Message to Faculty, Staff, and Students of the Keck School of Medicine of USC
From: Michael W. Quick, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
April 25, 2018
On behalf of President Nikias, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Laura Mosqueda as dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, effective May 1, 2018. She will hold the May S. and John H. Hooval Dean’s Chair.
Dr. Mosqueda was appointed interim dean of the Keck School of Medicine in October 2017. We are extremely grateful that she took on this important role, and we are thankful for her steadfast leadership in creating a respectful and ethical environment that promotes the highest quality research, teaching, and patient care.
Over the last few weeks, we sought input from members of the Keck School community, including department heads, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and administrators, who responded with overwhelming support for Dr. Mosqueda’s efforts in the last six months. They praised the stability and continuity she managed and the positive tone she set for the future. It was clear to us, and to the vast majority of the Keck community, that we had identified the right dean for the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
We know that Dr. Mosqueda will continue working with the entire Keck community and the community at large to build an inclusive and diverse environment, expand the research capabilities at the Health Sciences Campus and across the university, recruit transformative physicians and researchers, and to advance the educational mission of the School as our students seek to improve local and global health in the 21st century.
Dr. Mosqueda obtained her M.D. from USC and is a professor of Family Medicine and Geriatrics. She will be the first woman to lead the Keck School of Medicine since it was established in 1885.
She completed her residency and internship in Family Medicine at Glendale Adventist Medical Center and a fellowship in Internal Medicine at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center. She previously served as associate dean of Primary Care and was the chair of the Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Mosqueda is an internationally known authority on geriatric and family medicine, elder abuse, and care of the elderly and underserved.
She directs the National Center on Elder Abuse, which works to improve our response to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Dr. Mosqueda also founded the first Elder Abuse Forensic Center in the United States, which helps build collaborative, interdisciplinary teams that can evaluate and intervene in complicated cases of suspected elder abuse.
Dr. Mosqueda has taught professionals in medicine, criminal justice, and social services and has conducted extensive research on elder abuse. She is an expert at curricula design, development, and implementation. She also has contributed numerous publications to peer-reviewed journals and edited four books on geriatric medicine.
Please join President Nikias and me in warmly congratulating Dr. Mosqueda on her appointment.
Cc: C. L. Max Nikias
Keck School Board of Overseers
Academic Senate
Academic Deans
President’s Cabinet
Provost’s Cabinet