Rodney Hanners, CEO of Keck Medicine of USC, and Carolyn Meltzer, dean of the Keck School of Medicine, will step down from their roles after more than four years each, according to a university-wide email from President Beong-Soo Kim on Thursday. These changes will take effect September 24.
Seventy-two students signed a letter sent to Meltzer in April after she came under scrutiny because some donor cadavers were sold to the U.S. Navy and used for military training by the Navy and Israeli military, according to past reporting by Annenberg Media. In response to the students, Meltzer said that the university uses the bodies in an educational capacity, not a military one.
Meltzer was appointed dean of the School of Medicine in March 2022. Although Meltzer will remain as a faculty member in the Keck School’s Department of Radiology, she will also take over as president of the Radiological Society of North America.
“[Meltzer’s] caring, compassionate and ethical leadership has earned the respect of the entire USC community,” Kim wrote in the email. “The Keck School is well poised for future success, and we are tremendously grateful for Carolyn’s dedication and contributions.”
Dean of the Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Vassilios Papadopoulos will replace Meltzer and serve as interim dean while also continuing his current position.
“Vassilios is a deeply experienced and collaborative academic leader who knows USC and its health system well. Under his interim leadership, I am confident that the Keck School will continue to advance its excellence in clinical innovation, research, and education,” the email reads.
Steven Shapiro, the senior vice president for health affairs, will take over as CEO and executive vice president of Keck Medicine in Hanners’ stead. According to Beong-Soo Kim’s email, Shapiro will assume “direct operational responsibility” over Keck Medicine on top of his current role.
Edited by Adilene Gomez and Sean Campbell.