Appointment of Earl Strum, MD, MMM, as chair of the Department of Anesthesiology

The Keck School of Medicine of USC has appointed Earl Strum, MD, MMM, Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology and Population and Public Health Sciences, as chair of the Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Strum has served with distinction as interim chair over the past 8 months.

“Dr. Strum brings to the role a wealth of experience and depth of knowledge across the field of anesthesiology. A highly collaborative leader, he inspires teamwork and multi-disciplinary care.”

~Carolyn Meltzer, MD, dean of the Keck School of Medicine

Dr. Strum is a nationally recognized anesthesiologist, academic physician, and health system leader with more than 30 years of experience spanning complex clinical care, medical education, research, and institutional leadership. 

As Interim Chair, he has advanced a strategic vision centered on operational efficiency, workforce stabilization, cost containment, faculty recruitment and retention, and academic growth. In this short tenure, Dr. Strum has promoted innovative staffing and care-delivery models, strengthened partnerships across the school and health system, and supported the expansion of anesthesiology education and clinical research programs. He has built upon strong and trusted relationships with key clinical and administrative leaders to guide the department forward in all its missions.

“We are committed to providing compassionate, patient-centered care while continuously pushing the boundaries of what is possible in our field.”

~Earl Strum, MD, MMM

Dr. Strum has held extensive administrative, governance, and operational leadership roles within Keck Medicine of USC in the areas of provider credentialing, quality assurance, transfusion medicine, operating room operations, and patient safety. Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he provided system-wide leadership in clinical operations, safety, and workforce protection. A founding anesthesiologist of the USC Liver Transplant Program, Dr. Strum played a pivotal role in developing the program into one of the largest and most successful in the US. Further, Dr. Strum pioneered transfusion-free liver transplantation in Jehovah’s Witness patients through innovative blood conservation and anesthetic strategies. These contributions positioned USC as a major referral center for high-acuity surgical and oncologic care.

Dr. Strum’s scholarly work includes clinical research in liver transplantation, morbid obesity, bloodless transfusion techniques, infection prevention, and inhalational anesthetics. He has served as principal investigator on industry-sponsored clinical trials and has authored numerous abstracts and presentations at major national and international scientific meetings. He has also served on editorial boards and held leadership roles within professional organizations, including the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the California Society of Anesthesiologists. With a sustained commitment to education and mentorship, Dr. Strum has mentored numerous students, residents, and early career faculty, and contributed to continuing medical education programs at the regional, national, and international levels.

Dr. Strum completed his MD degree from the University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School. Thereafter, he pursued residency training in internal medicine and anesthesiology at the University of Illinois School of Medicine, followed by fellowship training in pain management. He also holds a Master of Medical Management (MMM) degree from the University of Southern California, reflecting his longstanding commitment to physician leadership.

Learn more about how the Department of Anesthesiology advances training, patient care, and research.