View a list of USC's "Top Doctors" at http://tinyurl.com/6wm87dm

Two-hundred and seventy-three University of Southern California (USC) physicians have been included in Pasadena Magazine's June 2012 "Top Doctors" issue, the most since the magazine began publishing the issue five years ago.

The number of USC physicians honored on the list increased by 61 percent this year, over the 170 USC faculty physicians listed last year. The "Top Doctors" edition is an annual recognition of more than 950 medical doctors practicing in the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles area, nominated by their peers as the best in their profession.

"This recognition is evidence that the reputation of our faculty physicians is growing," said Keck School of Medicine Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A. "We're proud of their accomplishments and achievements, as well as their commitment to education and equipping the next generation of doctors with the skills they need to provide superior healthcare to patients."

The Keck School of Medicine includes more than 500 physicians who are full-time faculty members practicing at the Keck Medical Center of USC (including Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital), Doheny Eye Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center and several medical offices, including the Keck Medical Center of USC Pasadena, which opened in April 2012.

"When our physicians began seeing patients at the Keck Medical Center of USC Pasadena, we realized a long-time goal of bringing more of our world-class services to San Gabriel Valley residents," said Scott Evans, Pharm.D., COO and interim CEO of the USC hospitals, a part of the Keck Medical Center of USC. "Our physicians are proud to serve the Pasadena community and we're proud to see so many of their names in Pasadena Magazine's Top Doctors list."

To be considered for inclusion in Pasadena Magazine's Top Doctors list, physicians in the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles area were nominated and voted on by their peers, who submitted confidential ballots to the magazine. The votes were tabulated and the physicians' credentials verified by the Yee and Belilove law firm in Pasadena. Doctors cannot pay to be included on the list.

USC doctors appeared in 48 out of 59 specialty categories recognized by the magazine. In 16 of those categories, more physicians from USC appeared than doctors from any other health provider in the area. These specialties include adolescent medicine, bone marrow/transplant, cardiothoracic surgery, neonatology, pediatric neurosurgery, pediatrics/ bone marrow transplant, critical care, gynecology, radiology, vascular surgery, endocrinology/ diabetes/ metabolism, geriatric medicine, gynecologic surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, and pathology.

Other specialties which USC faculty physicians appear include allergy and immunology, breast cancer/ breast surgical oncology, cardiology, colon/rectal surgery, cosmetic surgery/medicine, dermatology, emergency care, gastroenterology, general surgery, general/family practice, hematology/hematologic malignancies/oncology, infectious diseases, infertility, internal medicine, nephrology, OB/GYN, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, orthopedics, otolaryngology, pediatrics, plastic and reconstructive surgery, psychiatry, pulmonary medicine/critical care, reproductive endocrinology/ infertility, rheumatology, surgical oncology, urologic surgical oncology, and urology.

The June 2012 issue also includes profiles of more than 50 faculty physicians in specialties including digestive health, gynecological oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, cardiovascular surgery, and neurosurgery.

Clinical faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine are among the nation's leaders in clinical care, research and education. More than 100 USC physicians appear on the national Best Doctors and America's Top Doctors lists.

Pasadena Magazine is a monthly regional publication serving the greater San Gabriel Valley. It is available for purchase at major newsstands, bookstores and grocers in the Los Angeles metro area. Launched in September 2007, the magazine has published its own Top Doctors directory since June 2008.

Keck School faculty physicians also see patients at satellite locations in downtown Los Angeles, La Cañada Flintridge, and Beverly Hills.