2026 Archive

Multicolored brain scan on computer screen

USC researchers work to better understand the human brain

August 14, 2026, Communications and Marketing

Understanding how the brain works and improving outcomes for patients are major priorities for USC researchers. That work gained momentum this year with the opening of the new Brain Health Center, which is just one of the ways the university is concentrating on the brain.

Chris Rorden smiles for the camera with the MRI machine in the background.

A Sharper Image: At USC, better brain health outcomes begin with cutting-edge neuroimaging equipment

August 10, 2026, Rebekah Friedman

The McCausland Center’s MRI scanner is a 3 Tesla, twice the strength of typical MRIs. Access to equipment of that caliber has enabled the center to bring in tens of millions in grant funding and has led to an explosion in research studies that have advanced our understanding of aphasia, stroke treatment and brain aging.

Photo of McKissick, a building at the University of South Carolina

USC inks licensing agreement for prostate cancer screening tool

May 12, 2026, Andy Shain

The University of South Carolina has agreed to license an algorithm developed by a renowned cancer and nutritional epidemiologist to 20/20 BioLabs, a health sciences company that offers home cancer screening tests.

Student stands and waves at commencement cermony
Headshot of Peiyin Hung

Making her voice heard: Researcher Peiyin Hung strives to improve rural health disparities

April 01, 2026, Laura Erskine

When Peiyin Hung talks about her path to public health, she comes back to the day her grandmother told her to study hard so her voice will be heard. That seed of passion, planted in a hospital hallway in Taiwan, eventually led Hung to the Arnold School’s Rural Health Research Center, where she continues to grow her research efforts.

Rendering of USC's Brain Health Center

Board of Trustees updated on USC's comprehensive brain health initiative

February 20, 2026, Andy Shain

Sarah Kirby, USC’s associate vice president for clinical affairs, briefed the Board of Trustees on Friday (Feb. 20) on the university’s efforts to develop a comprehensive system of care that could transform health care in the state — a statewide network of brain health clinics, a brain health center and South Carolina’s first stand-alone neurological and rehabilitation hospital.

Headshot of Cassie Lewis Odahowski

Public health researcher uses ArcGIS to map rural health disparities

February 16, 2026, Laura Erskine

On average, rural residents live farther away from hospitals compared to urban residents. Cassie Lewis Odahowski, assistant professor of public health, says those longer distances can lead to worse health outcomes. As a researcher for the Arnold School’s Rural Health Research Center, Odahowski studies access-to-care issues for rural communities using an advanced mapping tool available at USC.

A close up of a curled Strongyloides under a microscope

Researchers find rare intestinal parasite could affect 1 in 20 South Carolinians

February 06, 2026, Rebekah Friedman

Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal parasite rarely seen in the U.S. University of South Carolina researchers Dr. Melissa Nolan and Dr. Matthew Haldeman wondered if these worms might still be lingering under the radar in South Carolina. What they found surprised them.