Jan 02, 2026  
USC Catalogue 2025-2026 
    
USC Catalogue 2025-2026

Department of Anesthesiology


Return to: Keck School of Medicine of USC  

 

Nurse Anesthesia Program

Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP)  

Nurse Anesthesia Program
1540 Alcazar Street
Center for Health Professions #205
Los Angeles, CA 90089-9012
(323) 442-2037
FAX: (323) 442-1701
Email: uscnap@usc.edu

keck.usc.edu/nurse-anesthesia-program/

Program Director: Jeffrey Darna, PhD, DNP, CRNA, ACNP-BC, FAANA

Chair and Professor: Holly Muir, MD

Associate Program Director: Teresa Norris, EdD, CRNA

Assistant Program Directors: Elizabeth Bamgbose, PhD, CRNA, FAANA; Erica McCall Zima, DNP, MPH, CRNA, FAANA

Lead Academic Faculty: Joshua A. Carr, PhD, DNP, CRNA

Clinical Education Administrator: Jennifer Hogan, MS, CRNA

The USC Program of Nurse Anesthesia prepares qualified registered nurses to obtain a doctorate in nurse anesthesia practice. Upon completing the curriculum, the graduate is eligible for the certification examination administered by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists. The USC Program of Nurse Anesthesia offers a concentrated academic and comprehensive clinical curriculum. Students will gain experience in the various required clinical specialty areas, including but not limited to general, cardiothoracic, neurosurgical, genitourinary, gynecologic, head and neck, plastic, orthopedic, trauma, obstetric, pediatric, and ambulatory outpatient procedures, as well as regional anesthesia, pain management, trauma, point of care ultrasound, and emergency airway response. Our mission is to promote scholarly education and professional development of future nurse anesthetists with the academic strength and leadership skills to advance our profession.

Students enrolling in the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) course must complete 81-82 units for a continuous full-time, 36-month curriculum. Advanced science courses in anesthesiology, anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology complement the two-year nurse anesthesia clinical residency. Graduates become experts in anesthesiology, perioperative care, and pain management, as well as proponents of translational science. Students learn to analyze, synthesize and translate scientific evidence into clinical practice and demonstrate their skill proficiency in a scholarly doctoral capstone project. In addition, course work in health care policy, leadership and advocacy, informatics and technology, and population health prepare nurse anesthesia students to become industry leaders and change agents. The USC Program of Nurse Anesthesia has received accreditation through 2033 by the Council on Accreditation (COA) of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs and continues its commitment to excellence in the education of its nurse anesthetist students.

The USC Department of Anesthesiology administers the program, and classroom instruction is provided by program faculty, the Department of Integrative and Anatomical Services within the Keck School of Medicine, and clinical instructors from the affiliated clinical sites. Primary clinical training occurs at Keck Hospital of USC, UCLA-Santa Monica Medical Center, UCLA-Ronald Regan Medical Center, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the Long Beach Veterans’ Administration Medical Center. Additional specialty rotations occur at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, UCI Medical Center, Century City Surgical Center, and Los Angeles Downtown Medical Center. 

Programs

 

Pain Medicine Program

USC Pain Center
1520 San Pablo St, Building HCC 2, Suite #3450
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(213) 740-9158
FAX: (213) 821-2972
Email: painmed@usc.edu


Student adviser: Claudia Lopez
Email: 
Lope212@usc.edu

Faculty

Information for individual faculty: painmed.usc.edu/faculty

Steven Richeimer, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology and Psychiatry, Chief, Division of Pain Medicine, Keck School of Medicine Program Director, Pain Medicine Fellowship, Diplomat in Psychiatry (ABP&N) Diplomat in Anesthesiology (ABA) Diplomat in Pain Medicine (ABA and ABPM)

Glenn Clark, DDS, MS, Professor and Section Chair for Diagnostic Sciences, Ostrow School of Dentistry, Director, Orofacial Pain/Oral Medicine Center, Diplomat in Orofacial Pain, Fellow in Oral Medicine, Program Director, Conventional Orofacial Pain Residency Program, Program Director, Hybrid-Online MS degree in Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine

Professor: John Berger (Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology)

Associate Professors: Melissa Durham, (Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Econonomics and Policy); Susan Enguidanos (Gerontology); Shahin Sadik (Anesthesiology); Faye Miriam Weinstein (Anesthesiology & Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences)

Assistant Professors: Armaity V Austin (Family Medicine); Reyes Enciso; Kathryn Havens (Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy); John Lee (Anesthesiology); Yogi S. Matharu (Physical Therapy); Mariela Padilla (Periodontics, Diagnostic Sciences & Dental Hygiene); Sunita Puri (GIM - PAT.Care); Shahin Sadik; William F. Spalding (Anesthesiology); Jonathan Chen Sum (Physical Therapy); Ashley Uyeshiro (Occupational Therapy)

Adjunct Professors: John D. Harwell (Law); Reed Levine (Neurology)

The administrative offices of the Pain Medicine programs are located on the University Park Campus. Faculty of the department are located predominantly at the Health Sciences Campus.

Programs

Courses

    AnesthesiologyPain Medicine