Amytis "Amy" Towfighi, MD
Director, Healthcare Delivery Science
SC CTSI Role
Dr. Towfighi is an Associate Professor of Neurology (Clinical Scholar) at Keck School of Medicine of USC and Director of Healthcare Delivery Science at the SC CTSI. She has held several leadership positions in the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LAC DHS) system and her research has focused on healthcare delivery redesign, to improve access to care, quality of care, and patient outcomes in safety-net settings, to reduce inequities. She has collaborated closely with UCLA researchers, developing and testing novel models of healthcare delivery in the DHS-safety net system. Dr. Towfighi is the primary SC CTSI liaison for team building in our research collaboration with the LAC DHS and UCLA. Dr. Towfighi is actively involved with the LAC DHS, UCLA CTSI and SC CTSI Safety Net Innovation Award grant program and provides consultation services to USC research investigators who are interested in developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions within LAC DHS to improve quality and efficiency of patient-centered care. Dr. Towfighi has an integral role in facilitating partnerships among LAC DHS, USC, UCLA and the community.
Contact Information
towfighi@usc.edu
323-442-5710
Professional Background
Dr. Towfighi is Director of Neurological Services for LAC DHS, Associate Medical Director of Research and Chief of Neurology at LAC+USC Medical Center. Her research focuses on cardiovascular prevention interventions bridging healthcare systems with community settings. She received her bachelor degree from MIT, MD from Johns Hopkins, completed internship at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Neurology Residency at the Harvard Partners Neurology Program (MGH and Brigham and Women's Hospital), and Neurovascular Fellowship at UCLA.
She has published extensively on sex, race/ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in stroke, and has tested interventions designed to address disparities in post-stroke care. She has been involved in three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of secondary stroke prevention interventions in the LAC DHS safety-net system: (1) site principal investigator for an American Heart Association-funded multi-center RCT of a chronic-care model based intervention for blood pressure control, SUSTAIN (Systematic Use of STroke Averting Interventions) (Overall PI: Vickrey, UCLA); (2) principal investigator in an American Heart Association-funded RCT of a lifestyle intervention, HEALS (Healthy Eating And Lifestyle after Stroke); and (3) principal investigator of an NINDS-funded multi-center RCT of an Advanced Practice Practitioner/Community Health Worker team intervention for improving risk factor control after stroke, the “Secondary stroke prevention by Uniting Community and Chronic care model teams Early to End Disparities (SUCCEED)” trial (Multiple PI: Towfighi/Vickrey).
She received the Robert G. Siekert New Investigator in Stroke Award from the American Heart Association and Michael S. Pessin Stroke Leadership Prize from the American Academy of Neurology. She served as Chair of the American Stroke Association Quality and Outcomes Committee and served on numerous writing groups for American Heart Association Scientific Statements and Guidelines (including Chair of the Post-Stroke Depression Scientific Statement and Vice-Chair of the Secondary Stroke Prevention Guidelines).
Interests
Openwater swimming, running, comedy, traveling to remote areas of the world.