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USC Report 7/19/2017
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USC’s silence on its medical school dean’s double life is deafening
Jul 19, 2017 | LA Times
By The Editorial Board
Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, the former dean of the USC Keck School of Medicine, led quite a rollicking double life. According to a Times investigation, he was a highly respected doctor, administrator and prolific fundraiser for the university — but at the same time, according to explicit videos and interviews, he found time to party with a circle of criminals and drug users who said he used methamphetamine and other drugs with them. -
USC president tries to quell outrage over drug allegations against former medical school dean
Jul 19, 2017 | Los Angeles Times
By Sarah Parvini and Matt Hamilton
Acknowledging widespread concern on campus, USC President C.L. Max Nikias said Tuesday the university would “examine and address” a report in The Times that its former medical school dean abused drugs and associated with criminals and drug users. -
Dr. Drew on NBC4: USC Medical School Dean's 'Double Life' (VIDEO)
Jul 19, 2017 | NBC Los Angeles
By Michael Brownlee and Michelle Valles
Dr. Drew joins the NBC4 News at 11 a.m. to talk about a recent Los Angeles Times investigation that found former USC medical school dean Carmen A. Puliafito “kept company with a circle of criminals and drug users who said he used methamphetamine and other drugs with them.” While Puliafito needs to face consequences for his actions, Dr. Drew says the Times “smattering somebody’s mental health issues all over the front page of their paper” is infuriating. -
Southern Cal President Speaks Out on Ex-Dean
Jul 19, 2017 | Inside Higher Ed
By Scott Jaschik
C. L. Max Nikias, president of the University of Southern California, issued a letter to the campus Tuesday about growing concerns over a scandal involving a former dean of the medical school, Carmen A. Puliafito. An article in the Los Angeles Times reported that Puliafito, prior to resigning as dean last year, had been spending time with drug users and criminals, had used methamphetamine and other illegal drugs, and had been photographed doing so in numerous locations, including his office at USC. Shortly after the article appeared, the university announced that he was on leave from his faculty position and would not be seeing patients. But the idea that a dean of a medical school could be engaged in such conduct has stunned many on campus. Puliafito has yet to comment. -
The Former Dean of USC's Med School Has Been Accused of Leading a Double Life Involving Drugs
Jul 19, 2017 | HerCampus
By Morgan Mullings
A group of people has been leading an investigation on Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, the former dean of USC's medical school and a celebrated ophthalmologist, and none of them are police officers. -
Former USC Keck medical school dean no longer seeing patients after drug abuse allegations
Jul 18, 2017 | Becker's Hospital Review
By Brian Zimmerman
Carmen Puliafito, MD, an ophthalmologist and former dean of Los Angeles-based USC Keck School of Medicine, is no longer treating patients after allegations of drug abuse and criminal association, according to the Los Angeles Times. -
USC's Former Medical School Dean Allegedly Had a Secret Life
Jul 18, 2017 | Newser
By Evann Gastaldo
Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, the Harvard-educated former dean of USC's Keck School of Medicine, oversaw hundreds of medical students, professors, and clinicians; he estimated he raised more than $1 billion in funds for the Southern California university. But in March of last year he resigned; the only reason he gave was a desire to explore other opportunities. Now, in an extensive piece, the Los Angeles Timesreveals for the first time that three weeks prior to his resignation, a 21-year-old woman overdosed in a hotel room in the 66-year-old's presence. She ultimately recovered. Methamphetamine was found in the hotel room, but no arrests were made. The Timesspoke to sources and reviewed dozens of videos and photos for an investigation into the drug-fueled exploits Puliafito, who remains on the medical school faculty, allegedly engaged in with a young "circle of criminals and drug users."
Traditional Media
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USC’s silence on its medical school dean’s double life is deafening
Jul 19, 2017 | LA Times
By The Editorial Board
Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, the former dean of the USC Keck School of Medicine, led quite a rollicking double life. According to a Times investigation, he was a highly respected doctor, administrator and prolific fundraiser for the university — but at the same time, according to explicit videos and interviews, he found time to party with a circle of criminals and drug users who said he used methamphetamine and other drugs with them.
When Puliafito resigned last year, he announced he was leaving to explore outside opportunities. After stepping down, he was feted by his colleagues. USC President C.L. Max Nikias praised Puliafito for helping Keck rise in the all-important U.S. News & World Report rankings of medical schools.
But there was no mention that the dean’s resignation came just three weeks after a 21-year-old woman overdosed in his presence in a Pasadena hotel room. Police found methamphetamine at the scene, and Puliafito was listed as a witness to the overdose on the official police report (which was written not at the time of the incident, but only after repeated inquiries by Times reporters.) Puliafito was not arrested or charged, even though the police found illegal drugs, but an anonymous witness called USC President Nikias’ office and told two employees about the dean’s presence at the time of the hotel overdose. Shortly after the witness called, Puliafito stepped down.
Beyond the salacious details, Puliafito’s double life and his resignation last year raise troubling questions for both the university and the Pasadena police. How much did university officials know about the dean’s behavior, and when did they learn it? Why did the university keep him on the medical faculty after learning about the incident at the hotel? Why was no police report written at the time of the overdose? Why was there so little follow-up? Were the police right not to arrest anyone?
The Times’ investigation uncovered apparent breaches of medical ethics, as well as possible criminal violations. Interviews and documents showed that Puliafito — an ophthalmologist — wrote a prescription for asthma inhalers for two of his party buddies, apparently to soothe lungs raw from smoking marijuana and methamphetamine. Another man said the dean gave him meth while the man was living at a sober home for recovering addicts. And during the overdose at the hotel, Puliafito told the 911 operator that the woman had just drunk alcohol, when police later confirmed that she was “obviously under the influence of narcotics,” which were found in the room.
USC President Nikias and Provost Michael Quick, who was Puliafito’s boss, refused repeated requests for information. The university finally released a statement Monday, after The Times’ article appeared, that said: “If the assertions … are true, we hope that Carmen receives care and treatment that will lead him to a full recovery.”
We don’t know for sure why USC was so reluctant to discuss the subject. But it has been estimated that Puliafito raised more than $1 billion for the school. As recently as this past weekend, Puliafito spoke at a Keck-sponsored program in Pasadena, and his USC web page said he still was accepting patients at campus eye clinics. The university’s statement on Monday said that he is on leave and not seeing patients.
USC is a private institution but it receives considerable public funding for its medical research and serves the public through its hospitals and clinics. As dean, Puliafito oversaw hundreds of medical students and thousands of professors and clinicians. The possibility that the dean engaged in serious criminal and ethical transgressions is more than a personnel matter — it reflects on the values and leadership of the university as a whole. USC’s silence is deafening.
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USC president tries to quell outrage over drug allegations against former medical school dean
Jul 19, 2017 | Los Angeles Times
By Sarah Parvini and Matt Hamilton
Acknowledging widespread concern on campus, USC President C.L. Max Nikias said Tuesday the university would “examine and address” a report in The Times that its former medical school dean abused drugs and associated with criminals and drug users.
Nikias, speaking about the controversy for the first time in a letter to the campus community, said that “we understand the frustrations expressed about this situation” involving Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito and “we are working to determine how we can best prevent these kinds of circumstances moving forward.”
“Our university categorically condemns the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of drugs,” the president said. “We are concerned about Dr. Puliafito and his family and hope that, if the article’s assertions are true, he receives the help and treatment he may need for a full recovery.”
Puliafito, 66, a renowned eye surgeon, led the Keck School of Medicine for nearly a decade before resigning in 2016. He remained on the Keck faculty and continued to represent the university at public events as recently as Saturday.
On Monday, The Times published a lengthy article reporting that Puliafito, during his tenure as dean, kept company with a circle of criminals and addicts who said he smoked methamphetamine and other drugs with them.
The same day, USC said Puliafito was no longer seeing patients and was on leave. Attempts to reach Puliafito were unsuccessful Tuesday.
Asked Tuesday if the university had discussed the Puliafito case with the California State Medical Board, USC said reports by peer review organizations were confidential.
“We can confirm, however, that the California Medical Board is aware of the situation,” USC said in a statement. “They have the sole authority to decide whether and how much to investigate.”
In California, the medical board initiates investigations of doctors after receiving a complaint. According to the board, cases are given higher priority if the complaint concerns physician impairment or poses immediate harm to patients.
Puliafito resigned his $1.1-million-a-year dean’s post in March 2016, in the middle of the spring term, saying he wanted to explore outside opportunities.
He did not mention that three weeks earlier, a 21-year-old woman had overdosed in his presence in a Pasadena hotel room. The woman was rushed to a hospital, where she recovered. Police found methamphetamine in the hotel room, according to a police report, but made no arrests.
A tip about the episode prompted The Times to investigate. The newspaper interviewed six people who said they partied and used drugs with Puliafito in Pasadena, Huntington Beach and Las Vegas, as well as at USC. They ranged in age from late teens to late thirties. None were USC students.
Members of the group captured their exploits in photos and videos shot in 2015 and 2016.
In one video, a tuxedo-clad Puliafito displays an orange pill on his tongue and says into the camera, “Thought I’d take an ecstasy before the ball.” Then he swallows the pill.
In another, Puliafito uses a butane torch to heat a large glass pipe outfitted for methamphetamine use. He inhales and then unleashes a thick plume of white smoke. Seated next to him on a sofa, a young woman smokes heroin from a piece of heated foil.
USC has declined to say when it first learned of Puliafito’s conduct or how it responded.
A few days after the incident at the Pasadena hotel last year, a witness phoned Nikias’ office and told two employees about what happened, the witness told The Times on condition of anonymity.
Phone records confirm that the witness made a six-minute call to Nikias’ office on March 14, 2016, 10 days after the overdose.
In his letter Tuesday, Nikias said the university was continuing “the path to improve our support system” for people with substance abuse issues.
“Unfortunately, the issue of substance abuse is not uncommon and impacts individuals at all levels of society,” he wrote. “Reports of high-powered executives, doctors, and others with substance abuse issues have become all too common —individuals who function in their workplace but have serious issues affecting their private lives.”
USC officials hired the Harvard-educated Puliafito in 2007 to raise the profile and ranking of the Keck School.
As dean, he oversaw hundreds of medical students and thousands of professors and clinicians. He was also a key fundraiser for USC, bringing in more than $1 billion in donations, by his own estimation.
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Dr. Drew on NBC4: USC Medical School Dean's 'Double Life' (VIDEO)
Jul 19, 2017 | NBC Los Angeles
By Michael Brownlee and Michelle Valles
Dr. Drew joins the NBC4 News at 11 a.m. to talk about a recent Los Angeles Times investigation that found former USC medical school dean Carmen A. Puliafito “kept company with a circle of criminals and drug users who said he used methamphetamine and other drugs with them.” While Puliafito needs to face consequences for his actions, Dr. Drew says the Times “smattering somebody’s mental health issues all over the front page of their paper” is infuriating.
Video: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Dr-Drew-on-NBC4-USC-Medical-School-Deans-Double-Life_Los-Angeles-435235413.html
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Southern Cal President Speaks Out on Ex-Dean
Jul 19, 2017 | Inside Higher Ed
By Scott Jaschik
C. L. Max Nikias, president of the University of Southern California, issued a letter to the campus Tuesday about growing concerns over a scandal involving a former dean of the medical school, Carmen A. Puliafito. An article in the Los Angeles Times reported that Puliafito, prior to resigning as dean last year, had been spending time with drug users and criminals, had used methamphetamine and other illegal drugs, and had been photographed doing so in numerous locations, including his office at USC. Shortly after the article appeared, the university announced that he was on leave from his faculty position and would not be seeing patients. But the idea that a dean of a medical school could be engaged in such conduct has stunned many on campus. Puliafito has yet to comment.
In his letter, published by the Times, Nikias said that there were limits on what he could say, because of privacy rules regarding employees. But he did write that the university "categorically condemns the unlawful possession, use or distribution of drugs." He also wrote that drug use is not uncommon and "impacts individuals at all levels of society." And he noted numerous reports of people in powerful positions who "function in their workplace but have serious issues affecting their private lives."
Nikias added, "We understand the frustrations expressed about this situation, and we want to assure our community that we are taking all the proper steps to examine and address it. More broadly, we are working to determine how we can best prevent these kinds of circumstances moving forward."
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The Former Dean of USC's Med School Has Been Accused of Leading a Double Life Involving Drugs
Jul 19, 2017 | HerCampus
By Morgan Mullings
A group of people has been leading an investigation on Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, the former dean of USC's medical school and a celebrated ophthalmologist, and none of them are police officers.
In fact, the reporters at The Los Angeles Times have tried to work with police on accusations against Puliafito, but have had little success. Monday morning, they released all the information they have on the former dean of the Keck School of Medicine at USC. Just hours after the story was published, the L.A. Times reported that Puliafito was "on leave" and "no longer seeing patients" at his eye doctor practice.
The article refers to video evidence of Puliafito taking ecstasy, methamphetamine, and heroin with a 21-year-old woman named Sarah Warren, along with other people of various ages (none of them USC students).
Warren told the L.A. Times that she was with Puliafito in a hotel in Pasadena March 2016, when she overdosed on GHB, a common date-rape drug. Their hotel room contained other various drugs, but neither was arrested. Pasadena police spokeswoman Tracey Ibarra told the L.A. Times that the police would have to determine who was responsible for the drugs before an arrest, and that no one made a health or evidence report. When they did, the Times received heavily redacted reports that listed Puliafito as a friend and witness to the overdose, nothing more.
The two returned to the hotel after Warren's recovery and continued partying.
Later that month, after an anonymous tipper contacted the police and the L.A. TImes, Puliafito stepped down from his position as dean. However, no one at USC has made any comment.
Puliafito has spoken at many USC events, and reportedly helped raise $1 billion for the university. He helped invent a laser technology that reportedly changed the way doctors treat eye disease. He has worked at other institutions, such as the University of Miami, and has a reputation for increasing the standings of schools in rankings lists. Just last June, the university held a reception in his honor, and celebrated his accomplishments.
Several others met Puliafito through Warren, and have told the L.A. Times in several interviews that they have done drugs with him either in his home or on the USC campus. Yet he is still on faculty and still takes patients as an eye doctor.
The Times reported that the anonymous witness was afraid the police wouldn't do anything, so they contacted the paper. All they want is justice.
Hopefully, this unmasking will lead the police to do a real investigation on Puliafito. The L.A. Times has done a job for the public that the police and the university were neglecting—maybe for the sake of reputation.
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Former USC Keck medical school dean no longer seeing patients after drug abuse allegations
Jul 18, 2017 | Becker's Hospital Review
By Brian Zimmerman
Carmen Puliafito, MD, an ophthalmologist and former dean of Los Angeles-based USC Keck School of Medicine, is no longer treating patients after allegations of drug abuse and criminal association, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The LA Times investigative report — published Monday — cited photos and videos of Dr. Puliafito using drugs like ecstasy and associating with criminals in 2015 and 2016, during his tenure as dean.
The report claimed an escort overdosed in Dr. Pufliafito's presence at a hotel in Pasadena, Calif., in March 2016. The LA Times initiated its investigation after an anonymous witness expressed concerns to the publication regarding the police's handling of the overdose. No police report was filed at the time of the overdose, but after the newspaper inquired about the incident, a report was filed.
USC said it was reviewing Dr. Puliafito's status in patient care in a statement to the LA Times following the report's publication.
"He is currently on leave from his roles at USC, including seeing patients," USC said in the statement. "If the assertions reported in the July 17 Los Angeles Times story are true, we hope that Carmen receives care and treatment that will lead him to a full recovery."
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USC's Former Medical School Dean Allegedly Had a Secret Life
Jul 18, 2017 | Newser
By Evann Gastaldo
Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, the Harvard-educated former dean of USC's Keck School of Medicine, oversaw hundreds of medical students, professors, and clinicians; he estimated he raised more than $1 billion in funds for the Southern California university. But in March of last year he resigned; the only reason he gave was a desire to explore other opportunities. Now, in an extensive piece, the Los Angeles Timesreveals for the first time that three weeks prior to his resignation, a 21-year-old woman overdosed in a hotel room in the 66-year-old's presence. She ultimately recovered. Methamphetamine was found in the hotel room, but no arrests were made. The Timesspoke to sources and reviewed dozens of videos and photos for an investigation into the drug-fueled exploits Puliafito, who remains on the medical school faculty, allegedly engaged in with a young "circle of criminals and drug users."
The Times piece delves into Puliafito's hiring at USC a decade ago and his status in the medical world (he helped invent a laser technology to treat eye disease, has coauthored more than 60 articles in medical journals, and had raised the profile of other institutions prior to his tenure at USC, among other things) as well as his "other life." That life allegedly included the aforementioned 21-year-old, who was a prostitute when she met Puliafito and became his "constant companion"; meth- and ecstasy-fueled parties that were sometimes held on the USC campus; a group of drug-using partiers that included, a 17-year-old who says Puliafito wrote him a prescription for inhalers to soothe lungs made raw from pot and meth and an Iraq war vet with a criminal history who, at one court appearance, gave Puliafito's address as his own. Despite having no known criminal record and no public record of medical license issues, the Times did find some problems in Puliafito's past, including an assault and battery lawsuit against him. Click for the full piece.
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