Chapter 1: Cultivating hope

Near the southwest shore of the Salton Sea, a billboard greets visitors. Its brightly colored banners depict an array of activities: golf, boating, fishing, camping and nature trails. A large red arrow pointed toward the lake suggests these recreational opportunities are available nearby. Yet the billboard is tattered: fading, peeling and tagged with graffiti.

The signage is an emblem of the former resort destination’s decline. In the 1950s and ’60s, vacationers flocked to the Golden State’s largest lake for water sports, outdoor recreation and entertainment by the likes of Frank Sinatra and the Beach Boys.

Today, the sea is shrinking, exposing areas of dusty lake bed, or playa, at its edges. The shoreline is crowded not with sunbathers but with thousands of hay bales — part of a strategy to reduce windblown dust from the playa that sickens nearby residents.

Fish bones and barnacle shells crunch underfoot. The sea’s increasing salinity and toxic runoff from the region’s agricultural industry have devastated marine life and made the water unsafe for human recreation. On hot, humid days, when the sea releases hydrogen sulfide gas, a “rotten egg” stink permeates the air.

In towns adjacent to the sea, where a resort “riviera” was once envisioned, run-down mobile home communities are signs of profound economic despair among the predominantly Latino community. Poverty and unemployment rates in the area exceed state averages. Opportunities beyond low-wage, seasonal work at local farms — which supply up to two-thirds of the United States’ winter fruits and vegetables — are few.

Yet approximately a mile below the surface of the Salton Sea’s south shore area lies a resource so sought-after that it has the potential to radically transform the area’s fortunes, the sea’s health — and the country’s electric future.

White gold

Hot geothermal brine beneath the lake bed and surrounding areas has been identified as a rich source of lithium, a key mineral for making lithium-ion batteries used to power smartphones and electric vehicles and store solar-generated energy.

“We’re moving from a fossil fuel-dependent economy to a mineral-dependent economy in which the materials that are used to make batteries are more important than ever,” says Manuel Pastor, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies and Ethnicity at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and director of the USC Equity Research Institute. “In the Salton Sea’s geothermal brine, there’s enough lithium to redo the entire American auto fleet to electric and still have 100 million batteries left over.”

Pastor is one of several USC researchers who have trained their eyes on the region to study the problems of the past and present and the possibilities of the future. Their research, in many cases done in concert with community leaders, is helping to create a vision for an inclusive and sustainable new lithium economy — one that nurtures the growth of a profitable industry while benefiting local communities and protecting fragile ecologies.

The Imperial Valley’s sizable lithium reserves have attracted several companies racing to become the first to develop a viable, scalable method for extracting the white mineral from the brine. This “white gold” rush has bestowed the area with a new nickname: Lithium Valley.

Hopes are high that the emerging lithium industry will become profitable, infuse the local economy with high-quality jobs and generate tax revenue to fund the restoration of the Salton Sea. But these outcomes are far from assured — particularly in a region that has been vulnerable to economic and environmental exploitation by industrial interests for decades.

“The microcosm of the Salton Sea region helps you get at the question, ‘What does it really mean to move to a clean energy economy?’” says Pastor, who co-authored the recent book Charging Forward: Lithium Valley, Electric Vehicles, and a Just Future with Chris Benner, professor of environmental studies and sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “Who will benefit from the boom — and who will face continued marginalization?”

Chapter 2: Getting down to business

Lithium Valley is one of several regions in the United States — including the Smackover Formation in Arkansas and Thacker Pass in Nevada — whose lithium stores have the potential to fortify the country’s clean energy independence. Australia, Chile and China currently rank among the world’s biggest lithium suppliers. Greys Sošić, professor of data sciences and operations at the USC Marshall School of Business, notes that supply chain issues and lithium price spikes during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the risks of relying on foreign sources.

“We really need to get a robust and secure domestic industrial base for lithium production,” says Sošić, whose research falls at the intersection of sustainability and supply chain management.

Direct lithium extraction (DLE), the mining method being developed at the Salton Sea, promises to be the world’s most environmentally sustainable method for obtaining lithium. Hot brines from beneath the sea are already being brought to the surface at geothermal energy plants where the steam turns turbines to generate electricity.

“DLE has the potential to be a closed loop because once you bring up the brine, you separate the lithium,” Pastor says. “You can use the heat to power the electricity for the processes and then reinject the brine back into the ground.”

In Australia, lithium is extracted from rock sediments, while in Chile and Argentina, it is isolated by pumping brine from salt flats into evaporation ponds. Compared to these other methods, DLE “requires less energy, less water and less environmental impact,” Sošić says.

For Lithium Valley to become a major player in the emerging domestic base, it must assert its viability quickly. “The Salton Sea is in a bit of a speed campaign to become the first source of domestic lithium,” Pastor says. “If you are early, you can lock in contracts [with battery producers] and set up secure supply chains.”

Shon Hiatt, associate professor of management and organization at USC Marshall and director of USC Marshall’s Business of Energy Transition Initiative, describes Lithium Valley as the underdog among the competing U.S. regions. “The Smackover region of Arkansas is where I believe we’re going to extract the most lithium,” Hiatt says.

“It’s extremely fast to get permits to develop and to build in Arkansas compared to California,” he says, noting California’s complex permitting processes and environmental regulations. Companies have been extracting the chemical element bromine from the Smackover’s aquifer since the 1950s, providing well-established infrastructure for the development of DLE. These factors have attracted legacy energy companies including Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp., who are investing in lithium-extraction efforts there.

While global demand for lithium is projected to increase from 2020 levels by 500% by 2050, it has softened in the short term, causing prices for the mineral to plunge over 85% in the past two years. That means companies must race to develop extraction technologies while playing the long game when it comes to profitability.

According to Hiatt, energy giants like Exxon Mobil and Chevron may be better positioned to run a deficit on their lithium investments than the relatively smaller companies investing in the Salton Sea, which include Controlled Thermal Resources Holdings Inc., EnergySource Minerals and BHE Renewables (a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co.).

“The success of Lithium Valley depends on whether these companies can scale up their technologies to the point where lithium extraction can become profitable,” Hiatt says.

Kicking up dust

The need for speed has led Imperial County officials to streamline California’s typically lengthy environmental review processes for new construction. Rather than evaluate ecological impact on a project-by-project basis, the county adopted a Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) that covers all lithium and geothermal projects within a specific geographic area — exempting individual projects from further scrutiny.

But many community activists and researchers are concerned that easing the path for the lithium industry’s growth may come at the expense of protecting public health. The region — a desert dependent on imported water for its agricultural output — is already beset by environmental health hazards: extreme heat waves, agricultural pesticides and air pollution from industrial activity, diesel truck traffic and dust storms.

Even as the Salton Sea has been described as the worst environmental disaster in California’s history, the valley’s stark landscape has a fascinating ecological history. Here, the desert bloomed to feed the nation, and a mighty sea was spawned from an engineering mishap. In 1905, Colorado River floodwater breached an irrigation canal under construction in the valley, forming the Salton Sea. Water levels stayed mostly stable until the late 1990s.

Since then, warming temperatures have increased evaporation from the lake, while more efficient agricultural irrigation and reductions in the county’s allocation of Colorado River water have reduced inflows. As the sea shrinks and dusty lake bed is increasingly exposed, the valley’s fierce dust storms have intensified.

Jill Johnston, associate professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and spatial sciences at USC Dornsife, has partnered with the Imperial Valley environmental justice group Comite Civico del Valle (CCV) on air quality education and research for more than a decade. She describes dust from the playa as “a toxic soup.”

“The Salton Sea was really a sink for all the agricultural runoff in this region,” says Johnston, naming DDT, arsenic and PCBs as some of the harmful substances from fertilizers and pesticides that have collected in the sediment. “When this dust gets mobilized, not only could you be breathing in the dust, but you could be breathing in some of these chemicals that are also very bad for your health.”

In 2017, Johnston and Shohreh Farzan, associate professor of population and public health sciences at Keck School of Medicine, joined forces with CCV and five local elementary schools to research the impact of dust on children’s respiratory health over time. Their study — published in October 2024 and co-authored by several leaders of CCV — found that dust from the sea triggers asthma, coughing, wheezing and disrupted sleep in children living nearby.

The closer a child’s home is to the sea, the more likely they are to develop wheezing and bronchitis symptoms. Twenty-four percent of children in the area have asthma — far higher than the national rate of 8.4% for boys and 5.5% for girls.

Johnston voices concern that the construction of new lithium-extraction facilities on the fast-drying edges of the sea may exacerbate community health risks.

“Construction activities can displace and mobilize some of the playa,” Johnston says — effectively sending more dust into the air. “Extraction activities can generate a lot of waste, both hazardous waste and wastewater. That potentially could be another way communities get exposed to some of these contaminants.”

Such hazards, combined with a likely increase in truck traffic to serve the growing industry, highlight a contradiction that lies at the heart of Lithium Valley development. While lithium will help accelerate the nation’s transition to green transportation, the extractive industry may worsen air and water quality for local communities.

Last year, these concerns prompted CCV and Earthworks, a national environmental advocacy organization, to sue Imperial County for additional mitigation measures related to lithium-extraction projects by Controlled Thermal Resources to reduce community impacts. CCV and Earthworks alleged that a 7,000-acre lithium and geothermal power campus proposed by the company at a site dubbed “Hell’s Kitchen” had not been adequately studied for its potential impact on air quality and the local fresh water supply.

In January, an Imperial County judge ruled in the county’s favor, arguing further study is not needed and clearing the way for Hell’s Kitchen construction to begin within months after a year of delays.

“This ruling allows us to continue our work to transform Imperial County into a hub of clean energy innovation and sustainable economic growth,” Board of Supervisors Chairman John Hawk told the Desert Sun newspaper at the time of the decision.

Pastor acknowledges the difficulty inherent in balancing community needs with industry imperatives. “Trust takes time,” he says. “Markets move fast.”

Chapter 3: Jobs of the electric future

For the impoverished communities surrounding the sea, Lithium Valley holds the promise of an employment boom. At Imperial Valley College, a workforce education certificate program is already preparing community members for lithium-related jobs, including mineral extraction plant operators and chemical lab technicians.

“Lithium companies have promised very high local employment goals,” Pastor says.

Yet Pastor is skeptical of Lithium Valley’s ability to meaningfully shift community employment prospects. A long line of industries — including geothermal, solar and wind power — have come through the valley promising to create sweeping change in the area’s prosperity.

“This is a place of schemes, scams and scoundrels,” says Pastor, noting the region’s history of get-rich swindles involving everything from agriculture and water to real estate and tourism. “In the community, there’s a sense of broken promises, of being left behind, of being ignored — and that makes it very hard for people to find routes to collaboration [with industry] because of a level of distrust,” Pastor says.

In the early 2010s, when the county approved the construction of large solar farms, many local workers became certified solar installers, anticipating an influx of new jobs. Instead, employers only needed a handful of highly skilled workers for long-term work maintaining the solar farms. Most opportunities were temporary construction jobs, and agricultural jobs were displaced by solar projects built on former farmland.

A similar dynamic may play out in the lithium-extraction industry. Sošić notes that significant job creation will happen only if Lithium Valley gives rise to a larger industrial ecosystem — one that includes lithium processing, cell component manufacturing, battery cell production and battery recycling. “Incorporating all these things can hopefully bring new life into the area,” she says.

In 2023, Statevolt, a battery manufacturing startup, acquired land to build a “gigafactory” in Lithium Valley. But the company’s previous efforts to create such factories in the United Kingdom and Italy have been unsuccessful, casting uncertainty on the California project.

Hiatt doubts that the Imperial Valley will be able to develop its lithium industry beyond mere extraction. “What would likely happen is they would ship the extracted lithium to Nevada and process it there, because there are already battery plants in Nevada,” says Hiatt, noting that Nevada, like Arkansas, is a more business-friendly state than California.

Paying community dividends

Pastor, echoing a growing chorus of community voices, argues that communities surrounding the sea deserve to reap financial benefits from lithium extraction that extend beyond job creation.

“Lithium has value not just because of companies, but because of public will,” says Pastor, noting taxpayer investments in the green energy transition, with more than $137 million in public subsidies already allocated to lithium companies. “How does the public insist on a return?”

Local groups have vigorously advocated for community benefits agreements from Lithium Valley companies. One victory has been the passage of a county excise tax on lithium extraction based on the volume of lithium mined. Not less than 30% of these future funds are designated to communities affected by extraction activities.

Twenty percent of the revenue is earmarked for the Salton Sea Restoration Fund, a program administered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Rehabilitating the sea, creating wetland wildlife habitat and restoring plant vegetation would help suppress dust and supply much-needed outdoor recreation areas for the community. “The sea should be used as an asset for folks that live there,” Johnston says.

Pastor hopes Lithium Valley will take community compensation one step further by including direct payments to residents. He points to the Alaska Permanent Fund, which distributes oil extraction revenue, as a model. “If you’re a resident of Alaska, you get a dividend each year,” Pastor says. “We’re hoping that this idea is considered as one alternative for the Imperial Valley.”

For Luis Olmedo, executive director of CCV, the current moment presents an opportunity for Lithium Valley to become a world leader in “developing an industry that is safe, that is investing in community through community benefits agreements, through project labor agreements, and through mitigation commitments that are enforceable,” he says.

In December, CCV was one of seven environmental justice organizations and labor groups who formed an alliance called Valle Unido Por Beneficios Comunitarios, which translates to United Valley for Community Benefits. The coalition calls on companies pursuing lithium extraction to make legally binding commitments to fair wages, environmental safeguards, respect for Indigenous land rights, workplace safety, infrastructure improvements and more.

Such initiatives would lay the groundwork for a clean energy economy that delivers what Pastor calls “green justice”: centering the well-being of vulnerable communities long excluded from decision-making about extractive practices yet disproportionately affected by fossil-fuel pollution.

As Pastor and Benner write in Charging Forward, “If we are going to change the power system that drives our vehicles, we will need to change the systems of power that drive our policies.”

A USC-licensed startup that developed an intranasal drug delivery system for brain tumors will be listed for the first time on Nasdaq on Wednesday. To celebrate the direct listing, the USC Stevens Center for Innovation and the startup, NeOnc Technologies Holdings Inc., will ring the opening bell at 9:30 a.m. EDT/6:30 a.m. PDT.

NeOnc is based on intellectual property developed by neurosurgeon and NeOnc founder Thomas Chen of Keck Medicine of USC, who is also a tenured professor of neurological surgery and pathology with the Keck School of Medicine of USC. NeOnc is the first USC-licensed biotech company with agreements through USC Stevens to go public.

The promising cancer drug is just one example of the groundbreaking discoveries that research universities bring from the bench to a patient’s bedside through collaborations with biomedical and pharmaceutical companies.

“University research is the cornerstone of groundbreaking medical advancements,” said Ishwar Puri, USC senior vice president, research and innovation. “Our researchers and innovators are pioneering novel treatments that have the potential to transform patient care. By fostering collaboration across disciplines and with industry collaborators, we accelerate the path from discovery to real-world impact, ensuring that scientific breakthroughs lead to tangible improvements in human health.”

USC holds an equity interest of less than 5% in the startup. Chen, who has been studying the potential treatment for more than a decade, is a shareholder and the founder of NeOnc.

NeOnc: USC-licensed startup’s initial focus

NeOnc’s initial focus is on treating malignant gliomas with a proprietary drug called NEO100, an ultra-purified perillyl alcohol with cancer-fighting properties now in phase 2 clinical trial.

Glioblastoma, the most aggressive malignant glioma, is among the toughest cancers to treat, due to its ability to infiltrate brain tissue. Complete surgical removal is difficult, and median survival is only 15 months. Malignant gliomas affect up to 15,000 Americans each year.

“Our approach allows us to bypass the blood-brain barrier and target the tumor directly,” said Chen, who estimates he has treated over 1,000 glioblastoma patients since he joined the USC faculty in 1997. “The molecule we’re delivering is inhaled through the nose, crosses the nasal passage, interacts with the olfactory nerve and then enters the cerebrospinal fluid and circulates throughout the brain. This is different from traditional chemotherapy which is usually given orally and intravenously.”

Researchers completed phase 1 clinical trials demonstrating safety and tolerance to NEO100 in 2019. For the phase 2 clinical studies now underway, NeOnc has 10 clinical sites recruiting patients and has recently partnered with a clinical research organization to launch clinical trials across 30 FDA-compliant clinical research sites in India, increasing patient enrollment and accelerating global development efforts.

‘Pivotal milestone’ for USC-licensed startup NeOnc

Amir Heshmatpour, the co-founder and executive chairman of NeOnc, said of the direct listing: “This marks a pivotal milestone in our clinical journey. We remain fully committed to accelerating the path to market for our transformative treatments. This listing is more than just a milestone — it’s a clear signal of our momentum and the strength of our vision. We’re entering a new chapter, and the best is yet to come.”

Chen has his sights on other targets besides glioblastoma. Inhaled drugs could be used to treat pediatric brain tumors, metastatic brain cancer or even drugs that fight Alzheimer’s disease.

“What we’re doing is proving the principle that our delivery method can effectively transport agents to the brain,” Chen said. “Once we demonstrate this for brain cancer, the same approach could be used for any brain disease where there’s a potential therapeutic effect.”

USC Stevens works to move the discoveries of USC researchers from the lab to the marketplace. It was launched in 2004 with a $22 million endowment from Mark and Mary Stevens. Mark Stevens is a USC Viterbi School of Engineering alumnus and USC trustee.

Erin Overstreet, executive director of USC Stevens, said NeOnc’s direct listing illustrates the importance of the university’s support for scientific innovation.

“Stevens’ role is to support early-stage companies like NeOnc with startup-friendly terms that enable progress toward critical milestones — like a public listing — and without creating unnecessary barriers.”

Years before University Professor Adam Leventhal became a leading expert on addiction, he was a teenager growing up at the height of teen smoking in the 1990s.

Like his friends, he was a “kid cigarette smoker” who later struggled to quit. When methamphetamine became a problem in his San Diego high school and affected his friends, he witnessed addiction up close.

“At a young age, I wanted to understand what compels a nice, intelligent person to repeatedly engage in an action they know is bad for their health, and damages their relationships, friendships and other aspects of their life,” said Leventhal, a University Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences and Psychology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Leventhal also holds an appointment with the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Today, Leventhal, a clinical psychologist and researcher, is the founding executive director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science, or IAS, which has 80 faculty members across 10 USC schools, colleges and hospitals. In February, Leventhal was named a University Professor, one of USC’s highest academic honors. In March, the American Academy of Health Behavior will recognize Leventhal as its 2025 Research Laureate Award winner.

“Adam has built something that has created tremendous value out of thin air,” said IAS member John Monterosso, an associate professor of psychology at USC Dornsife. “The Institute for Addiction Science has become a premier, world-class center that researchers at other universities are looking to emulate.”

“For many of us, IAS is the primary source of research collaboration at USC,” Monterosso added. “I can think of several people with whom I now work, whom I would have barely known were it not for IAS.”

Working on a mission

Not long after Leventhal joined USC in 2009, his intellectual interest in addiction began shifting into something more personal and mission-driven. He had a good understanding of the typical academic formula, winning grants and publishing papers. Rinse, repeat.

Then, in 2010, his brother disclosed that he was struggling with opioid use disorder. He had nearly overdosed.

“He’s my best friend. I’m a clinical psychologist and supposed to be someone who can ‘spot’ addiction — and I totally missed it,” Leventhal said. “I’m grateful that he took my encouragement to go into treatment right away.”

In 2018, Leventhal started putting together what became the IAS with the help of John Clapp at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Daryl Davies at the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and others.

“I wanted to have a broader impact on public health. I noticed there were many talented people across different schools at USC doing incredible work in addiction, but they weren’t collaborating,” Leventhal said. “So I cold-emailed the provost, pitching the idea of starting a center. I was pleasantly surprised to get unanimous support from our leadership who encouraged us, ‘make it bigger.’ Over time, it grew into the IAS — a comprehensive, universitywide institute that unites diverse fields and fosters collaboration.”

Members of IAS study the causes, consequences and interventions for a range of addictive behaviors: nicotine, cannabis, gambling, excessive digital media use, opioids, alcohol-associated liver disease, cancer and more. The IAS’ research team represents a cross section of various disciplines, involving experts on brain health, pharmacology, public health, policy and engineering.

For example:

• Ricky Bluthenthal of the Keck School of Medicine is working on innovative harm reduction programs to help people who inject drugs.
• Daryl Davies of USC Mann is developing novel compounds, including nutritional supplements, to reduce alcohol consumption and protect the liver.
• Eric Pedersen of the Keck School of Medicine is working on digital new-wave interventions to reduce binge drinking among college students.
• Olivia Lee of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work studies how employment insecurity influences substance use from a life course and intergenerational lense.
• Rosalie Pacula of the USC Price School of Public Policy and the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, a health economist, is the premier global expert on cannabis policies and their effects on public health.

“These are just a few examples,” said Leventhal. “There’s so much happening across different disciplines at USC.”

The IAS has seen a steady rise in addiction-related funding, with some years experiencing more than double the funding compared to its inaugural year. Additionally, the number of funded projects involving collaboration between principal investigators across multiple departments has also grown, reflecting IAS’ commitment to interdisciplinary research and innovation.

Leventhal’s own work, supported by $75 million in grants, includes research on the harms associated with electronic cigarettes and vaping, as well as the marketing of these products to young people. A 2019 study published in JAMA and led by Leventhal, showed that minty and fruity flavored e-cigarettes were widely used among U.S. teens, resulting in federal regulations intended to rein in soaring e-cigarette use among youth. In 2020, the FDA appointed him to its Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee.

Personalized care

Leventhal’s long-term goal is even more ambitious: to create a treatment center that revolutionizes science-based addiction care — and do it at USC.

“Because addiction is stigmatized, it is relegated to the fringes of health care and lags behind other diseases. Many suffer and die prematurely, which is unnecessary and unfair,” Leventhal said. “We know there is not a single route to recovery. Addiction treatment can be personalized and executed with precision, and it should be made accessible to everyone.

“Like the best cancer centers, we hope to build an addiction care center that uses AI-based algorithms to match people with the best treatments, and includes early intervention before someone hits ‘rock bottom.’ The goal is to create a place where science, treatment and prevention come together to improve lives.”

In her last State of the University address as USC president, Carol Folt on Thursday highlighted many prominent advancements the university made under her tenure over the past six years. It was Folt’s second State of the University address this week, this one addressed to health sciences faculty, staff and students at the Aresty Auditorium on the USC Health Sciences Campus. Folt will retire as USC president at the end of June.

In her speech, Folt spoke of the significant gains USC has made in advancing its research, public service and other offerings, with a particular nod to the university’s health enterprise, including its health sciences schools and Keck Medicine of USC, which together account for more than half of the university’s budget, she said.

Folt also acknowledged that changing federal policies could create more uncertainty moving forward but said this should not deter USC from remaining true to its mission of enriching minds and spirits through excellence in teaching, research, creation, professional practice and public service.

“There are things to celebrate, there are things to be concerned about and the path goes forward,” Folt said. “Our mission is evergreen. We do great work for the country, for our communities and for the world.”

She noted that the university’s mission is “probably more important than ever before.” She added: “I don’t see anything about our mission that should give us anything but commitment and pride going forward.”

Research milestone

Folt provided updates on USC’s investment in research, including in health care, biomedical research and computational science. She noted 44% growth in research spending since 2019, amounting to $1.26 billion in 2024. “Our research is not just good; it’s historic high,” she said.

“Proposals are up, requests are up, our patents are up, our license receipts are up,” she added. For 2025, the university had envisioned double-digit growth in research spending. It remains to be seen how federal changes could affect this, but Folt said that “we’re telling everybody to continue to submit proposals. The portals are still open.” She added that while some other areas of research could be at risk of federal budget cuts, she believes that commitment to biomedical research and technology will endure.

USC remains a leader in national research, with funding granted to USC principal investigators exceeding that of many other competing universities, she reported. “It just speaks to the incredible brilliance and talent of our researchers at USC,” Folt said.

She also highlighted the USC/CHLA Cell Therapy Program joint venture with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Its cGMP facility became operational in 2023 to study new cell therapies for macular degeneration, epilepsy, heart failure, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and gliomas.

Finally, Folt mentioned some notable start-up initiatives stemming from USC’s research, including a liquid biopsy to detect ovarian cancer (CpG Diagnostics), a drug to regenerate cartilage in aging and arthritis (CarthroniX) and a stem cell treatment for neurodegenerative diseases (AcuraStem).

Health system investment

Folt emphasized investments USC made in its health system during her tenure, including the addition of USC Arcadia Hospital to the Keck Medicine of USC health system in July 2022 and Keck Medicine’s soon-to-open, newest location in Pasadena.

These additions “will allow us to both expand our research and expand our clinical footprint and our clinical access,” she stated.

She also highlighted the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences endowment of $50 million and the Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering endowment of $35 million. Furthermore, she congratulated USC Mann’s dean, Vassilios Papadopoulos, for winning the 2025 Outstanding Dean Award from the American Pharmacists Association.

On the health care front, Folt stated, “We’ve been working on doubling our research expenditures. A big part of that success is people here. We want to be a top 20 medical school, and we want to be a $5 billion health system in order to really be able to meet the goals we’re trying to do.”

Dedication to excellence across fields

Folt also lauded USC’s leadership in athletics, arts, public service and more.

USC’s recent move to the Big Ten Conference creates new opportunities for the university’s student-athletes, she pointed out. “We are in the big tent,” Folt said. She also pointed to the achievements of women athletes in soccer, basketball and beach volleyball.

She also congratulated USC alumni Walter Salles, Alex Coco and Doug Hemphill for their wins at Sunday’s Academy Awards. On the arts front, Folt highlighted renovations serving the USC School of Dramatic Arts.

Staying true to goals and values

Another theme of Folt’s address was that amid change, the university should stay committed to its cultural mission and goals.

At the start of her speech, Folt recapped key recent milestones, including the creation of a rock garden on the USC University Park Campus honoring the university’s Nisei students, the Trojans of Japanese American heritage who were forced to leave USC during World War II and then denied the opportunity to finish their degrees; the renaming of the Center for International and Public Affairs building to honor late USC alumnus and Native American historian Joseph Medicine Crow; and the naming of the Allyson Felix Field in honor of track star and USC alumna.

Folt also noted the university’s dedication to sustainability, including green medicine, and mentioned the USC Sustainability Hub as a new location for USC community sustainability endeavors moving forward.

Building a national presence

Historically, the university’s ability to navigate “external forces,” including the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently the Southern California wildfires in January, demonstrates how the university can overcome future challenges, including upcoming changes in the federal government, Folt said.

“All these things do drive change, and in most cases I think we’ve been pretty good about taking advantage of those changes or those drivers to make changes that actually help us going forward,” she said.

She also emphasized the need for USC to continue to aim to be “the international standard bearer” in setting a model for progress, innovation and excellence. USC’s national reputation is growing, she said: “You’re going to see a lot of evidence for how we’re much more broadly known across the country and across the world.”

Furthermore, by opening the USC Capital Campus in Washington, D.C., in 2023, USC is also focused on increasing its East Coast presence, expanding the university’s academic and research reach.

This location also serves as a base for USC’s outreach to health policy makers. “We’ve had almost 200 big events and conferences there, and a lot of that is health policy, where you want to be in the center,” Folt observed.

Staying visible and involved will also be critical to navigating upcoming change, she said. “The truth is we’re facing new shocks, so we’re going to have to work very carefully with great prudence and make sure that we’re always mission-central,” Folt said.

Later, she added: “You do your best, but you follow the law … trying to do this in a right way that doesn’t jeopardize everything we have but also keeps us going forward and gives a voice that people can appreciate and understand. We are educators.”

She concluded: “Our mission is strong. Our success for USC is being not only big — because when it happens here, it happens to a lot of us, having new ideas, being fast — but we only succeed when we do it together.”

This story was originally published on March 19, 2019, and has been updated. 

If the switch to and from daylight saving time has you yawning more than usual, you aren’t alone.

It takes some people a full week to recover from feeling more sluggish than usual after rolling back the clock for daylight saving time. Experts call the phenomenon “social jet lag.”

Much like the jet lag we experience after flying across time zones, losing an hour upsets our circadian rhythm. That not only throws off our sleep schedule but actually has impacts on the cellular level, since many biological functions are timed to that clock.

“It really messes people up,” said Steve Kay, the director of the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience who is considered one of the preeminent experts in circadian rhythm.

“It affects human performance. The data has been clear in terms of traffic accidents and there’s also data that it’s not great in terms of cardiovascular health: Heart attacks go up.”

In California, daylight saving time could become year-round after voters in 2018 approved Proposition 7. The ballot measure allows the state legislature to make daylight saving time permanent — provided federal law is changed to allow the move.

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Research shows there are all kinds of health concerns when it comes to circadian disruption. When experienced long term, as is the case with night shift workers, an individual’s likelihood to develop obesity, Type 2 diabetes or cancer increases, according to USC experts.

OSHA includes daylight saving time side effects in its trainings, since workplace accidents increase by about 6 percent.

Some proponents of the proposition brought up the health concerns, such as upticks in traffic accidents and heart attacks, but USC experts say they’re missing the mark. Permanent daylight saving time wouldn’t solve this issue; instead, it would prolong it — adding more days of social jet lag to the year.

Year-round daylight saving time and cellular function

A recent study by Kay and his team showed that circadian disruption changed the way cells function to the point of increasing disease risk, including cancer.

It’s also a change that could disportionately impact teenagers, whose clocks are biologically shifted to wake up later. When they sleep in late on the weekends, it’s not just lethargy — it’s biology, Kay said. That’s the reason some schools are shifting their start times. A study showed students got 34 minutes more sleep, on average, when school started later.

“As we age, our biological clocks shift earlier,” Kay said.

If anything, Kay says, California should consider switching permanently to standard time, like Hawaii and Arizona. The Society for Research of Biological Rhythms penned a letter to the author of Proposition 7 in support of that. Although it would mean earlier nights, it would address the health implications associated by starting your day in darkness.

“Our highly evolved circadian lifestyle is making us ill,” Kay wrote in a recent paper. “Humans are not evolved for night shifts, nighttime lights and intercontinental travel. Modern life challenges to our circadian system present a long-term threat to our health.”