In the most sweeping moves in years, several leadership changes were recently announced at healthcare-related institutions within the University of Southern California.
After six years, Rod Hanners stepped down on Sept. 24 from his post as chief executive of Keck Medicine of USC, which comprises all of USC’s community-oriented healthcare provider programs, including Keck Medical Center, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Verdugo Hills Hospital, Arcadia Hospital and more than 100 clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Tulare and Ventura counties as well as Las Vegas.
“As CEO, Rod helped strengthen the quality of care we provide, elevate the reputation of our health system in Los Angeles and beyond, and extend USC’s care into more communities, including new locations in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley,” USC President Beong-Soo Kim wrote in a letter to the university community.
In his own post on his departure, Hanners praised the healthcare teams at Keck Medicine.
“I take with me memories of our accomplishments that have advanced the exceptional care we provide and helped both our patients and staff members face some of the worst challenges of their lives,” Hanners wrote in his post.
Extensive hospital background
Neither Kim nor Hanners indicated what Hanners will do next.
Steven Shapiro, USC’s senior vice president for health affairs, has taken Hanners’ place. Before coming to USC in 2021, Shapiro served as president of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and its 40-plus hospital facilities.
“By combining Steve’s direct operational responsibility over Keck Medicine of USC with his continued oversight of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, we can move and innovate even more quickly to extend our renowned clinical care and research throughout the region,” Kim wrote.
In addition, Marty Sargeant, the chief executive of Keck Medical Center of USC, has added to his portfolio the role of chief operating officer of Keck Medicine.
Meanwhile, changes were also announced on the academic side.
Keck School of Medicine of USC Dean Carolyn Meltzer has stepped down to become president of the Radiological Society of North America. Vassilios Papadopoulos has stepped in as interim dean while retaining his post as dean of the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
