Carolyn C. Meltzer, MD
Liaison for Science, Los Angeles, CA
Carolyn C. Meltzer, MD, is the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Board of Directors Liaison for Science.
“I am delighted to serve RSNA at such an exciting time in the journey that is radiology,” Dr. Meltzer said. “Our field continues to evolve, lead and catalyze transformative progress in health care, research and discovery, and workforce development. This is a time of enormous headway, when disruptive developments such as AI/data science, theranostics, patient-centered interventions, and team-based care models will guide us toward an exciting future.”
Dr. Meltzer is the dean of the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. In this role, she oversees more than 2,300 faculty in a vibrant research-intensive institution dedicated to the health of one of the country’s most diverse populations.
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 of faculty academic advancement, leadership and inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. From 2007 to 2019, Dr. Meltzer served as the director of the Innovation Catalyst Program for the Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance and as associate dean for research in the School of Medicine. She established the Emory Center for Systems Imaging to broadly support the advance of imaging capabilities in basic and translational research.
Dr. Meltzer is an advocate for thoughtful professional development and has individually mentored approximately 70 pre- and post-doctoral trainees and junior faculty. Under her leadership as department chair, the Emory Radiology Leadership Academy was created and graduated over 120 professionals.
An ardent supporter of identifying opportunities for professionals of all backgrounds, Dr. Meltzer was named the inaugural chair of RSNA’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion in 2018. She also served on the American College of Radiology (ACR) Commission for Women and Diversity and the Steering Committee of the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Women in Medicine and Science. In 2021, Dr. Meltzer was recognized by the American Medical Association’s Distinguished Service Award, Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research’s Gold Medal, and the American Association of Women in Radiology’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award for her advocacy for research and inclusion in medicine and science.
She is a former chair of RSNA’s Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (QIBA) task force and of the Research Development Committee.
Dr. Meltzer is a past president of both the American Society of Neuroradiology and the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research. Reflective of her commitment to academic medicine, Dr. Meltzer has held numerous national leadership roles and served on professional and advisory boards, including the advisory council for the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the ACR Board of Chancellors, the Association of University Radiologists Board of Directors, and the International Society of Strategic Studies in Radiology Executive Committee. She served as the inaugural chair of the ACR Commission on Research. She serves on the Board of Directors as president-elect of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments.
Dr. Meltzer has published more than 200 papers. She has maintained 20 years of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding as principal or co-investigator for research into the detection and study of aging-related brain conditions and diseases and the development and validation of imaging technology. Highly awarded for her outstanding leadership in research and education, Dr. Meltzer received the Outstanding Contributions in Research Award in 2016 and a gold medal in 2019 from the American Society of Neuroradiology. In 2018, she was recognized as the RSNA Outstanding Researcher and was awarded a gold medal from the Association of University Radiologists.
Dr. Meltzer earned her medical degree from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, and completed her fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She began her career at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania 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.