About

The establishment of the Hastings Center for Pulmonary Research (HCPR) stands as a crucial leap forward in our commitment to combating lung disease. This groundbreaking initiative, backed by the Hastings Foundation’s generosity, not only aligns resources but also fosters collaboration between basic, translational, and clinical lung research at USC.

Through state-of-the-art techniques bridging bench-to-bedside approaches, it aims to unravel the complexities of lung injury, repair, and regeneration. This endeavor perfectly complements USC’s Center for Advanced Lung Disease, aiming to establish a patient cohort for clinical research and translational studies. By uniting resources, recruiting top-tier faculty, and fostering interdisciplinary programs, this center will propel innovative discoveries in pulmonary research and advance novel approaches for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of advanced lung diseases.

The Hastings Foundation was established in 1943 with funds from the estate of Charles Hueston Hastings, the owner of Hastings Ranch in Pasadena. The Hastings Foundation was established to fund the study, prevention, treatment, and cure of tuberculosis – the disease that took his father’s life. Due to advances in tuberculosis treatment, the foundation modified its mission in 1961 to include the treatment and cure of other pulmonary and related diseases.

That same year, the Hastings Foundation made their first gift to the medical school at the University of Southern California. This partnership called for the recruitment of qualified faculty to pursue teaching and investigation in several areas relating to pulmonary disease problems, including etiology, pathogenesis, pathology, treatment and control.

To date, the Hastings Foundation has awarded over $33 million to the Keck School of Medicine. This includes their 2014 commitment of $7.5 million to support the Hastings Center for Pulmonary Research.