Carolyn C. Meltzer, MD
Chair of the Board, Los Angeles, CA
Carolyn C. Meltzer, MD, is chair of the RSNA Board of Directors.
Dr. Meltzer is a physician scientist, mentor, and influential role model who has served in numerous institutional and national leadership positions over the course of her career. An expert in neuroradiology and nuclear medicine, she performed landmark research on brain structure and function in aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Over the past five years, Dr. Meltzer served as dean of the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She led the school’s ascension to its highest levels of research funding and philanthropy, optimized student success, and strengthened community partnerships and care models including the rise of Keck’s Street Medicine program as a national model.
Prior to joining USC in 2022, Dr. Meltzer served as the William P. Timmie Professor and chair of the department of radiology and imaging Sciences; executive associate dean for faculty academic advancement, leadership and inclusion; associate dean for research, and chief diversity & inclusion officer at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. She established the Emory Center for Systems Imaging to broadly support the advance of imaging capabilities in basic and translational research.
Dr. Meltzer began her professional journey at the University of Pittsburgh and was named medical director of the PET Facility in 1998 and chief of neuroradiology and vice-chair of research in the department of radiology in 2002. While there, she was engaged in neuroscience and oncologic imaging research and oversaw the clinical evaluation of the world’s first combined human PET/CT scanner.
Reflective of her commitment to radiology and academic medicine, Dr. Meltzer has served in numerous national leadership roles and professional boards including the administrative boards of the AAMC Council of Faculty and Academic Societies, AAMC Council of Deans, Advisory Council for the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, American College of Radiology Board of Chancellors and founding chair of the ACR Commission on Research, RSNA R&E Foundation, and Association of University Radiologists, and on the Executive Committee of the International Society of Strategic Studies in Radiology. She is also past president of the American Society of Neuroradiology and Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research. Currently, Dr. Meltzer is a Trustee of Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and member of the Board of Directors of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Recognized for her leadership in research and education, Dr. Meltzer received the ASNR Outstanding Contributions in Research Award in 2016 and Outstanding Researcher Award from the RSNA in 2018. She has been honored with four gold medals; from the Association of University Radiologists (2018), ASNR (2019), Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research (2021), and American College of Radiology (2023). Other notable awards include the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award from the American Association for Women in Radiology, the Distinguished Service Award from the American Medical Association, and the Hispanic Health Leadership Award from the National Hispanic Health Foundation. In 2023, Dr. Meltzer was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Dr. Meltzer has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles, symposium papers, and technical reports and more than 60 invited works. She has maintained nearly 20 years of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for research on the detection and study of aging-related brain conditions and the development and validation of imaging technology. She has mentored more than 75 pre-and post-doctoral students and faculty.
Dr. Meltzer earned her medical degree and completed residency and fellowship training at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.