Carmen Puliafito Explained

Carmen Puliafito
Birth Name:Carmen Anthony Puliafito
Discipline:Ophthalmology
Birth Date:January 5,
Children:3
Education:Harvard University (AB, MD)
University of Pennsylvania (MBA)
Workplaces:University of Miami
University of Southern California
Sub Discipline:Optical coherence tomography
Module:
Embed:yes
Office:Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC
Term Start:2007
Term End:March 2016
Predecessor:Brian E. Henderson
Successor:Rohit Varma (interim)
Birth Place:Buffalo, New York, U.S.

Carmen Anthony Puliafito (born January 5, 1951)[1] is an American ophthalmologist and former academic administrator. From 2007 until March 2016, he was dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

In 2017, the Los Angeles Times revealed that Puliafito had engaged in parties with young recreational drug users and prostitutes, including at the Keck School's offices, and that Puliafito had smoked methamphetamine at these events.[2]

Early life and education

Born and raised Buffalo, New York, Puliafito received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College in 1973 and a Doctor of Medicine from Harvard Medical School in 1978.[3] He completed a residency in ophthalmology and a fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Puliafito also earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Career

Puliafito was appointed dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC in December 2007.[4] Before that, he had been director of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, and chair of the department of ophthalmology.[5] The institute has regularly been ranked as the best eye hospital and vision research center in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. In 2012, he was 21st of the highest-paid research university executives in the United States.[6] While dean, he served on the board of the Children's Hospital Los Angeles.[7]

In March 2016, Puliafito resigned as dean of the Keck School of Medicine, and USC professor Rohit Varma was appointed interim dean.[8] After leaving USC, he took a role as chief of strategic development with a pharmaceutical company called Ophthotech that was developing new drugs for eye diseases; he was laid off along with 80% of the staff in December 2016 when two phase III clinical trials produced negative results.[9]

Puliafito's California medical license was revoked based on disciplinary orders on August 17, 2018.[10]

Research

Puliafito was one of the inventors of optical coherence tomography; for this work, James Fujimoto, Eric Swanson and Puliafito received a Rank Prize for Opto-Electronics in 2002.[11] In 2012, Fujimoto, Swanson, and David Huang, with Puliafito and Joel Schuman, received an António Champalimaud Vision Award from the Champalimaud Foundation.[12]

Puliafito participated in research into the use of bevacizumab for the treatment of retinal disorders.

2017 Los Angeles Times report

The Los Angeles Times reported in July 2017 that while Puliafito served as dean and USC professor, he "kept company with a circle of criminals and drug users who said he used methamphetamine and other drugs with them."[13] The reporters reviewed video and photographs of Puliafito engaging in these activities in hotel rooms, apartments, and the dean's office.[13] According to the newspaper, a 21-year-old prostitute had overdosed while taking drugs with Puliafito in a Pasadena hotel room on March 4, 2016; the article included a recording of a conversation between a 911 operator and Puliafito. The report said that police had found methamphetamine in the room.[13] Three weeks later, on March 24, 2016, Puliafito resigned as dean of the Keck School of Medicine. Nothing was said about the incident; he said he was resigning because he wished to "return to academic ophthalmology and pursue some identified opportunities in healthcare."[8]

Immediately following the publication of the 2017 Los Angeles Times report, USC announced that Puliafito had been placed "on leave from his roles at USC, including seeing patients."[14]

In July 2022, Paul Pringle, the reporter who first uncovered and reported the story of Puliafito's activities, published a book entitled . It describes his year-long struggle to get the story published over the objections of his superiors at the Times, who did not want to offend USC. Pringle's investigation of the case began with the March 2016 incident, but the paper refused to publish it. He and colleagues persisted, continuing to research the case until the report was finally published in July 2017, long after Puliafito had resigned as dean.[15] [16]

Personal life

Puliafito and his wife, Janet Pine, had three children. A psychiatrist, Pine met Puliafito while they were students at Harvard Medical School.[17] He was fired by USC for engaging in a pattern of illegal drug use and sometimes partied with a group of drug users in his USC offices. [18]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Blain, Charles . Lasers: A Guide to the Book Literature . 2002 . Nova Publishers . 978-1-59033-225-2 . en.
  2. News: An overdose, a young companion, drug-fueled parties: The secret life of USC med school dean. Los Angeles Times. 2019-05-11. en-US. 0458-3035.
  3. Book: IBBO-International Biography and Bibliography of Ophthalmologists and Visual Scientist (A-Z) . 2018-11-30 . Wayenborgh Publishing . 978-90-6299-896-8 . en.
  4. USC Press Release. Dec 5 2007. USC Installs Dr. Carmen Puliafito as New Dean of the Keck School of Medicine
  5. http://news.usc.edu/18096/Carmen-Puliafito-named-new-dean-of-the-Keck-School-of-Medicine/ Carmen Puliafito named new dean of the Keck School of Medicine
  6. News: 25 Top-Paid Research University Leaders . Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News . Nov 18, 2013 . Alex Philippidis. https://web.archive.org/web/20160423085620/http://www.genengnews.com/keywordsandtools/print/3/33096/. April 23, 2016. Accessed February 2015.
  7. Web site: Board of Trustees . 9 April 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151002100729/http://www.chla.org/board-trustees . October 2, 2015 . Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
  8. Web site: Dean of Keck School of Medicine of USC resigns . Maamoon. Noorhan. Daily Trojan. 25 March 2016 . 2016-04-03.
  9. News: Adams. Ben. Ophthotech cuts to hit around 80% of staffers after phase 3 failures. FierceBiotech. January 17, 2017. en.
  10. Web site: California Board Of Medicine .
  11. s.n.
  12. http://www.fchampalimaud.org/en/vision-award/award-recipients/2012/ 2012: Williams & Fujimoto, Huang, Puliafito, Schuman, Swanson
  13. News: Pringle. Paul. Ryan. Harriet. Elmahrek. Adam. Hamilton. Matt. Parvini. Sarah. An overdose, a young companion, drug-fueled parties: The secret life of USC med school dean. Los Angeles Times. July 17, 2017.
  14. Adam Elmahrek, Sarah Parvini, Paul Pringle & Matt Hamilton, Former USC medical school dean no longer seeing patients; Pasadena police discipline officer, Los Angeles Times (July 17, 2017).
  15. News: An overdose, a young companion, drug-fueled parties: The secret life of a USC med school dean. July 17, 2017. Los Angeles Times. 14 July 2022.
  16. News: Book review: U.S.C. Sex Scandals and the Paper That Tried to Cover Them Up. Benner. Katie. July 13, 2022. The New York Times. 14 July 2022.
  17. Web site: 2007-08-23 . Carmen Puliafito named new dean of the Keck School of Medicine . 2022-10-13 . USC News . en-US.
  18. https://laist.com/shows/take-two/usc-fires-dr-puliafito-launches-external-investigation