The New York Times interviewed Anna Rahman of the USC Leonard Davis School and featured research about the use of Yelp and Nursing Home Compare websites by consumers looking to choose a nursing home. "We had a growing sense of how disappointing those measures have been," Rahman said of Nursing Home Compare. "After 20 years and all the money spent to create it, it's become a marketing tool. But most people don’t realize how little it measures. It's garbage in and garbage out."
The Washington Post highlighted research by Dana Goldman and Darius Lakdawalla of the USC Schaeffer Center that found Americans spend approximately 90 percent more for the medicines they use compared to the five largest European markets. The researchers suggest 64 percent to 78 percent of global pharmaceutical profits come from American patients. This contributes to high cost of health care in the United States and to chronic disparities in health outcomes. Kaiser Health News highlighted The Washington Post story.
Futurism featured a study by John Oghalai of the Keck School of Medicine of USC and colleagues that developed a possible treatment for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). After developing a tool that could take images of the inner ear following NIHL, the researchers found that inserting a solution that contains sugar or salt will reduce the build-up of neuron-damaging potassium in the ear. Oghalai hopes this will lead to treatment for hearing loss on the battlefield, as well as hearing loss not caused by a loud noise but still linked to fluid buildup, such as Meniere’s disease.
The Intercept featured forthcoming research by Emily Ryo of the USC Gould School about the number of people held in prolonged detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after resisting deportation. The researchers also found that those detained in for-profit detention centers were held the longest. "Our immigration courts are really backlogged; until their cases come up and come to a conclusion, they have to stay in detention for that period of time," said Ryo.
Geek featured research by Gale Lucas and colleagues from the USC Institute for Creative Technologies that found avatar appearance does not make a difference to players in certain game contexts. "We found that players felt more connected and engaged—and that their avatar was more attractive—when they navigated the game with a photorealistic self-similar avatar, compared to a photorealistic avatar that looked like a stranger," Lucas said. The researchers found no benefit to game performance with these avatars and only subjective benefits.
The Wall Street Journal quoted Satyandra Gupta of the USC Viterbi School on why it is difficult to program machines to complete tasks requiring multiple human senses.
Los Angeles Times quoted David Carter of the USC Marshall School's Sports Business Institute on how a recent Supreme Court decision will affect partnerships between gambling entities and professional sports leagues.
CNN quoted Manuel Pastor of the USC Dornsife College on why California can serve as a model for the future of American politics.
NPR Boston affiliate WBUR-FM interviewed Ricky Bluthenthal of the Keck School of Medicine of USC about the effectiveness of needle exchange programs.
Daily Breeze quoted Frank Zerunyan of the USC Price School about possible conflicts of interest by a council member in Inglewood.
Mother Jones quoted Edward Avol of the Keck School of Medicine of USC about the health hazards associated with sulfur dioxide exposure.
The Washington Post cited comments by Thomas Anthony of the USC Viterbi School's Aviation Safety and Security program about what conditions might lead to an individual being sucked out of a plane.
KPCC-FM published a story produced by the USC Annenberg School's Center for Health Journalism on the opioid epidemic.
Newsweek cited research by Valter Longo of the USC Leonard Davis School on the health benefits of intermittent fasting.
People mentioned work by Astrid Heger of the Keck School of Medicine of USC to found the Alexis Project as part of the Keck School of Medicine of USC's Violence Intervention Program.
Tampa Bay Times cited research by Carl Castro and colleagues from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School's Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families that found nearly three quarters of veterans surveyed in San Francisco reported difficulty adjusting to civilian life and how this impacts personal relationships.
Knoxville News Sentinel mentioned Elyn Saks of the USC Gould School in a story about how individuals with mental health issues can contribute in the workplace.
The Sun (UK) mentioned research by Cheng Ji of the Keck School of Medicine of USC to develop a new pill to prevent hangovers.