Los Angeles-based Keck School of Medicine at USC appointed Interim Dean Laura Mosqueda, MD, to the position full time, effective May 1, the medical school announced April 25.
Dr. Mosqueda has served as the interim dean of the medical school since October. With her full-time appointment, she became the first woman to lead the institution since the school was founded in 1885.
Prior to her appointment as interim dean, Dr. Mosqueda served as associate dean of primary care at the Keck School of Medicine and chair of the department of family medicine. A Keck alumna, she went on to complete her residency in family medicine at Adventist Health Glendale (Calif.) and a fellowship in internal medicine at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, Calif.
Dr. Mosqueda's appointment follows a slew of tumultuous leadership changes at the medical school. Dr. Mosqueda's predecessor, Rohit Varma, MD, resigned as dean of the institution last October following a Los Angeles Times report claiming Dr. Varma had been disciplined by the university for allegedly sexually harassing a research fellow in 2002.
Prior to Dr. Varma, the position was held by former Dr. Carmen Puliafito. Mr. Puliafito was the subject of an investigation by The Los Angeles Times last summer, which discovered the former dean had allegedly misused drugs while helming the medical school. The Medical Board of California outlined allegations against him last year, stating Mr. Puliafito had furnished drugs to at least three people. The board sought to have the former dean's medical license suspended or revoked; however, he voluntarily surrendered his medical license.