Carolyn Meltzer, MD, began her appointment as the Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and the John and May Hooval Dean’s Chair in Medicine, on March 1, 2022. Dean Meltzer oversees the operations and academic affairs of the Keck School of Medicine, which is the home to 26 basic and clinical academic programs and 16 major research institutes. She serves as the academic leader of the Keck School faculty and staff, who perform biomedical research and clinical care, and train medical students, graduate students, postdoctoral trainees and undergraduates. The Keck School of Medicine, along with Keck Medicine, LAC+USC Medical Center and CHLA, is also the sponsor of more than 1,200 resident physicians training in more than 70 specialty or subspecialty programs.

Dr. Meltzer is an expert in neuroradiology and nuclear medicine and has conducted research to understand the brain’s structure and function during normal aging, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and psychiatric disorders in later life. She also specializes in cancer imaging research. Meltzer also has subspecialty certification in neuroradiology and advanced training in positron emission tomography, known as PET.

Dr. Meltzer was recruited from Emory University where she served as the William P. Timmie Professor and Chair, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at Emory University for 15 years. She also served in two additional leadership roles at Emory’s School of Medicine: Executive Associate Dean of Faculty Academic Advancement, Leadership, and Inclusion, and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.

She has a lengthy history of service to the medical profession on a national level, serving on professional and advisory boards like the Council of Faculty and Academic Societies at the Association of American Medical Colleges, American College of Radiology Board of Chancellors and many others. She has received numerous awards and honors, including the Distinguished Service Award from the American Medical Association, the Gold Medal Award from the Association of University Radiologists and the Outstanding Researcher Award and Gold Medal from the American Society of Neuroradiology. She is a member of the Academy Council of Distinguished Investigators in the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research.

Prior to her recent appointment at Emory University, Meltzer held various academic and administrative appointments at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Meltzer earned her medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed her graduate medical education at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology and neurobiology with honors from Cornell University.

On a personal note, Dr. Meltzer’s photography has been the creative complement to her medical imaging career. Her art has been featured in more than 50 solo and group exhibits in the US and Europe, presented in the Yale University Beinecke Library Archive, and published in South x Southeast Photomagazine, the American Journal of Neuroradiology, and Edge of Humanity Magazine.