Appointment of Summer J. Decker, PhD 

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Summer J. Decker, PhD as founding director of the Center for Advanced Visualization Technologies in Medicine, effective February 15, 2024. Reflecting her convergent role, Dr. Decker will serve as Professor of Clinical Radiology with dual appointment in the departments of Surgery and Pathology, and is proposed to hold the Grace Whisler Professorship in Medicine. Dr. Decker will dually report to the dean and the chair of the department of radiology.

Dr. Decker will be responsible for leading the new Center, including developing, leveraging, and promoting advanced visualization applications to accelerate biomedical research, education, and clinical care through applications such as patient-specific anatomical models for surgical planning, medical device design, 3D-printed anatomical models to elevate medical education, and immersive simulators for training. She will lead collaborative innovations in visualization techniques and AI across the Keck School and Keck Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, other units and schools of USC, and partnering academic institutions, industry, and government agencies. The Center will be housed in the Clinical Sciences Center Building on the Health Sciences Campus.

Dr. Decker joins USC from the University of South Florida (USF) where she served as the director of the 3D Clinical Applications Division in the Department of Radiology and Vice Chair for Research and Innovation. She held appointments as Professor in the Departments of Radiology, Pathology, Surgery, and Plastic Surgery at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine at Tampa General Hospital, and Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and Medical Engineering in the USF College of Engineering. Dr. Decker’s research focuses on the clinical applications of 3D modeling and printing, quantitative analysis of medical imaging, and forensic applications of medical imaging. She holds numerous patents on medical devices developed in her lab, and she is also a dedicated educator who has led radiology teaching for medical students and residents for over a decade. Dr. Decker received her doctorate from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, specializing in Pathology and Medical Imaging.

Dr. Decker serves on the Board of the International Society of Forensic Radiology and Imaging and is the senior associate editor of Forensic Imaging. She also serves on the Board of the Radiological Society of North America’s 3D Printing Special Interest Group and is an associate editor of 3D Printing in Medicine.

Jonathan M. Ford, PhD will join Dr. Decker as associate director of the Center for Advanced Visualization Technologies in Medicine and Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology. Dr. Ford was most recently the Technical Director of 3D Clinical Applications and an Associate Professor with appointments in the Department of Radiology, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and in the Department of Medical Engineering, USF College of Engineering. Dr. Ford completed his MS in Medical Science, MS in Biomedical Engineering, and PhD in Biomedical Engineering at USF.

Dr. Decker’s and Dr. Ford’s work has been recognized with the US Patent and Technology Office’s 2023 Patents for Humanity Award and the International FormLabs Impact Award.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Decker and Dr. Ford to the Keck School and to USC.

Carolyn C. Meltzer, MD
Dean, Keck School of Medicine of USC