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Puliafito EOD (7/27)
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USC moves to terminate former dean, citing evidence of drug activity
Jul 27, 2017 | USA Today College
By Diana Kruzman
The University of Southern California is taking steps to terminate a former dean who is said to have engaged in illicit drug use during his tenure at the university, the administration announced in two letters on July 21 and one on July 26. -
President of U. of Southern California Admits Flaws in Response to Reports of Dean’s Drug Use
Jul 27, 2017 | The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Suhauna Hussain
C.L. Max Nikias, president of the University of Southern California, said on Wednesday in a written statement that the university “could have done better” in dealing with reports of drug use by the former medical-school dean Carmen A. Puliafito, and that it will form a task force to better investigate employee misconduct. -
USC President Responds To Widening Scandal Surrounding Former Medical School Dean
Jul 27, 2017 | LAWest Media
By City News Service
USC President C.L. Max Nikias said Wednesday he was “saddened and upset” about recent revelations regarding the activities of former medical school dean Carmen Puliafito, and acknowledged that the university “could have done better” in handling the situation. -
USC president says new protocols to be made amid former Keck dean drug allegations
Jul 27, 2017 | KABC
The president of USC issued a letter to the campus community and alumni amid reports that the former dean of the Keck School of Medicine may be involved in criminal activity. -
KCBS (CBS): CBS 2 News at 6 a.m.
Jul 27, 2017 | KCBS (CBS)
VIDEO LINK: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/28474468?token=4c500ed6-8c47-4ffb-a9b8-e5777d6858f4 "USC President Max Nikias apologizde and accepted responsibility for the universities handling of its medical school scandal." -
KNXAM (KNX): Vicky Moore / Dick Helton
Jul 27, 2017 | KNXAM (KNX)
The president and usc has said he saddened and upset over information about a former dean of the Keck medical school and the president of the university admits tthat they could have done a better job handling the investigation. Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/28487353?token=13fc4bdb-a401-47de-9fe7-a59c03a7dc6f
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USC moves to terminate former dean, citing evidence of drug activity
Jul 27, 2017 | USA Today College
By Diana Kruzman
The University of Southern California is taking steps to terminate a former dean who is said to have engaged in illicit drug use during his tenure at the university, the administration announced in two letters on July 21 and one on July 26.
Carmen Puliafito, who served as dean of the Keck School of Medicine for almost a decade, is now suspended from his position as a faculty member at the university and is barred from setting foot on campus or participating in university events, USC Provost Michael Quick announced in a statement posted online.
The letter comes after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that Puliafito was using hard drugs like methamphetamines and ecstasy and keeping company with prostitutes and criminals while still working at the university, including in his office on campus.
“Today, we were provided access to information of egregious behavior on the part of the former dean concerning substance abuse activities with people who aren’t affiliated with USC,” Quick said in the letter. “This was the first time we saw such information first-hand. It is extremely troubling and we need to take serious action.”
Although Puliafito resigned his position as dean in March 2016 — 10 days after USC received a call notifying the university that Puliafito was engaging in drug use — he remained on the faculty and continued to represent USC at official events. It is unclear whether he continued to see patients, though he remained on the USC Roski Eye Institute website as a practicing doctor until Monday.
A statement provided by USC on Monday said that Puliafito was on leave from his position at USC and not seeing patients.
The Times investigation found that Puliafito was present when Sarah Warren, who met the dean while working as a prostitute, overdosed on the “date-rape drug” GHB in a Pasadena, Calif. hotel room in March 2016. Ten days later, an anonymous witness placed a call to USC President C. L. Max Nikias’ office alerting him of Puliafito’s involvement. USA TODAY College has not been able to independently confirm that this phone call took place, but The New York Times reported on July 26that a university spokesman said the president’s office received the call, though it did not reach a senior administrator.
A separate letter sent by Nikias to the USC community on July 21 and published by the Times said that USC has hired an outside attorney to look into the matter.
The attorney, former Los Angeles federal prosecutor Debra Wong Yang, will investigate “the details of Carmen Puliafito’s conduct, the university’s response” and USC’s policies and procedures, the letter says, and she will present her findings to the USC Board of Trustees. Nikias said the USC community must “cooperate fully and swiftly” with the investigation, and that the administration aims to understand what happened to prevent it from happening again.
“We are outraged and disgusted by this individual’s behavior,” Nikias said in the letter. “It runs counter to our values and everything for which our university stands.”
In a follow-up letter on July 26, Nikias added that although he believed the university “acted in good faith” at the time the accusations against Puliafito were disclosed, but that the administration “could have done better to recognize the signs and severity of (Puliafito’s) issues.”
In the same letter, Nikias said Wong Yang’s law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, just began its internal review of the matter. He also charged Quick and another senior administrator, Todd Dickey, with creating a task force to examine how reports of “improper actions” can get passed on to higher officials.
“It is clear to us now that the university currently has only loosely defined procedures and guidelines for dealing with employee behavior outside the workplace that may be improper or illegal and has the capacity to affect USC,” Nikas said in the letter. “And, presently, the university has very limited capacity to conduct investigations and follow up on leads or anonymous reports of such employee behavior.”
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President of U. of Southern California Admits Flaws in Response to Reports of Dean’s Drug Use
Jul 27, 2017 | The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Suhauna Hussain
C.L. Max Nikias, president of the University of Southern California, said on Wednesday in a written statement that the university “could have done better” in dealing with reports of drug use by the former medical-school dean Carmen A. Puliafito, and that it will form a task force to better investigate employee misconduct.
The university “has only loosely defined procedures and guidelines for dealing with employee behavior outside the workplace that may be improper or illegal and has the capacity to affect USC,” the president said. “And, presently, the university has very limited capacity to conduct investigations and follow up on leads or anonymous reports of such employee behavior.”
Mr. Nikias’s statement represents the first time the university has admitted it could have taken more steps to deal with the dean’s behavior a year ago. The admission comes in the wake of a sensational report by the Los Angeles Times on the doctor’s secret life of illicit drug use and heavy partying with prostitutes (one of whom overdosed while with him). USC announced on Friday it would begin the process of firing Mr. Puliafito, who remains a tenured member of the faculty
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USC President Responds To Widening Scandal Surrounding Former Medical School Dean
Jul 27, 2017 | LAWest Media
By City News Service
USC President C.L. Max Nikias said Wednesday he was “saddened and upset” about recent revelations regarding the activities of former medical school dean Carmen Puliafito, and acknowledged that the university “could have done better” in handling the situation.“I Feel Badly”
“It is my responsibility to ensure the trust and well-being of our Trojan family, and I take that responsibility very seriously,” Nikias wrote in a letter to the USC community. “I feel badly for all the people directly impacted by this situation. And I feel badly for all the faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, friends and supporters of this great university who work tirelessly every day to advance knowledge, educate students, care for patients and serve the community.
As we move forward, their safety and best interests guide my actions,” he wrote.Puliafito Led The Medical School For Years
USC has begun the process to terminate Puliafito and strip him of his faculty tenure because of alleged substance abuse activities.
Puliafito, 66, a renowned eye surgeon, led the Keck School of Medicine for almost a decade before resigning in 2016. He remained on the Keck faculty and continued to represent the university at public events as recently as this summer.Kept Company With Circle Of Criminals
The Los Angeles Times reported that during his tenure as dean, Puliafito kept company with a circle of criminals and addicts who said he used drugs with them. The paper also reported that Puliafito was with a prostitute when she overdosed on drugs at a Pasadena hotel room and had to be rushed to a hospital.Resigned Post
The same day as The Times report, USC said Puliafito was no longer seeing patients and was on leave. Puliafito resigned his $1.1 million-a-year dean’s post in March 2016, saying he wanted to explore outside opportunities.Barred From Any Association With USC
Puliafito is under immediate suspension from the university, barred from its campuses and any association with USC, including attending or participating in university events, Michael W. Quick, the university’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs wrote in a memo to faculty members.Former Federal Prosecutor Hired
Nikias previously announced that former federal prosecutor Debra Wong Yang has been hired to look into the allegations.
In his letter on Wednesday, Nikias stressed that “the unfortunate actions of one individual in no way reflect the broader actions of the university and our thousands of faculty members and employees.“We Could Have Done Better”
That said, we could have done better,” he wrote. “In facing other crises, we always found opportunities to learn and ways to improve, and then emerged stronger. Dr. Puliafito’s situation is extraordinarily complex, but we should assume we cold have done better to recognize the signs and severity of his issues.”University To Create Task Force
Nikias said the university is creating a task force to study how it can improve its policies for dealing with employees’ behavior “outside the workplace that may be improper or illegal,” and for conducting investigations into such actions and “follow up on leads or anonymous reports of such employee behavior.”“We Must Move Forward With Resolve”
“We must move forward with resolve and urgency, and we must move quickly to establish the task force and begin our process of learning from the past,” he said.
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USC president says new protocols to be made amid former Keck dean drug allegations
Jul 27, 2017 | KABC
The president of USC issued a letter to the campus community and alumni amid reports that the former dean of the Keck School of Medicine may be involved in criminal activity.
Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, 66, was part of a Los Angeles Times report that he was associated with criminals and drug users while he was a dean at the medical school. It also reported that he used methamphetamines and other drugs.
Puliafito resigned as dean in 2016 after another Times article reported that a 21-year-old woman overdosed in his presence in a Pasadena hotel room. But despite his resignation, the ophthalmologist continued to see patients at USC's Roski Eye Institute.
On July 18, the school posted on its website that he would no longer be accepting new patients or seeing current ones.
President C. L. Max Nikias sent the letter to the entire USC community, stating that the media coverage on Puliafito "raised issues about how (USC is) handling the matter."
He said he was "saddened and upset" by the recent events and wanted to address that there should still be trust within the campus community. Nikias went on to say that as a result of the reports, the university "could have done better."
Nikias said the university has "loosely defined procedures and guidelines for dealing with employee behavior outside the workplace that may be improper or illegal and has the capacity to affect USC."
He said has charged the university provost and senior vice president for administration to create a task force to address questions that have surfaced because of the situation. -
KCBS (CBS): CBS 2 News at 6 a.m.
Jul 27, 2017 | KCBS (CBS)
VIDEO LINK: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/28474468?token=4c500ed6-8c47-4ffb-a9b8-e5777d6858f4
"USC President Max Nikias apologized and accepted responsibility for the universities handling of its medical school scandal. In a letter to the USC community he wrote 'It is my responsibility to ensure the trust and well-being of our Trohan family, and I take that responsibility very seriously. I feel badly for all the people directly impacted by this situation.' An la times investigation reported former dean Carmen Puliafito led a secret life as he was running one of the country's top medical schools. He was teaching an operating on people by day and allegedly partying hard with dangerous drugs and criminals along with a prostitute at night. this reportedly went on for years
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KNXAM (KNX): Vicky Moore / Dick Helton
Jul 27, 2017 | KNXAM (KNX)
VIDEO LINK: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/28487353?token=13fc4bdb-a401-47de-9fe7-a59c03a7dc6f
The president and usc has said he saddened and upset over information about a former dean of the Keck medical school and the president of the university admits that they could have done a better job handling the investigation. this is all the result of a LA Times investigation and then they showed that that this doctor they say that using drugs and hanging around with drug dealers and prostitutes he was still representing the tech medical school after usc became aware of allegations.
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