULTY OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
• 5 FACULTY OF CHEMISTRY
• 6 FACULTY OF COMPUTATIONAL MATHEMATICS AND CYBERNETICS
• 7 FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES
• 8 FACULTY OF ECONOMICS
• 9 FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
• 10 FACULTY OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS
• 11 FACULTY OF FUNDAMENTAL MEDICINE
• 12 FACULTY OF FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL ENGENEERING
• 13 FACULTY OF GEOLOGY
• 14 FACULTY OF GEOGRAPHY
• 15 FACULTY OF HISTORY
• 16 FACULTY OF JOURNALISM
• 17 FACULTY OF LAW
• 18 FACULTY OF MATERIALS SCIENCE
• 19 FACULTY OF MECHANICS AND MATHEMATICS
• 20 FACULTY OF PHYSICS
• 21 FACULTY OF PHILOLOGY
• 22 FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY
• 23 FACULTY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
• 24 FACULTY OF SOCIOLOGY
• 25 FACULTY OF WORLD POLITICS
• 26 GRADUATE SCHOOL OF INNOVATIVE BUSINESS
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• 28 GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC ADMINIASTRATION
• 29 HIGHER SCHOOL OF MODERN SOCIAL SCIENCES
• 30 HIGHER SCHOOL OF POLICY IN CULTURE AND ADMINISTRATION IN HUMANITIES
• 31 HIGHER SCHOOL OF STATE AUDIT
• 32 HIGHER SCHOOL OF TRANSLATION/INTERPRETING
• 33 HIGHER SCHOOL OF TELEVISION STUDIES
• 34 INSTITUTE OF ASIAN AND AFRICAN STUDIES
• 35 MOSCOW SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
• 36 SOIL SCIENCE FACULTY
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improving value in healthcare

The health care industry changes quickly, and in complex ways. Health care is affected by rapid shifts in technology, economics, ethics, finance, policy, and management. For more than three decades, USC Price faculty have kept pace — leading the field in research on all aspects of our health care system. Faculty examine hospital administration, insurance design, Medicare and allied health partnerships, service delivery, and health economics, as well as analyze the global consequences of policy affecting pharmaceutical and medical device innovation.

Academic Programs related to Health Care

Master of Health Administration

Executive Master of Health Administration

Ph.D in Public Policy and Management

BS in Public Policy: Health Policy and Management Track

Certificate in Long-term Care

Certificate in Ambulatory Care

Featured research center.

USC Price School Ranked Among Nation’s Top 5 Public Affairs Schools

Want to help healthcare run smoother? Remove the sludge.

Kanter interviewed about a new study that shows the public’s perception of the “social largesse” of nonprofit hospitals may be incongruent to their behavior

NEA Chair to be USC Price School’s Commencement keynote

Faculty experts in health, explore usc price faculty and their cross-disciplinary scholarship.

Best Global Universities for Economics and Business in Russia

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Hse university (national research university higher school of economics).

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Let’s change the world together!

USC is a leading private research university located in Los Angeles – a global center for arts, technology and international business. As one of the city’s largest private employers, responsible for more than $8 billion annually in economic activity in the region, we offer the opportunity to work in a dynamic and diverse environment, in careers that span a broad spectrum of talents and skills across a variety of academic schools and units. As a USC employee, you will enjoy excellent benefits and perks , and you will be a member of the Trojan Family - the faculty, staff, students and alumni who make USC a great place to work. Think you’ve got what it takes to join us? We invite you to search our open positions and apply!

Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions for Online Programs

In order for your application to be considered, please attach a cover letter and resume to your employment application.

The USC Price School Office of Admission seeks an innovative and driven Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions for Online Programs to join our team. This is an exciting opportunity to join an energetic and collaborative team passionate about supporting students throughout the application journey. The successful candidate will report to the Price School Assistant Dean of Admissions and work closely with the Price School Office of Online Education to support all phases of outreach and admission processes.   The ideal candidate must demonstrate the ability to work independently and as a team member, have strong presentation and organizational skills, attention to detail, and an understanding of the needs of early and mid-career graduate students and the unique features of online education from a private research university.

This position is a hybrid work arrangement. The Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions will be expected to work on-site 3 days per week and attend on-campus programs and evening events relevant to their position. This position is not eligible for fully remote work.

Position Summary:

Contribute to the development of recruiting strategies and marketing plans (including pipeline-building, outreach, events, and marketing)

In collaboration with the Price School Office of Online Education and Digital Media, the incumbent will design and develop email campaigns for prospective applicants and admitted students

Work closely with the department chairs in making admission decisions for graduate programs in accordance with admission guidelines.

Work closely with the academic program office to ensure proper onboarding of new students.

Counsel applicants on admission policies and procedures. Evaluates and offers solutions to applicant problems and requests regarding admission.

Analyze and evaluate documents submitted with applications for admission (i.e., transcripts, references, and essays) of program applicants.

Organize, plan, and execute virtual programs/events to support recruitment efforts.

Leverage Salesforce and its functions to enhance marketing and enrollment goals

Create and maintain email drip campaigns in Pardot.

Create and manage events using the Blackthorn Salesforce application.

Continually assess and review processes and systems to ensure they are efficient and effective, enabling the online programs to meet their objectives. Identifies areas for enhancements/change and successfully manages projects to implement those changes.

Communicates in person, by telephone, and in writing with students about the status of admissions applications and documents all communication and activity in a CRM daily.

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Qualifications:

Possess a strategic understanding of graduate enrollment

Ability to use and analyze data, create reports, spreadsheets, and electronic presentation software to make and communicate data-driven decisions.

Skilled in interviewing, counseling, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Candidates must have the ability to be an enthusiastic and resourceful team member, be self-driven and motivated to move projects forward, and possess the time management skills to manage competing priorities in a highly demanding environment.

Must be able to work with various constituencies, including prospective students, current students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

Ability to learn quickly, thoroughly, and in detail. Must recognize and adjust to change.

Proven ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously; follow through and meet deadlines.

Excellent written, interpersonal, and presentation skills.

Excellent judgment and the ability to excel in a fast-paced, service-oriented operation.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in a higher education environment, preferably in the area of online graduate program admissions/recruiting and working with early and mid-career students

Experience using Salesforce and email automation in Pardot

An understanding of the fields of public administration, urban planning, and/or health administration

Compensation:

The annual base salary range for this position is $63,124 - $73,022. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

About the Sol Price School of Public Policy

Ranked among the top schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and has as its mission to improve the quality of life for people and their communities worldwide. The School is composed of overlapping disciplines that generate innovative approaches to critical issues ranging from health-care policy to homelessness, and sustainability to congestion – to name a few. A wide-ranging curriculum, including extensive experiential learning, prepares our graduates to navigate problems that demand multi-layered solutions driven by critical, informed thinking.

The Price School, founded in 1929, is anchored by four departments: Public Policy and Management, Health Policy and Management, Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Estate Development; and Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. The School’s rigorous academic programs provide students with the knowledge and distinctive opportunities to make meaningful contributions to their professions. Integrating classroom instruction with real-world experience and led by some of the world’s most renowned faculty in their fields, our students establish a clear pathway to successful careers.

Our academic programs are augmented by numerous research centers, institutes and initiatives that provide additional research expertise and experiences, notable among them are: The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public; The Center for Philanthropy and Public Policy; The USC Lusk Center for Real Estate; The METRANS Transportation Consortium; The Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics; and The Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. Together, they account for over $100 million in externally funded research grants and contracts.

Our departments and research enterprise provide unmatched breadth and depth to tackle an enormous range of challenges facing our country and the world. Our graduates hold leadership positions across diverse sectors – public, private, and nonprofit – championing the advancement of the common good. They come from around the world and from a variety of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds to create a rich intellectual environment that celebrates, supports and benefits from diverse people and opinions.

Join the Price School and work as a trusted partner in shaping an environment of innovation and excellence.

The University of Southern California values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in employment.

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USC, L.A. and California’s southland are inextricably linked, having grown together from a literal "cow town" in the 1800s to today’s global epicenter in creativity, diversity and innovation. As a great private research university that serves the public good, we foster a symbiotic relationship across the city and throughout SoCal — advancing society and elevating humanity.

Briefly stated, the enduring relationship between them.

History of USC and Los Angeles

Since the beginning, USC reflects the ethos of our home city. From our open invitation for everyone to benefit from the university to serving others through research, the building of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to attract the Olympics and more, we come alive with the forces of L.A. in everything we do.

The dynamic bond between USC and L.A.’s film industry world runs deep, spanning well beyond the renowned USC School of Cinematic Arts. Legendary Star Wars actor Mark Hamill poses on campus alongside the franchise’s iconic characters, in support of an event through the USC McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative, which annually prepares nearly 1,000 6-12th grade students from low-income households from the neighborhoods closest to USC in South L.A. and East L.A. for admission and graduation from college.

USC School of Cinematic Arts

USC has a remarkable heritage of embracing the Olympic spirit. In 1984, the university opened its doors to accommodate global athletes, transforming its campus into a vibrant Olympic village. As the excitement of the 2028 Summer Olympics returns to Los Angeles, USC, alongside fellow L.A. universities, is gearing up to extend its warm hospitality to the world’s finest athletes once more. Image: Opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

L.A. Memorial Coliseum

Every spring, the vibrant USC campus transforms into a literary wonderland, inviting countless L.A. natives to immerse themselves in the largest literary celebration in the U.S. — the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. This event fosters a love of literature and welcomes eminent luminaries. In 2017, the festival hosted the late John Lewis, an iconic civil rights figure and former U.S. House representative, enriching the cultural tapestry of the university and the city.

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences partnered with the Los Angeles Mayor’s office, LAFD and other heroic organizations, led vaccination sites at Hansen Dam, San Fernando Park, Lincoln Park, Pierce College, Crenshaw Christian Center, Dodger Stadium, L.A. Southwest College and Cal State LA. The monumental effort vaccinated close to 12,000 Southern California residents daily at its peak.

USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

In 1878, the County of Los Angeles unveiled a modest 100-bed medical facility on Mission Road, diligently catering to the city’s underprivileged population. The hospital soon became an educational institution, after affiliating with the University of Southern California Medical School. Today, LAC+USC is a world-class teaching hospital, pivotal Level-One trauma center and cornerstone in the County-run healthcare network, tending to over 10 million Los Angeles residents.

USC and SoCal today

It’s simple: At USC, we care about being good neighbors. We love partnerships. We dig into the communities around us. We’re everywhere across the city. While generating billions to the region annually, ultimately we pride ourselves on the contributions that can’t be measured — our relationships.

Around the Community

USC students, faculty, staff, partners, volunteers and more create the fabric of a large-scale research university that takes one-on-one time with people in our surrounding community.

USC-led mapping project reveals L.A.’s indigenous past, aims to inform the city’s future

“Mapping Los Angeles Landscape History” offers a first-of-its-kind look at the region’s natural ecology before European settlers arrived.

USC Thornton alumni create rousing pop anthem to celebrate the Coliseum’s 100th anniversary

“We Came to Bring the Fire” makes its debut at Saturday’s football game against Utah.

USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative opens dedicated space on Health Sciences Campus

A gift from the college access program’s namesakes, Leslie and William McMorrow, fund classrooms.

Sitting down with the new L.A. Police Commission president, USC’s Erroll Southers

The USC Price professor will now set the agenda for the civilian panel, which functions much like a board of governors for the police department.

At street medicine event, mayor and USC president underscore cooperation on homelessness

A “fireside chat” between USC President Carol L. Folt and Mayor Karen Bass reinforces the university’s collaborative work with the city in a united quest to care for the unhoused, whose numbers have increased since COVID.

Where to Find Advanced Computing at USC (Hint: It’s Everywhere!)

A visual guide to where USC has made its mark on the computing landscape throughout Southern California.

A winning partnership helps make Los Angeles homes safer

The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and Rebuilding Together team up to serve Angelenos in need and teach professionals how to help older adults age safely at home.

USC partners with College Track to promote school success for first-gen high school students of color

The national nonprofit’s new Crenshaw center is just miles from USC’s University Park Campus.

Student muralists spruce up Peace Garden near University Park Campus

The vibrant artwork on a 120-year-old house enlivens the walk to campus.

University Park Slow Jams collaboration raises awareness of local traffic dangers

USC’s Kid Watch joins Public Matters to improve pedestrian safety.

When COVID-19 vaccinations began, the USC community sprang into action

From day one of distribution to today, Trojans have been delivering vaccines to hard-hit communities, volunteering at mega-sites and ensuring that hundreds of thousands of shots get into arms.

Creative Industries at USC

Powerful technology is built from the ideas and advances that came before it. Similarly, USC’s creative research comes from the deep collaboration between creators, technologists and artists’ real-world experiences as well as the visions allowed to grow in our university. These emerging forms of media and technology are then disseminated through the powerhouse of the music and film industries, which are housed within the city. These industries have taken the seedlings formed in our academic places and given them real-world applications.

When Local Means Global

USC reflects L.A.’s diversity, which reflects the world’s. Our countless nationalities and ethnic groups shape the nuance and detail we give to every aspect to our academic experience. Alongside our community focus, we never forget where we are on the Pacific Rim. Our place in the world gives us the advantage to receive and foster innovation, because being here is unlike being anywhere else.

From USC to the Screen

Hollywood, our neighbor, is the epicenter of the latest technological developments in creative storytelling. The Light Stages at USC are used to create ever-more realistic virtual characters, from USC-led initiatives such as the Institute for Creative Technologies’ partnership with the U.S. Army to major studios like Sony Pictures Imageworks, who come to USC to create photoreal digital actors as part of Academy Award-winning visual effects in Spider-Man 2 , King Kong , The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , Avatar  and more.

Every Person Counts

People experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles is a priority issue for the USC community. Data from the annual LA homeless count demographic survey is analyzed by the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, which helps the LA Homeless Services Authority better allocate resources and serve people.

A Grounded View

It’s true: Southern California sits in earthquake country. USC experts keep a close eye on the geophysics of the surrounding area and beyond to gain deep knowledge of earthquakes and provide societies with key ways to prepare and recover.

Key Partnerships for Climate Action

USC aims to be carbon-neutral by 2025, turning to renewable energy sources such as solar power. An agreement between USC and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has reduced the university’s carbon consumption by 25% while at the same time making renewable energy more accessible and affordable for residents in multifamily dwellings.

Environmental Changemakers

Pristine Catalina Island sits just 22 miles from the mainland and offers unparalleled access to natural systems unaffected by urban human activity. Home to the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, the island welcomes Trojan researchers, scientists and students who produce solutions-focused investigations at the intersection of people and planet.

A Star-Studded Marching Band

Performing at the Hollywood Bowl is just one of the many thrills of being a part of the world-renowned Trojan Marching Band, aka “the Spirit of Troy.” Having performed many times there with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in 2022 USC band members joined Gwen Stefani on stage to kick off Bowl season with the first-ever joint performance alongside a friendly rival — the UCLA Marching Band.

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Suggested search, the hidden risk of letting ai decide – losing the skills to choose for ourselves.

As artificial intelligence creeps further into people’s daily lives, so do worries about it. At the most alarmist are concerns about AI going rogue and terminating its human masters.

But behind the calls for a pause on the development of AI is a suite of more tangible social ills. Among them are the risks AI poses to people’s privacy and dignity and the inevitable fact that, because the algorithms under AI’s hood are programmed by humans, it is just as biased and discriminatory as many of us. Throw in the lack of transparency about how AI is designed, and by whom , and it’s easy to understand why so much time these days is devoted to debating its risks as much as its potential.

But my own research as a psychologist who studies how people make decisions leads me to believe that all these risks are overshadowed by an even more corrupting, though largely invisible, threat. That is, AI is mere keystrokes away from making people even less disciplined and skilled when it comes to thoughtful decisions.

Making thoughtful decisions

The process of making thoughtful decisions involves three common sense steps that begin with taking time to understand the task or problem you’re confronted with. Ask yourself, what is it that you need to know, and what do you need to do in order to make a decision that you’ll be able to credibly and confidently defend later?

The answers to these questions hinge on actively seeking out information that both fills gaps in your knowledge and challenges your prior beliefs and assumptions. In fact, it’s this counterfactual information – alternative possibilities that emerge when people unburden themselves of certain assumptions – that ultimately equips you to defend your decisions when they are criticized.

The second step is seeking out and considering more than one option at a time. Want to improve your quality of life? Whether it’s who you vote for, the jobs you accept or the things you buy, there’s always more than one road that will get you there. Expending the effort to actively consider and rate at least a few plausible options, and in a manner that is honest about the trade-offs you are willing to make across their pros and cons, is a hallmark of a thoughtful and defensible choice.

The third step is being willing to delay closure on a decision until after you’ve done all the necessary heavy mental lifting . It’s no secret: Closure feels good because it means you’ve put a difficult or important decision behind you. But the cost of moving on prematurely can be much higher than taking the time to do your homework. If you don’t believe me, just think about all those times you let your feelings guide you, only to experience regret because you didn’t take the time to think a little harder.

Dangers of outsourcing decisions to AI

None of these three steps are terribly difficult to take. But, for most, they’re not intuitive either. Making thoughtful and defensible decisions requires practice and self-discipline . And this is where the hidden harm that AI exposes people to comes in: AI does most of its “thinking” behind the scenes and presents users with answers that are stripped of context and deliberation. Worse, AI robs people of the opportunity to practice the process of making thoughtful and defensible decisions on their own.

Consider how people approach many important decisions today. Humans are well known for being prone to a wide range of biases because we tend to be frugal when it comes to expending mental energy. This frugality leads people to like it when seemingly good or trustworthy decisions are made for them . And we are social animals who tend to value the security and acceptance of their communities more than they might value their own autonomy.

Add AI to the mix and the result is a dangerous feedback loop: The data that AI is mining to fuel its algorithms is made up of people’s biased decisions that also reflect the pressure of conformity instead of the wisdom of critical reasoning . But because people like having decisions made for them, they tend to accept these bad decisions and move on to the next one. In the end, neither we nor AI end up the wiser.

Being thoughtful in the age of AI

It would be wrongheaded to argue that AI won’t offer any benefits to society. It most likely will, especially in fields like cybersecurity , health care and finance , where complex models and massive amounts of data need to be analyzed routinely and quickly. However, most of our day-to-day decisions don’t require this kind of analytic horsepower.

But whether we asked for it or not, many of us have already received advice from – and work performed by – AI in settings ranging from entertainment and travel to schoolwork , health care and finance . And designers are hard at work on next-generation AI that will be able to automate even more of our daily decisions. And this, in my view, is dangerous.

Joe Árvai , Dana and David Dornsife Professor of Psychology and Director of the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

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Kids’ Day Outreach Event Welcomes Middle Schoolers to Health Sciences Campus

• April 12, 2024

Students from El Sereno Middle School and Magnet Center visited the USC Health Sciences Campus on Monday, April 8 as part of Kids’ Day, an outreach event hosted by Skull and Mortar , the USC Mann community service organization.

An interprofessional health panel introduced students to the day-to-day duties, education requirements and career pathways of different health professions. Panelists included: 

• Amber Angell , assistant professor of occupational science and occupational therapy and pediatrics at USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
• Irving Steinberg , associate professor of clinical pharmacy and pediatrics at the USC Mann School
• Thanh (Tammie) Ton, associate professor of clinical dentistry at Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC
• Susan Wu , associate professor of clinical pediatrics at Keck School of Medicine of USC

Following live performances by student organizations at the Mann School, middle school students connected with current USC students in interdisciplinary group activities, exploring topics such as dental hygiene, nutrition, immunizations and substance use.

“I really appreciated having the opportunity to host Kids’ Day, to serve in my community and pay it forward,” says second-year PharmD student Mark Hanin, of Skull and Mortar, the USC Mann community service organization that has hosted Kids’ Day event since 1998. “I was grateful to see students leave with a smile on their faces. They told me they wanted to come back again.”

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Student Spotlight: Jennifer Gasu (LLM 2024)

Jennifer Gasu’s journey in law is driven by a lifelong dream to defend justice and advocate for the less privileged. Choosing USC Gould for the outstanding support of international students, she embarked on the General LLM program with a passion to protect the vulnerable and ensure the success of businesses in meeting global needs. Her USC experience, marked by diverse interactions and impactful advice from professors, led her to earn a business law certificate, providing a competitive edge in her legal career.

Why did you choose to pursue your degree at USC Gould?

USC was among other schools that took a keen interest in my academic achievements and offered me admission. I chose USC because they were particularly forthcoming with all inquiries I had concerning applications and through my visa application process as an international student. The LLM program at Gould also offers an opportunity to earn a certificate of your choice concurrently with your degree.

What sparked your interest in the law?

I have always wanted to be a lawyer and admired the profession while growing up. This dream of mine has persisted, and I am proud to say that I am now living it. I developed an interest in law after earning my first degree in economics in Ghana. I am a firm believer in justice for all, and it is my goal to defend, protect, and advocate for the less privileged in our society. I also have a deep desire to see businesses succeed in meeting global needs by ensuring they are well represented and legally protected.

What is the most memorable experience from your USC studies?

There are so many memories at USC! My most memorable experience at USC was during the new student convocation. That experience was new to me, and reality sunk in on that day that I was a few steps closer to achieving my goals. The first week of classes is also ingrained in my memories at USC. The diversity in the student body at USC is commendable. I get to learn from and interact with students from many other countries.

What do you want to do next after you graduate?

On the first day of some of my classes, our professors told us that this was one of the best decisions we had made, and it would change our lives and the way we think. As part of this LLM program, I have earned a business law certificate which gives me a competitive advantage in the legal market. I am currently focused on building a career in business law.

What advice do you have for students who may be interested in following a similar path to yours?

Take advantage of the opportunity to study law at USC. Choose a field that interests you the most. Embrace every opportunity to grow and learn something new.

Learn more about USC Gould’s LLM degree programs here .

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Editorial: Financial literacy is important for teens to learn along with math and science

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Adulting is hard, and it’s gotten much harder even for mature adults. That’s especially true when it comes to personal finances.

We are subjected to more sophisticated and sometimes downright insidious online marketing that often uses influencers instead of ads. The investing world has grown more complicated, with investment apps, digital brokers and cryptocurrency. Hard-to-spot scams come to us every day via social media, emails and text.

We buy more of our goods online, sight unseen, and take the risk that our personal data might be compromised. Fewer employers provide traditional pensions; instead, it’s up to employees to figure out how much to put away for retirement, where the money should be stowed and how it should be managed.

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Many colleges are downright unaffordable , but the financial aid process makes doing taxes seem easy by comparison, and lenders beckon with federally guaranteed loans that have put far too many young Americans into serious debt. As the gig economy becomes a bigger slice of the employment picture, it shifts the burden of healthcare and calculating tax deductions on to workers, and makes getting a mortgage, buying a home and creating stability more difficult.

Clearly, young adults need to be better equipped to tangle with the modern world of money.

That’s why there’s been growing interest in teaching financial literacy in high school, the point at which students are old enough to understand the topic and find it relevant as they apply to college and prepare to enter the working world.

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According to Next Gen Personal Finance, a nonprofit that promotes financial literacy instruction and provides free curriculum and teacher training, half of all states have passed a requirement for a one-semester course. And more states require financial education to be taught as part of other courses, such as math or economics.

California isn’t among the states that require teens to take a designated financial literacy course, at least not yet. A bill before the Legislature this year would mandate a course for public schools. Silicon Valley businessman Tim Ranzetta, co-founder of Next Gen Personal Finance, has gathered signatures for a ballot measure to do the same; he says he would withdraw the measure if the bill becomes law.

The concept is great. But turning it into reality isn’t as simple as proponents would have us think.

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David Tokofsky, a former member of the Los Angeles school board, told The Times that if the state is going to add new high school requirements, it also has to take some things out. Otherwise, there will be practically no time for high school students to pursue electives that most interest them. It’s a good point. The state recently added a one-semester ethnic studies course to its requirements. How many more courses can be fit into the school day?

Adding new coursework should be undertaken only with a more comprehensive look at California’s curriculum standards, with the involvement of teachers and administrators. Educators should look for possible areas of overlap and repetition. That might make room for a couple of high school courses to be moved to eighth grade, though it would require the involvement of the University of California to ensure those courses would be accepted as part of the A-G curriculum.

The worst scenario would be a ballot initiative, no matter how well-intentioned. There is too little flexibility in such initiatives to meet changing needs of students and schools.

Mandates from Sacramento have generally not proved to be the best way to improve education, unless they are undertaken with the involvement of the people who have to carry them out. Let’s teach our high school students the complications of personal finance, but let’s do it thoughtfully, with the bigger picture in mind.

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