PUBLISHED BY THE USC SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
SPRING 2022
PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY HEALTH Planning for a new USC Pharmacy in South Los Angeles
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Michele Keller MANAGING EDITOR
Susan L. Wampler CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Dora Dalton Andrea Diaz Stephanie Hedt Sarah Nightingale Stan Wedeking DESIGN
Warren Group | Studio Deluxe PHOTOGRAPHY
Ed Carreon Andrea Diaz Isaac Mora Reynaldo Obrero COVER ILLUSTRATION
Jennifer Maravillas © 2022 BY THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
Letters to the editor, questions, comments, address changes, requests to be added/ removed from the mailing list and all other inquiries should be addressed to:
Michele Keller Director of Communications and Marketing USC School of Pharmacy 1985 Zonal Avenue – PSC 700 Los Angeles CA 90089-9121 kellermi@usc.edu 323-442-3497 PHARMACYSCHOOL.USC.EDU
DEAN
Vassilios Papadopoulos, DPharm, PhD, DSc (hon) BOARD OF COUNCILORS
David Neu, Chair Edward C. Abrahamian Anil “Neil” Badlani Melvin F. Baron Gale Bensussen Danielle C. Colayco Daniel Gil William A. Heeres Dong Koo (D. K.) Kim Dianne Kwock Vinson Lee Sohail Masood Shushma Patel William Pih Robert Popovian Denis Portaro Jacque J. Sokolov Eileen C. Goodis Strom Khanh-Long (Ken) Thai Kelly Wilder
ABOUT THE USC SCHOOL OF PHARMACY One of the top pharmacy schools nationwide and the highest-ranked private school, the USC School of Pharmacy continues its century-long reputation for innovative programming, practice and collaboration. The school created the nation’s first Doctor of Pharmacy program, the first clinical pharmacy program, the first clinical clerkships, the first doctorates in pharmaceutical economics and regulatory science, and the first PharmD/MBA dual-degree program, among other innovations in education, research and practice. The USC School of Pharmacy is the only private pharmacy school on a major health sciences campus, which facilitates partnerships with other health
professionals as well as new breakthroughs in care. It also is the only school of pharmacy that owns and operates five pharmacies. The school is home to the D. K. Kim International Center for Regulatory Science at USC, the Titus Center for Medication Safety and Population Health, the Center for USC-Taiwan Translational Research, and the Center for Quantitative Drug and Disease Modeling, and is a partner in the USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, the USC Institute for Addiction Science, the USC Ginsburg Institute for Biomedical Therapeutics, the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the USC Center for Neuronal Longevity
and the USC Center for Drug Discovery and Development. The school pioneered a national model of clinical pharmacy care through work in safety-net clinics throughout Southern California and is a leader in comprehensive medication management. The school is distinguished by its focus on encouraging innovation, building new research portfolios, increasing diversity and preparing students for the careers of tomorrow. Results magazine, published semi-annually, highlights some of the school’s latest advances and achievements, as well as the faculty, students, alumni and donors who make this work possible.
Strength in Community The power of community is felt every day here in the USC School of Pharmacy. Our dedicated faculty, tight-knit student body, deeply involved alumni and generous donors are united in our mission to improve human health through innovation, compassion and collaboration. Perhaps no project exemplifies the strength of our school’s community as much as our new USC South Los Angeles Pharmacy. It will become our sixth pharmacy when it opens in fall 2023. The South L.A. Pharmacy is a passion project for many of us, as you will read in our cover story on page 10. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the rise of pharmacy deserts—urban and rural neighborhoods throughout the U.S. in which residents cannot fill medical prescriptions within an easy distance of home. Our own Dima Qato, the Hygeia Centennial Chair, coined the term pharmacy desert, and her research shines much-needed light on this growing crisis. USC recognized her work as one of the university’s most memorable research studies of 2021. The South L.A. Pharmacy will help eliminate a pharmacy desert in our community and will serve as a model nationally. The facility will become a hub for our California Right Meds Collaborative, led by Associate Dean Steve Chen, the William A. and Josephine A. Heeres Chair in Community Pharmacy. It will give our students new opportunities for experiential learning and outreach, and will benefit greatly from our volunteer alumni and industry partners. The project’s steering committee is headed by new Board of Councilors Chair David Neu (see page 19), who is providing exemplary leadership along with Raffi Svadjian, executive director of community pharmacies. In addition, Luis Larios, PharmD Class of 2025, shares his perspective on what the South L.A. Pharmacy will mean to the community where he grew up. In this issue, you’ll also read about some of the impactful research continuing at the school. Our faculty members at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics were instrumental in providing analysis that led to the No Surprises Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2022, and helps prevent excessive patient billing for outof-network services. Meanwhile, Tiger Zhang has led the faculty in external support for the past two years, and you’ll learn more about him and his groundbreaking research on page 6. In addition, we celebrate the career of Jeff McCombs, who is retiring after 34 years in higher education. Our students also continue to lead by example. On page 29, you’ll meet Cheryl Hergert, who is pursuing a doctorate in regulatory science after a 25-year career in clinical research. We also feature fourth-year PhD candidate Melanie Galano, recipient of this year’s Krown Fellowship. And we’re proud to announce that our PharmD students achieved a 95.7% passing rate on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination in 2021, exceeding the national average of 83.7%. In another example of the commitment of our community, David Makhani, PharmD ’87, and his wife, Sheila, have named the David and Sheila Makhani Family Legacy Tree. Described on page 18, the project will fund student scholarships and allow other members of the Trojan Family to name a leaf and help the school continue its trajectory of growth.
Your support strengthens our community.
Vassilios Papadopoulos, DPharm, PhD, DSc (hon) Dean, USC School of Pharmacy John Stauffer Decanal Chair in Pharmaceutical Sciences
The retina’s specialized photoreceptors—elongated rods, in flower-like shapes, and cone-tipped cells—pass visual signals through the optic nerve to the brain. Researchers at the Center for Neuronal Longevity explore new therapies that use cutting-edge technologies to unravel the workings of the eye and brain.
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Broad Spectrum 4 / TAKING THE STING OUT OF SURPRISE BILLING 5 / A NEW VISION FOR TREATING NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES 5 / WILLIAM HEERES JOINS HALF CENTURY TROJANS 6 / YEAR OF THE TIGER: YONG ZHANG 8 / JEFF MCCOMBS: CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES Cover Story 10 / PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY HEALTH: SOUTH L.A. PHARMACY 13 / CHALLENGING INEQUITIES Feature Story 16 / MEET THE PHARMACISTS 16 / USC PHARMACIES: A HISTORY Giving 18 / MAKHANI FAMILY LEGACY TREE 19 / DAVID NEU NAMED BOC CHAIR Alumni 20 / ALUMNI AWARDS GALA 21 / ALUMNA-TURNED-AUTHOR: ROSLYN CAIN KING 22 / CLASS NOTES Faculty 24 / ZOOMING IN ON CONFERENCE DIVERSITY 24 / APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS 25 / UNCOVERING COVID’S HIDDEN COSTS
Contents
26 / UNDERSTANDING DISPARITIES IN VACCINATION RATES 27 / STILES RECEIVES NIH GRANT 27 / TITUS FAMILY DEPARTMENT TRANSITION Students 28 / USC STUDENTS LEAD ON NAPLEX 28 / STUDENTS COMBAT OPIOID MISUSE 28 / RESIDENTS EARN APHA INCENTIVE GRANTS 29 / LIFELONG LEARNER: CHERYL HERGERT 30 / RISING STAR: KROWN FELLOWSHIP WINNER MELANIE GALANO 32 / PHOTO SHOP
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Second-year pharmaceutical sciences PhD student Brent Beadell and Annie Wong-Beringer look at a culture plate growing Staphylococcus aureus obtained from a patient who had a bloodstream infection. The research focuses on evaluating the physical growth characteristics of the bacterium as a way to measure its ability to attack the host or subvert the host’s immune response. The knowledge gained may guide clinicians on treatment selection and advance the field toward precision medicine, ultimately preventing severe disease and improving patient outcomes.
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BRO A D SPEC T RUM
Taking the Sting Out of Surprise Billing Patients have long suffered financial strain from exorbitant, surprise medical bills stemming from out-of-network care. Collaborative work through the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics has informed numerous pieces of legislation at the state and federal levels to protect consumers from this practice, also known as balance billing. The most sweeping of these is the federal No Surprises Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2022. In addition to making it illegal to bill patients for more
than in-network cost sharing for certain services, the legislation establishes an arbitration process to resolve disputes between providers and insurers. In a piece for Medpage Today, Erin Trish and colleagues note that most doctors don’t want to send balance bills to unsuspecting patients and that physicians not currently profiting from surprise billing “could see pay increases because of the law’s new out-of-network price support.” The Schaeffer Center’s work in this arena is conducted through its partnership with
Erin Trish
Brookings Institution in the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy. The researchers expect the No Surprises Act to save money overall because it uses median in-network prices to guide payment decisions—a strategy outlined by the Schaeffer Initiative in early research. “The law is a big win for patients, employers and consumers,” adds Trish, Schaeffer Center co-director and an assistant professor in pharmaceutical and health economics at the USC School of Pharmacy. Bringing Expenses Down to Earth When it comes to emergency services, air ambulances account for some of the highest surprise bills. The lack of competition is a factor as, by 2017, just two private equity firms had gained control of nearly two-thirds of the Medicare market for air-ambulance transport. Analyzing commercial insurance claims data for 2014–2017, Trish and colleagues found that emergency medical air transports from providers owned by private equity or publicly traded companies were paid an average of $32,051—5.6 times what Medicare would have paid. This is particularly concerning, they say, given that 89% of transports provided by private equity or publicly traded companies during this timeframe were out of network. Fortunately, air-ambulance providers are among those covered by the No Surprises Act, which will protect patients from these surprise bills going forward and should lower prices. However, more can still be done to protect patients and improve the market, the researchers add.
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A NEW VISION FOR TREATING NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES
MS/PhD students and research assistants Kabir Ahluwalia, Andrew Mead and Zeyang (Rita) Li with Stan Louie and Isaac Asante of the Center for Neuronal Longevity
Could a new paradigm in digital health treat blinding disorders and possibly also be a conduit for therapies for other parts of the brain? A multidisciplinary team of world-renowned researchers at USC is exploring this exciting possibility. Building on decades of knowledge, the success of the world’s first Food and Drug Administration-approved retinal implant to restore sight to the blind and USC’s existing investments, the multidisciplinary team of the recently launched USC Center for Neuronal Longevity aims to tackle the formidable challenges of neurodegenerative diseases of the eye and brain. The center is a cross-campus, multi-school venture that brings together the Keck School of Medicine, Viterbi School of Engineering and the School of Pharmacy. Stan Louie, professor of clinical pharmacy, will lead the School of Pharmacy team and continue building on his longstanding collaboration with other investigators throughout the university. “The Center for Neuronal Longevity will deepen our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases—and transform the way we treat them,” USC President Carol L. Folt says. “By combining the work of three USC schools, interdisciplinary researchers will come together and explore new therapies that use cutting-edge technologies—and draw on those already being used to unravel the workings of the eye and brain. We are
incredibly excited to see the medical breakthroughs that will give new hope to people everywhere.” The Center for Neuronal Longevity seeks to further USC’s commitment to diversity and inclusion as well as workforce development through training, education and outreach programs, and includes external scientific and industry advisory boards. It also has a focus on developing close ties with industry leaders with the goal of helping accelerate development and translation of groundbreaking technologies into the clinic. While neurodegenerative diseases affecting the brain or peripheral nervous system are complex, all are caused when nerve cells stop working or die. Currently available therapies slow the progression of some neurodegenerative disorders but none can prevent, stop or reverse the damage—and many other disorders cannot even be slowed down. Using a pioneering approach, the USC scientists are delivering electromagnetic stimulation through a minimally invasive contact lens–like platform to slow, stop or even reverse the damage to nerve cells in the eye. Early preclinical studies have shown surface stimulation of the eye slows progressive blindness. And while their current focus is the eye, the researchers’ long-term goal is to apply the same technologies to alleviate neurodegenerative disorders of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
William A. Heeres, PharmD ’63, has been inducted into USC’s Half Century Trojans, which recognizes alumni who graduated at least 50 years ago. He continues to serve on the School of Pharmacy’s Board of Councilors after stepping down as chair last year. He has been a committed mentor to numerous students over the years and also chaired the school’s Boldly First fundraising initiative. In 2002, he and his wife established the William A. and Josephine A. Heeres Chair in Community Pharmacy, the first such chair in the nation.
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Year of the Tiger Yong (Tiger) Zhang currently leads the School of Pharmacy in grant support for research targeting a wide range of diseases. He explores protein post-translational modifications, which are essential to biological function, to discover new therapeutic targets for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and immune disorders. He is also engineering antibodies to treat these conditions—along with infectious diseases—more precisely. His techniques fuse chemistry with biology. “We want to understand the fundamentals of biological systems using the chemical approach,” Zhang says. “Through this, we are inventing new chemicals and synthetic molecules that can potentially be used to improve human health.” This includes using exosomes, which are vesicles secreted by cells, to generate drugs that can target and treat cancer—and that could also potentially help stop neurodegeneration. Zhang’s multidisciplinary focus on translating discoveries into healthier patient outcomes has garnered funding from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, American Cancer Society, V Foundation for Cancer Research, STOP Cancer and the American Association of Physician Specialists Foundation, among others. Some might call the boldness of his endeavors predetermined. When he was born in Baotou, China, his parents nicknamed him “Tiger” to represent strength, energy, health and selfdetermination. “In Chinese culture, parents like to give nicknames to their children to express their wishes,” Zhang explains. China’s single-child policy meant he would be his parents’ only progeny. But Zhang made their wishes come true. In middle school, an inspiring teacher lit a spark about the potential for science as a future career. Although none of his relatives were scientists, his mother and father encouraged him to pursue his own path. That path has spanned the globe. Zhang earned his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences at Shandong University. Then he traveled nearly 6,300 miles for his master’s in biophysics at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. He completed his educational odyssey with a PhD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. While most of his peers pursued jobs in industry, Zhang wanted an academic career. He joined the USC School of Pharmacy in December 2014. He strives to inspire students about the possibilities in science—just as his teacher did for him. In his lab, he leads a talented team of students and postdoctoral fellows in developing new approaches for cures and improved diagnostic techniques. “Our lab is very creative, so I need motivated students who think outside the box,” Zhang says. “Many established investigators just want students to do whatever they’re told. But I want students to think for themselves so they can fully develop. They know they can bring ideas to me, argue with me and try to convince me that they are correct.”
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Celebrating Four Decades as a Health Economist Jeff McCombs, an associate professor at the USC School of Pharmacy since 1987, is retiring after a 34-year career in higher education. In addition to being a faculty member and longtime graduate program director in the school’s Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics, he is a senior fellow at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics and holds joint appointments in the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and the USC Price School of Public Policy. “We are grateful for Dr. McCombs’ many contributions over his long career at the school and in his health economics research, and we wish him the very best in his well-deserved retirement,” says Geoffrey Joyce, chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics. “He was the heart of the program for many years.”
We are grateful for Dr. McCombs’ many contributions over his long career at the school and in his health economics research. … He was the heart of the program for many years.” Geoffrey Joyce, chair, Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics
“He helped me to look at the bigger picture in healthcare and to speak the truth in healthcare policy,” says Robert Popovian, PharmD ’93, MS ’97, who studied under McCombs and is
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founder of Conquest Advisors and chief science policy officer at Global Health Living Foundation. Popovian adds that McCombs taught him to “question everything and never rely on assumptions.” McCombs earned his doctorate in economics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), specializing in health economics. At UCSD, McCombs received cross training at the School of Medicine through a National Center for Health Services Research predoctoral traineeship. Before joining USC, he served as assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, a senior project analyst at Applied Management Sciences in Silver Spring, Maryland, and a social science
research analyst in the Office of Research and Demonstrations at the Health Care Financing Administration. He has authored or co-authored articles appearing in publications such as the Journal of Health Economics, Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, Health Care Financing Review, Health Affairs, Value in Health, Health Services Research, Psychiatric Services, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Medical Care, Annals of Pharmacotherapy and American Journal of Health Systems Pharmacy. McCombs has also authored or co-authored numerous book chapters and served as a consultant to the Health Care Financing Administration and several pharmaceutical companies. A reception will be held in his honor on May 15, 2022, during the annual conference of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) in Washington, D.C. Gifts in honor of his retirement may be made to the Health Economics Graduate Program. Contact Cheryl Stanovich at stanovic@usc.edu for more information and to RSVP for the reception.
He helped me to look at the bigger picture in healthcare and to speak the truth in healthcare policy.” Robert Popovian, PharmD ’93, MS ’97
Screenings and Readings After a hiatus of two years because of COVID-19, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books returns April 23–24 to the University Park Campus. The nation’s largest book festival, the event typically draws some 150,000 attendees. Pharmacy students and faculty will offer a wide variety of free health screenings to community members at the event. They will also distribute the school’s unique fotonovelas in both English and Spanish. These community education tools cover a variety of important health topics, including an update of “Infectious Rumors,” about the importance of getting vaccinated.
We are seeing frequent announcements that pharmacies are closing, and reimbursement rates aren’t getting better. The closure problem is getting worse and it affects minority communities more than others. We really can’t address medication access and health disparities if we’re not addressing pharmacy access.” Dima Qato, Hygeia Centennial Chair, quoted in an in-depth article for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
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PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY HEALTH by
Susan L. Wampler
Soon after Vassilios Papadopoulos became dean of the USC School of Pharmacy in October 2016, he approached Raffi Svadjian, executive director of community pharmacies, with a bold idea. What about launching a new pharmacy in South Los Angeles, an underser ved area for pharmaceutical care?
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“That really kick-started things,” Svadjian says. The school already owned and operated five pharmacies, while most peer institutions run one or two at most. The need was clear and, with the school’s long history of community service and leadership in advancing the profession, the plan for a USC South Los Angeles Pharmacy quickly took root. The team consulted with the USC Office of Real Estate and Asset Management to find the right location. Meanwhile, the dean discussed the plan with university leadership, who expressed support from the beginning. Under the guidance of David Neu, the school’s Board of Councilors immediately took up the cause. Now board chair (see story, page 19), Neu—former president of AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp. and Good Neighbor Pharmacy—will continue leading the steering committee for the new pharmacy. In fall 2021, the lease was signed for a 3,500-square-foot facility at the intersection of South Broadway and West Manchester avenues. The school will gain occupancy and begin renovations in early 2023, with an anticipated opening date of fall that same year. Although the onset of COVID-19 temporarily delayed finding a suitable home for the new pharmacy, the pandemic also confirmed its urgency.
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A mile may not seem like much, but if you don’t have a car and have problems walking, bus connections are bad, the weather is inclement, the neighborhood is dangerous and you have a child who needed that antibiotic yesterday for a raging infection, a mile can be impossible.” DIMA QATO, Hygeia Centennial Chair
REPLACING A DESERT WITH AN OASIS Conveniently located pharmacies foster healthier communities. But 1 in 3 urban neighborhoods is a pharmacy desert, meaning residents can’t fill a prescription within one mile of home—or half a mile if they are low-income and don’t have transportation. Research shows that the urban poor who lose access to a local pharmacy are less inclined to use online alternatives and more likely to let their medication regimens lapse, leading to poor health outcomes. Some pharmacies don’t accept Medi-Cal, further exacerbating lack of access. “A mile may not seem like much, but if you don’t have a car and have problems walking, bus connections are bad, the weather is inclement, the neighborhood is dangerous and you have a child who needed that antibiotic yesterday for a raging infection, a mile can be impossible,” says Dima Qato, who coined the term pharmacy desert and serves as Hygeia Centennial Chair at the school.
CHALLENGING INEQUITIES
COVID-19 and economic pressures have worsened the problem. Large pharmacy chains are closing their less-profitable outlets. Independent pharmacies are endangered by the increasing vertical integration of major chains with insurance providers and pharmaceutical benefit managers. This gives big corporate pharmacies a market power that their smaller counterparts cannot match. “The new South L.A. Pharmacy will further the school’s work in eliminating pharmacy deserts,” Papadopoulos says. “This is a critical issue nationally, and we believe this facility can serve as a model to help other communities throughout the U.S. ensure underserved populations gain wider access to vital medications and care.” “If USC doesn’t use its resources and the incredible talent that we have on board to address a pharmacy desert in South L.A., nobody’s going to do it,” Neu adds. “Our core focus is outreach to the
The new USC Pharmacy in South L.A. gives Luis Larios, PharmD Class of 2025, a chance to give back to the neighborhood where he grew up and guide other healthcare professionals on how best to serve the needs of a vibrant but underserved community.
What made you interested in pharmacy?
community, walking the talk, making a financial investment in the area, helping model what a successful pharmacy can look like in a pharmacy desert, and getting the community and some key partnerships involved. We already have a lot of national interest in this project.” “We will be partnering with community members and leaders to find out what they would like to see in a pharmacy so that, when we open, it will meet their needs and not just what we think should be there,” Svadjian adds. Papadopoulos and Neu are leveraging the diverse expertise of the Board of Councilors, as well as the school’s strong relationships with industry, to garner in-kind and other support to bring the pharmacy to fruition and ensure it can serve as a profitable model to help solve the national crisis of pharmacy deserts in both urban and rural settings.
Growing up, our family was mostly uninsured or underinsured. At a young age, I became aware of the health issues my parents and grandmother had. Throughout my youth I tried to navigate the healthcare system to help them find affordable and proper care. I also had to translate medical documents for my parents due to language barriers. The lack of accessibility to basic care frustrated me and I began to look for career opportunities where I could actively work to change the inequities in our current healthcare system. All of this motivated me to pursue a career in pharmacy.
What do you wish more people knew about South L.A.? South L.A. has a false reputation for being unsafe. I wish more people would see past that and understand that there is a large population of hardworking families and talented individuals eager for success. My hope is that healthcare providers will challenge their perceptions and do their own research about South L.A. and begin to see themselves as valuable providers to the community.
How do you plan to be involved with the USC South L.A. Pharmacy?
It’s more to me than just a job. Most people rarely get opportunities in their careers to do something that really leaves an impact. This is one of those times.”
I hope to educate pharmacy professionals on the issues taking place within the community and how to best support patients—not only in health, but also in accessibility and affordability. I would like to be part of the recruiting process and encourage administrators to hire healthcare professionals from the community to provide a more comfortable experience and better quality of care.
RAFFI SVADJIAN, executive director of Community Pharmacies
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PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESS The new South L.A. Pharmacy at 8561 South Broadway Avenue will go far beyond simply filling prescriptions. It will provide patient-centered disease state and chronic care management, serve as a vaccination and clinic site, offer health and wellness education for the community, and conduct research on best practices and patient outcomes to reduce health disparities and inform health policy. The site will also become a hub for the California Right Meds Collaborative (CRMC), headed by Associate Dean Steven Chen, the William A. and Josephine A. Heeres Chair in Community Pharmacy. CRMC strives to make medication management more efficient, safe and effective by utilizing pharmacists as the centralized medication experts for the healthcare team. In addition, the South L.A. Pharmacy will relieve a burden on area safety-net clinics, supporting their efforts through expert medication reviews for patients. The facility will provide yet another valuable training and outreach location for students and residents in the school’s academic programs, including undergraduates. PharmD candidates will build frontline experience under the careful tutelage of alumni preceptors volunteering their time and expertise.
The devil’s in the detail on a project of this size, and that detail is something we’ll be spending an awful lot of time on to make sure that we have the most effective approach possible here.” DAVID NEU, Board of Councilors chair and chair of the South L.A. Pharmacy steering committee
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The new South L.A. Pharmacy will build on the school’s long traditions while innovating to revolutionize health. This is about more than just building a single pharmacy. It’s what it could mean to the field and to the patients who will benefit.” DEAN VASSILIOS PAPADOPOULOS
Their consultation and health-screening services will be offered free to community members. The South L.A. Pharmacy will carry medications not frequently available in neighborhood pharmacies in lowerresource areas, such as transplant, HIV and other specialty drugs that are expensive to purchase, refrigerate and house— but that are essential to quality care. Discussions are underway with Keck Medical Center to hold health clinics at the new pharmacy, while collaborations with other USC schools and programs are also in the works. “The devil’s in the detail on a project of this size, and that detail is something we’ll be spending an awful lot of time on to make sure that we have the most effective approach possible here,” Neu says.
PASSION PROJECT Enthusiasm for the project among the school’s leadership is palpable. “I’m deeply passionate about this,” Neu explains. “I did this as part of my career, setting up pharmacies, helping buyers and sellers get together, and fostering independent pharmacy. And I have a deep love for USC as a tremendous institution that people trust.” Svadjian adds: “It’s more to me than just a job. Most people rarely get opportunities in their careers to do something that really leaves an impact. This is one of those times.” For Papadopoulos, it’s an opportunity to fulfill his vision for a transformative endeavor that combines key aspects of the school’s mission—from service to the community and training new generations of students to modeling best practices and conducting invaluable research that advances health and informs policy. “The new South L.A. Pharmacy will build on the school’s long traditions while innovating to revolutionize health,” Papadopoulos says. “This is about more than just building a single pharmacy. It’s what it could mean to the field and to the patients who will benefit.”
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Meet the Pharmacists Unique among top pharmacy schools, the USC School of Pharmacy currently owns and operates five pharmacies, with the USC South Los Angeles Pharmacy set to become the sixth in fall 2023. Since the launch of the original USC Pharmacy in 1954, the USC Pharmacies have grown to offer an increasingly wide array of services and to employ some 26 staff pharmacists, 62 resource employees, 15 pharmacy technicians and more than 25 student workers. Following are highlights from the pharmacies’ history as well as a brief introduction to enterprise leaders.
Raffi Svadjian, PharmD, MBA
Nazeli Bairamian, PharmD
Executive Director USC Pharmacies
Director USC Specialty Pharmacy
Education MBA ’02, USC Marshall School of Business PharmD ’03, USC School of Pharmacy
Education PharmD ’13, USC School of Pharmacy
When did you start working at USC? 2003 What led you to a career in healthcare? The wish to be of service to others What do you enjoy most about being a USC pharmacist? I appreciate the ability to be a part of the wider USC health enterprise as well as work with amazing pharmacy team members. I also value the ability to collaborate with the faculty at the USC School of Pharmacy.
When did you start working at USC? 2022 What led you to a career in healthcare? Having a direct and positive impact on another individual’s life as a pharmacist is a huge motivating factor for me. What do you enjoy most about being a USC pharmacist? The pharmacists who were my professors at USC continue to impress me with their dedication. The high level of professionalism, expertise and patient care the pharmacy team provides is incredibly inspiring.
USC PHARMACIES: A HISTORY
1954
1977
1991
2012
2013
2014
The flagship USC Pharmacy, located in the Gwynn Wilson Student Union on Trousdale Parkway, opens across from Tommy Trojan on the University Park Campus.
USC School of Pharmacy relocates from the University Park Campus to the John Stauffer Pharmaceutical Sciences Center on the USC Health Sciences Campus.
USC Medical Plaza Pharmacy opens on the USC Health Sciences Campus.
USC Medical Plaza Pharmacy begins offering transplant medication services.
USC Health Center Pharmacy opens adjacent to the new Engemann Student Health Center.
Additional specialty lines are offered at USC Medical Plaza Pharmacy; administrators begin looking for space for another standalone specialty pharmacy.
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Rena Charchian, PharmD
Elizabeth Khatchaturian, PharmD
Kari Trotter Wall, PharmD
Director USC Medical Plaza Pharmacy
Director USC Verdugo Hills Professional Pharmacy
Director USC Pharmacy and USC Health Center Pharmacy
Education PharmD ’04, USC School of Pharmacy
Education PharmD ’03, USC School of Pharmacy
Education PharmD ’03, USC School of Pharmacy
When did you start working at USC? 2019
When did you start working at USC? 2008
When did you start working at USC? 1997
What led you to a career in healthcare? A passion to help people, my love of the sciences—and watching my mother work for Kaiser Permanente for almost 35 years before retiring
What led you to a career in healthcare? As a physician, my mother inspired me to choose a career in healthcare. Her dedication and exceptional patient care led me to this path.
What led you to a career in healthcare? I was destined and determined to help people. I decided on pharmacy because it allowed me to be the familiar face that people could rely on for their healthcare needs.
What do you enjoy most about being a USC pharmacist? I enjoy being a part of an amazing, supportive team! Each member—whether pharmacist, technician, clerk, intern, resident or student—brings something special to our team.
What do you enjoy most about being a USC pharmacist? I can freely use my skills to provide highquality patient care as well as educate and mentor students.
What do you enjoy most about being a USC pharmacist? Being a pharmacist at USC has allowed me to be a health professional and teacher of healthcare all in one.
2015 USC Specialty Pharmacy opens as a “closed-door” facility in Alhambra near the USC Health Sciences Campus.
USC Verdugo Hills Professional Pharmacy— acquired from USC Verdugo Hills Hospital—opens in Glendale.
2017
2018
2019
2021
2023
USC Pharmacy becomes an official partner of USC Athletics.
USC Specialty Pharmacy receives Utilization Review Accreditation Commission accreditation.
USC Pharmacy launches a “wellness-to-go” vending machine in King Hall.
The lease is signed for a sixth USC pharmacy, located at 8561 S. Broadway in South L.A., four miles due south of the University Park Campus near the 110 Freeway.
The USC South Los Angeles Pharmacy is scheduled to open by fall 2023.
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GROWING LEGACY USC’s Trojan Family is legendary for its lifelong, worldwide impact. The tight-knit, supportive network provides an instant yet lasting connection for generation after generation of graduates, helping them blossom and flourish. Year in and year out, alumni and friends of the School of Pharmacy give their time and resources to advance the school’s mission as well as mentor, train and support up-and-coming leaders in the field. It is fitting that they now have the opportunity to commemorate their commitment by naming a leaf on the school’s new legacy tree. Located prominently on a wall in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Center, the legacy tree will serve as an enduring reminder of the alumni and donors who foster the School of Pharmacy’s continued growth. A leadership gift from David Makhani, PharmD ’87, and his wife, Sheila, is launching the project, which will be named the David and Sheila Makhani Family Legacy Tree. The Makhani family maintains deep roots in the profession. Thirdgeneration pharmacists David and his brother Robert own fertility pharmacy MDR Pharmaceutical Care, which helps patients become parents. A fourth generation of Makhani pharmacists arrives this fall when David’s son Evan begins the PharmD program at USC. With a $500 donation, any alumnus, student or friend of the school can name their own leaf on the tree. All proceeds will support student scholarships. For more information or to make a donation, contact Cheryl Stanovich at stanovic@usc.edu or 323-442-1738.
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Neu Leadership
I got really clear that, in this new stage of my life, it was important for me to take what was a wonderful career and use it for the betterment of the community.” David W. Neu, co-founder of the Neu Family Foundation
David W. Neu, co-founder of the Neu Family Foundation and former president of AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp. and Good Neighbor Pharmacy, was appointed chair of the USC School of Pharmacy Board of Councilors in November. He continues to head the steering committee for the school’s new South L.A. Pharmacy (see cover story on page 10). “This is a labor of love for me,” Neu says. “I feel so blessed that at this stage of my life and career, I get to do something like this with arguably one of the top pharmacy schools—if not the top school—in the country.” Currently the executive chairman of Ananda Health, Neu joined the Board of Councilors in 2018. He also serves on the Advisory Council for the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center as well as the National Cancer Institute. He previously was a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Chain Drugs and is the former chair of what is now the Healthcare Distribution Alliance. He and his wife, Esperanza, co-founded the Neu Family Foundation in 2010 to support causes related to health and education. They have partnered with several universities to establish scholarships for students in need. In 2017, they worked closely with Jefferson Health and the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia to establish the Neu Center for Supportive Medicine and Cancer Survivorship. He has also served on several nonprofit boards committed to education, social causes and human rights. While the Neus initially planned to travel after they retired from AmerisourceBergen, they found a second calling. “I was diagnosed with head and neck cancer two months after we retired,” he says. “That was six years ago.” During his treatment and recovery, he explains, “I got really clear that, in this new stage of my life, it was important for me to take what was a wonderful career and use it for the betterment of the community.”
Of the school’s Board of Councilors, Neu says: “I look forward to working with this highly engaged and committed group of professionals. Together, we will dedicate our time and resources to improving the lives of people in our community and transforming the future of pharmacy.” Neu succeeds longtime board leader William A. Heeres, PharmD ’63, who will continue to serve on the board while taking on an advisory position with the newly formed USC Titus Center for Medication Safety and Population Health. Neu got his start in the pharmaceutical industry in the 1980s when he joined AmerisourceBergen as a Southern California sales rep. Covering a wide territory that included pharmacies from Brentwood to South L.A., he saw firsthand the different challenges each neighborhood faced. He also got to know many USC faculty members and alumni. By the time he was promoted to president of AmerisourceBergen at age 53, he had been with the company for 29 years. While he moved up the leadership ladder, he says he never forgot the pivotal experience of working on the front lines with community pharmacists—experience he will leverage as he leads the effort to create the South L.A. Pharmacy. “David’s involvement in the community demonstrates what a valuable asset he will be to our board; he will be a critical voice as the board moves forward on a variety of initiatives, including the new South L.A. Pharmacy,” Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos says. “The School of Pharmacy is grateful to both David Neu and William Heeres for their dedication and commitment to the university and to the school.”
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And the Alumni Awards Go to … After a two-year delay due to the pandemic, the latest recipients of the School of Pharmacy’s Alumni Awards were honored for their contributions to the profession on March 6 at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena. More than 300 guests, including USC Provost Charles “Chip” Zukoski, gathered for the affair, which featured performances by the USC Thornton jazz ensemble and the Trojan Men, USC’s all-male a capella group. Reda Alhoussayni, PharmD ’00, received the Community Service Award. An adjunct assistant professor at the school, he has been a valued preceptor for 20 years. As president of Olive Branch Pharmacy in Downtown Los Angeles, he has built partnerships with local medical and dental practices to better deliver high-impact, compassionate services to the community. The Young Alumni Award went to Grace Cheng, PharmD ’13. A clinical pharmacist in several primary care clinics at UCLA, she is also a faculty preceptor for the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
and a clinical pharmacist for the UCLA Extensivist Program, which builds medical homes for high-risk super-utilizers.
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s USC student chapter. He is a leading authority on nutraceuticals and drug formulation.
Hovik Gukasyan, PhD ’04, received the Research Achievement Award. An associate professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences at the USC School of Pharmacy, he previously was associate director at Allergan Inc., where his research focused on the development, characterization and application of novel drug carrier systems for cancer.
Linh Lee, PharmD ’01, was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award. She serves as director of Health and Wellness/ Pharmacy for Ralphs Grocery Company, where she has developed numerous clinical programs, including immunizations and disease state management.
The Honorary Alumni Award went to Hattie Rees Hanley, MPP. In 2007, she co-founded and continues to direct the Right Care Initiative, a public-private effort to advance prevention and better management of hospital-acquired infections, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and heart failure. The Dean’s Medallion Award was presented to Edward Martin Lieskovan, PharmD ’85, MBA, CEO of PRL Pharma Group, an adjunct professor at the USC School of Pharmacy and faculty adviser for the
The Innovation in Pharmacoeconomics Award was presented to Robert Popovian, PharmD ’93, MS ’97, founder of Conquest Advisors and chief science policy officer at Global Health Living Foundation. He previously was vice president of U.S. government relations at Pfizer Inc. The Innovation in Regulatory Science Award went to Weicheng Wu, MS ’03, vice president of global regulatory affairs for ASC Therapeutics Inc. He has two decades of experience in the field of regulatory affairs.
Clockwise from top left: The Horseshoe Garden at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena; Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos with six of the evening’s eight honorees; a performance by USC’s all-male a capella group, the Trojan Men; William Heeres, Dean Papadopoulos, Barbara Morgan, Martine Culty, Josephine Heeres and Provost Charles “Chip” Zukoski; the Trojan Marching Band
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From Watts to the World In her memoir From Watts to the World: A Chronicle of Service, Roslyn Cain King, PharmD ’76, shares highlights from a 58year career that began as a pharmacist at Watts Health Center in Los Angeles and included working as a staff member at the American Pharmacists Association, serving as founding director of the Pharmacists and Continuing Education Center at Howard University, and providing healthcare in Romania, Nigeria and communities throughout several continents. King, who continues to serve as a trustee officer of the National Pharmaceutical Association Foundation, played an integral role in engaging minority student pharmacists, which included efforts to establish the Student National Pharmaceutical Association. Why did you decide to write a book? When I retired, many people asked me about my career. My book is a chronicle of the activities I had the privilege of being involved in. One of your formative experiences was working at Watts Health Center. How did that shape your worldview? It was invigorating. As a senior pharmacist there, my eyes were opened as to what I as a pharmacist needed to do as a clinical team member in providing healthcare to patients. I was asked to lead the team in the development of ways to use pharmacists’ skills and knowledge innovatively. You went on to work at Howard University. What were some of the highlights of your international efforts there? In Romania, I led a collaborative project with the University of Cluj-Napoca to support the training of community pharmacists in women’s health. With funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, I worked with colleagues in Nigeria to write the Howard University component in the flagship project Global HIV/AIDS Initiative Nigeria. Pharmacy systems and pharmacists’ services at health facilities and in the
community were strengthened by expanding the capacity to provide pharmaceutical care for those infected with HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis. What do you see as the future of pharmacy? Pharmacists have always had a voice but we have not used it to its full potential. I think pharmacists are finally starting to use their voices in new and exciting ways. At long last, we are beyond just talking about the role of pharmacists. We are carrying it out at strategic levels. What advice would you give to aspiring pharmacists? Let pharmacy continue to inspire you. Dedicate yourself to reducing health disparities, improving public health, and caring for the underserved in a culturally competent and compassionate manner. Pharmacy is a field that will grant you opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives. From Watts to the World: A Chronicle of Service is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
Being a pharmacist with training in public health has given me an opportunity to realize my purpose in serving underserved communities around the world.” Roslyn Cain King, PharmD ’76
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class notes We want to hear from you! Submit your updates and career news to pharmacyschool.usc.edu/class-notes to be included in the next edition of Class Notes.
1950 s
Irwin Sitkoff, PharmD ’54, is a pharmacist at Eisner Health and was recently inducted into the California Pharmacy Hall of Fame.
1960 s
Paul Appelbaum, PharmD ’61, is owner of Whittier Drug.
1980 s
Orlando Hernandez, PharmD ’82, has owned and operated Fairmont Pharmacy since 1984. Arthur Dominguez, PharmD ’84, is a clinical pharmacy director at Kaiser Permanente. Keith MacDonald, PharmD ’84, is a pharmacist at Anne Arundel Medical Center. Selma Uyeno Yamamoto, PharmD ’84, is a system pharmacy director at MyMichigan Health. Lori Nekota, PharmD ’86, has retired after more than 30 years in pharmacy management. William Templeman, PharmD ’86, is an inpatient supervisor at Kaiser Permanente. Craig Yasuda, PharmD ’86, is an inpatient pharmacy practice consultant at Kaiser Permanente.
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Melanie Sue Baker, PharmD ’88, is a clinical pharmacist at Fox Drugs. Scott Hideyuki Takahashi, PharmD ’89, is a pediatric ambulatory care pharmacist at Kaiser Permanente.
1990 s
Reginald Gregorio, PharmD ’91, is a pharmacy specialist at Kaiser Permanente. Duane Skage, PharmD ’91, is an Epic educator at Orlando Health. Stella Abnous Abramian, PharmD ’97, is an outpatient pharmacist at Providence Health & Services. Jennifer Tomita, PharmD ’97, is a clinical pharmacist at UnitedHealth Group. Rina Trivedi, PharmD ’98, is a pharmacy manager at Rite Aid.
2000 s
Preeti Sodhi, PharmD ’02, is a senior medical science liaison at Janssen. Khanh-Long Thai, PharmD ’02, is CEO of 986 Degrees Corporation. Taleen Kalebjian, PharmD ’04, is an associate medical director in global medical information, specializing in HIV treatment, at Gilead Sciences. Duc Bach, PharmD ’05, is a clinical pharmacist at AHMC Whittier Hospital Medical Center. Virginia Ginger Craft, MS Regulatory Science ’08, is a project manager at Kite Pharma. Peter Lee, PharmD ’08, is an ambulatory care pharmacy supervisor at Kaiser Permanente.
20 10 s
Rosalin Preechakul, PharmD ’10, is an ambulatory care pharmacist at Kaiser Permanente. Nick Mordwinkin, PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences ’12, is a senior director in corporate development at Gilead Sciences. Jorge Farias, PharmD ’13, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’16, is a field medical outcomes and analytics director in oncology at Pfizer. Sebastian Garcia, PharmD ’14, is head of the department of pharmacy for the U.S. Navy.
Melody Sun, PharmD ’14, is a pharmacy safety and quality specialist at Children’s Health Orange County. John Mills, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’15, is a business intelligence developer and analyst at Eversana Life Science Services LLC. Lara Tavakolizadeh, PharmD ’15, is a pharmacy manager at Rite Aid. Shawn Feldman, PharmD ’17, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’16, is a senior product manager at Amgen. Kevin Shah, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’17, is director of business development at Biofourmis Inc. Sai Upadhyayula, PharmD ’17, is an associate attorney in technology transactions at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Palok Das, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’18, is founder of Healthinnov LLC. He was named to the 2020–2021 “Top 100 Healthcare Leaders” by the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare. Elizabeth Gonzales, PharmD ’18, is a pharmacist at Sharp HealthCare. Ryan M. Hays, PharmD ’18, is a pharmacy operations supervisor at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego.
Nare Iskikian, PharmD ’18, is a pharmacist at UnitedHealth Group. Jonathan Sedaghat, PharmD ’18, is a patient access and reimbursement manager at Amgen. Yoo Kyung Hong, PharmD ’19, is an outpatient pharmacist at Kaiser Permanente. Aashrey Kaul, MS Regulatory Science ’19, is a regulatory specialist at ResearchDx. Susie Oh, PharmD ’19, is a pharmacy manager at Walgreens. Darlene Petras, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’19, is a field reimbursement manager at LEO Pharma. Eric Pinashin, PharmD ’19, is a marketing and sales training manager at MannKind Corporation. Xiaoxiao Wang, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’19, works in accounting at Eyesthetica. Annie Xie, BS Pharmacology and Drug Development ’19, is a secondyear pharmacy student at UCSF School of Pharmacy and an intern pharmacist at Stanford Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
20 20 s
Marquerita Algorri, PhD Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics ’20, MS Regulatory Science ’20, is a manager in global regulatory affairs at Amgen. Lucas Gutierrez, PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences ’20, MS Regulatory Science ’20, is a senior associate in competitive intelligence at Amgen. Nikitha Kolapalli, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’20, is a senior associate at Deallus. Wendi Lau, DRSc ’20, is a senior director in clinical development operations at AbbVie.
Ellen Nahm, MS Biopharmaceutical Marketing ’20, is an account manager at Broth. Swati Reji, MS Management of Drug Development ’20, is a regulatory affairs specialist at IQVIA. Jonathan Salcedo, PhD Health Economics ’20, is an associate in health economics and outcomes research at Analysis Group. Joshua Silva, MS Regulatory Science ’20, PhD Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics ’21, is a principal medical writer and lead at Omni Tech Medical. Rita Xu, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’20, is a decision analytics associate at ZS. Hanke Zheng, MS Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy ’20, is pursuing a PhD in health economics at USC and is a health economics and outcomes research doctoral fellow at Bristol Myers Squibb. Jing Chen, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’21, is a health economics analyst at IQVIA. Tiange Dong, PhD Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics ’21, MS Management of Drug Development ’21, is a senior associate scientist at Amgen. Junjie Gai, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’21, is pursuing a PhD in health services and policy at the University of Iowa. Victor J. Gangi, DRSc ’21, is an executive director of regulatory affairs at Zenas BioPharma. Lena Keossayan, MS Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology ’21, is a clinical trial manager at ICON Strategic Solutions. Prashil Panchal, MS Pharmaceutical Sciences ’21, is a regulatory affairs specialist at Abbott. Anushka Rajesh, MS Pharmaceutical Sciences ’21, is a research associate at Vir Biotechnology.
Maximilian Spatz, BS Pharmacology and Drug Development ’21, is working on an MS in Management of Drug Development while working in the Davies Lab at the USC School of Pharmacy. Vicky Wang, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’21, is an associate consultant at L.E.K. Consulting. Zijun Zhang, MS Healthcare Decision Analysis ’21, is an associate consultant at Deallus.
IN MEMORIAM Ida Mitsuko Kada Watanabe, BS ’50, passed away at home June 17, 2021, in Santa Monica, Calif. Charles Jay Brahms, PharmD ’65, died on July 27, 2020. Lyman Gordon Chan, PharmD ’65, passed away November 13, 2020. Before his retirement, he was a hospital pharmacist in Southern California. He will be remembered as thoughtful and generous, with a sense of humor and love of USC sports. He once drove five hours in a blinding snowstorm in Germany so he could listen to USC play in the Rose Bowl in real time on Armed Forces Radio. Each car he ever bought was either cardinal or gold, and at one time his license plate read TroCHAN. David L. Hines, PharmD ’62, died on January 10. He was owner of Burns Pharmacy in Lancaster, Calif., for 40 years. Kurt Wolf Mayer, PharmD, died on November 20, 2021. Early in his career, he owned and operated a Medicine Shoppe pharmacy in Los Angeles until he and his family moved to Redlands, Calif., in 1984, where he worked as a pharmacy manager for Rite Aid throughout the Inland Empire for 30 years. Known for his intelligence, quick wit, faith and compassion for animals, his family and friends will remember his passion for music, history and USC Trojans football.
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ZOOMING IN ON CONFERENCE DIVERSITY As COVID-19 restricted public gatherings, scientific conferences shifted online to maintain the direct exchange of ideas and knowledge essential to progress. However, international research led by the USC School of Pharmacy shows that, while virtual meetings increase participation by scientists from underrepresented groups and developing countries, they also reduce opportunities for networking and collaboration. Published in Nature Biotechnology, the study analyzed the attendance demographics of four major conferences. The authors note that virtual platforms eliminate travel costs and can break down communication barriers thorough real-time translation and transcriptions. But challenges include connecting across time zones as well as the lack of high-speed internet in much of the world. Meanwhile, reduced personal contact hinders collaboration and career advancement.
“Our findings provide evidence favoring a hybrid format for future conferences, marrying the strengths of both in-person and virtual platforms,” says senior author Serghei Mangul, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy. “This would broaden conferences’ reach to more communities and a higher number of countries. In addition to providing opportunities to previously underrepresented groups to attend global conferences, use of a hybrid format will contribute toward decarbonizing conference travel after the pandemic.” School of Pharmacy graduate students Anushka Rajesh, Karishma Chhugani, Yu-Ning Huang and Kerui Peng coauthored the study with Mangul. Fellow authors include researchers from Allegheny College, UCLA, Stanford University, National Autonomous University of Mexico and the University of Bucharest.
APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS
Yuna Bae-Shaaw has joined the Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics as a research assistant professor. She received her PhD in pharmaceutical economics and policy from the USC School of Pharmacy in 2021.
Terrence Graham, EdD, was appointed interim associate dean for graduate education and postdoctoral studies. He joined the school as chief international officer in 2019 following his role as associate dean and executive director of international programs for California State University, Long Beach. He previously was director of higher education programs for the American Councils for International Education.
Lu Li, PhD, has been named research assistant professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences. Prior to her faculty appointment, she served as a postdoctoral scholar research associate in the Papadopoulos lab from 2017– 2021. She holds a bachelor of science in biology from Central South University in Changsha, China, and earned her PhD in biology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
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Uncovering COVID’s Hidden Costs At first glance, statistics appear to support the common perception that COVID-19 does its worst damage among the elderly and vulnerable. But these grim numbers mask another reality—and focusing on them has biased policy decisions and individual choices. Researchers at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics found that elderly and younger adult populations have borne a similar burden from the pandemic when measured by years of life lost. In total, over 9 million years of life were lost in the first year of the pandemic, with adults ages 25 to 64 accounting for 54% of these lost birthdays. The analysis leveraged the Schaeffer Center’s Future Elderly Model and Future Adult Model and was published in Annals of Internal Medicine. “The focus on older people passing away from COVID misses the substantial burden COVID has imposed on younger people with chronic conditions like obesity,” says Darius N. Lakdawalla, the Quintiles Chair in Pharmaceutical Development and Regulatory Innovation at the School of Pharmacy and a senior fellow at the Schaeffer Center. “Many people have emphasized that protections like lockdowns and vaccinations ought to focus on the old and the vulnerable. However, our findings contradict the belief that this is a pandemic primarily of the elderly.” The investigators found that Black and Latino populations experienced a disproportionate number of life-years lost. Across all ages, men and women from Black and Latino communities lost years of life at over twice the rate of white men and women. The disparity was largest among Black men ages 25 to 64, who lost life-years at three times the rate of their white peers.
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Understanding Disparities in Vaccination Rates
Researchers at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics assessed the relationship between COVID-19 inoculation rates and both social vulnerability and vaccine hesitancy to understand the link between these interconnected issues and vaccine uptake. They found that almost 20% of counties are associated with high levels of both hesitancy and social vulnerability and continue to be most at risk of failing to achieve high vaccination coverage. Their analysis, published in Health Affairs, shows vaccine hesitancy and social vulnerability have independently impacted vaccine rates—an important finding for policymakers who are developing strategies. By early August, counties with high hesitancy had an average vaccination rate that was 17% lower than counties with low hesitancy, even after adjusting for social vulnerability index (SVI). Meanwhile, disparities between counties with moderate to low
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SVI and high SVI were relatively smaller but have widened substantially. The coverage difference between low- and high-SVI counties increased from 1.8% in March 2021 to 4.6 % in August 2021. “Many factors influence why individuals in communities across this country are not getting vaccinated, including general distrust and lack of resources and access,” says John Romley, senior author on the study, associate professor of pharmaceutical and health economics at the School of Pharmacy, and senior fellow at the Schaeffer Center. “Understanding the nuances of these trends and how these two factors interact is important for decision-makers as they consider strategies to encourage boosters or additional vaccines in the future.”
STILES AWARDED NIH GRANT Bangyan L. Stiles has earned a four-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for research that could lead to therapeutic targets for fatty liver disease and liver cancer. Her project explores the role played by the estrogen-related receptor ERRa in those diseases. ERRa is crucial to metabolic regulation, and Stiles seeks to define the precise molecules it regulates to control the liver’s lipid (fat) levels. The research builds on Stiles’ previous discovery that inhibiting ERRa in mouse models successfully blocks the fat accumulation that leads to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, an aggressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that heightens cancer risk. “This project is important because obesity is a national epidemic and has been known to increase the chances of liver cancer in individuals with a high BMI,” says Stiles, a professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences. “This is a major problem the pharmaceutical industry is trying to address.”
Titus Family Department Leadership Transition
Paul Beringer, who has been a faculty member at the USC School of Pharmacy for the past three decades, has stepped down as chair of the Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy to focus more exclusively on academic and research endeavors. His laboratory recently received funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for a clinical trial to validate a drug for patients with the disease. “I am grateful to Dr. Beringer for his dedicated service in his role as department chair over the past five years and for his continuing commitment to our school,” Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos says.
The department’s vice chair, Tien M. H. Ng, will act as interim chair while a national search for a new chair is underway. Ng’s responsibilities will include serving as the department’s chief academic officer, overseeing its contributions to the school’s educational programs, initiating and directing plans for faculty recruitment and retention, as well as appointments, promotion, tenure and post-tenure actions.
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STUDENTS COMBAT OPIOID MISUSE With opioid overdoses rising among younger Californians, the USC student chapter of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP-USC) took lifesaving action by establishing NaloxoneSC. The program recently earned a $1,000 grant from the CPNP Foundation to expand its outreach in distributing naloxone, an opioid-overdose reversal drug, to anyone in need at USC. In addition to dispensing naloxone and demonstrating its proper use, NaloxoneSC also educates the community about opioids and fights the stigma of addiction. That stigma, says CPNP-USC President Rita Chan, causes harm by “resulting in lack of knowledge about useful resources that could prevent potential drug overdoses.” To date, the program has distributed more than 140 naloxone kits, coordinated virtual workshops attended by over a hundred students and provided trainings in the proper use of fentanyl test strips to detect the dangerous drug’s presence in other substances. The grant will help CPNP-USC expand NaloxoneSC’s outreach through partnerships with other student organizations. More resources will also be added to the naloxone kit to enhance its effectiveness in reducing drug-related harm. Such support is vital because “although USC Student Health has helped with getting the word out about the program, a lot of students still don’t know about it,” says Alyssa Lejarde, CPNP-USC director of public relations. Learn more at sites.usc.edu/naloxonesc
INCENTIVIZING EXCELLENCE
Jeremy Dow
Helena Mahsaradijan
Community pharmacy residents Jeremy Dow, Helena Mahsaradijan and Edwin Shamtob each received 2020–2021 incentive grants from the American Pharmacists Association Foundation for their projects. The awards focus on novel patient care services at their pharmacy practice sites. Dow’s project at Ralphs Pharmacy involves filling gaps in statin therapy
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for patients with diabetes who live in areas with high social vulnerability. Mahsaradijian’s work at CliniCare Pharmacy focuses on the impact of pharmacist-led diabetes self-management education and support. And Shamtob’s project for USC Medical Plaza Pharmacy provides a retrospective analysis of data on completion rates of multidose adult and travel vaccine series with close pharmacist follow-up.
USC Students Lead on NAPLEX USC PharmD students achieved a 95.7% passing rate on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) in 2021, exceeding the national average of 83.7%. The 225-question computerbased exam “tests a prospective pharmacist’s ability to measure pharmacotherapy and therapeutic outcomes, prepare and dispense medications, and implement and evaluate information for optimal healthcare.”
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USC PharmD students’ recent performance on NAPLEX 2021
161 first-time candidates 95.7% pass rate
2020
182 first-time candidates 92.9% pass rate
2019
169 first-time candidates 96.45% pass rate
2018
171 first-time candidates 96.49% pass rate
Lifelong Learner With a bachelor’s in biochemistry, Cheryl Hergert planned to attend graduate school when marriage took her down the path of raising four children. Years later, after spending 10 years as a stay-athome mom, earning her master’s degree in public health, and building a successful career in the medical device and pharmaceutical industry, she decided to finally pursue her dream degree: a doctorate of regulatory science (DRSc) at the USC School of Pharmacy. Still, even with 25 years of experience in clinical research and being cheered on by her now-grown kids, Hergert was nervous about going back to school. She need not have been. Hergert’s application to the program sparked a memory in Frances J. Richmond, who launched the school’s pioneering Department of Regulatory and Quality Sciences and now heads the D. K. Kim International Center for Regulatory Science housed within it. Hergert had impressed Richmond when they met at a USC regulatory science seminar in 2008—the same year that Richmond established the nation’s firstever doctorate in the field. Even before she set foot on campus to begin her DRSc, Hergert knew she had made the right decision. The department, along with the D. K. Kim International Center, globalizes educational and research opportunities in the regulation and management of healthcare products. Meanwhile, the DRSc is designed to accommodate the schedules of busy professionals—and, as clinical quality program manager for Medtronic, a worldwide healthcare technology company, Hergert definitely fits that category. “She has a wide range of job experiences—from clinical to medical devices to drugs—that provide a fairly broad base so that she can rise in the system,” Richmond says of Hergert. “The doctoral education will be advantageous to her.” Dividing her time between studying and her complex professional duties, Hergert still finds the energy to serve as secretary for the school’s Student Committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Through the committee, she helps address such issues as educational affordability for working mothers and low-income students who must provide for themselves and their families while pursuing their degrees and goals. “Women—especially those with children—are more likely to have a difficult time being active members of the workforce or returning to school
due to familial obligations,” Hergert notes, speaking from personal experience. “I want them to feel empowered and supported to go after their dreams and be confident in knowing that their goals are attainable. My children recognized the power of education, especially when their father had left and we were on welfare. It was because of my education that we were able to move forward and get ourselves into a better financial situation.” Hergert also serves as a role model to her fellow students. “You always learn something new when you talk to Cheryl,” says Becky Le, MS ’21. “That’s the
best type of classmate you can have. We definitely need more Cheryls in the industry.” Set to complete her degree in May 2022, Hergert plans to use her DRSc to advance her leadership roles at Medtronic. She has already benefited from knowledge that she immediately applied to her current job. Yet no matter how high her career rises, she knows her education will always continue. “If we stop learning, we will become obsolete in society and within our own lives,” Hergert says.
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RISING STAR FOURTH-YEAR DOCTORAL STUDENT WINS PRESTIGIOUS KROWN FELLOWSHIP Doctoral student Melanie Galano is the recipient of the 2021–2022 Charles and Charlotte Krown Fellowship, the top honor awarded to graduate students in the USC School of Pharmacy. The fellowship carries a $5,000 stipend, plus an additional $5,000 allowance that can be used toward travel or educational and research materials. A fourth-year PhD candidate in molecular pharmacology and toxicology, Galano works in the lab of Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos and is also pursuing a master’s in regulatory science. Her research explores the molecular mechanisms and protein-lipid interactions involved in cholesterol transport into the mitochondria for steroid biosynthesis. In early 2021, she was lead author on a publication in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences about the role of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR) in Leydig cells, the endocrine component of the testis where testosterone is made. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has spanned half of Galano’s four-year tenure at USC, Papadopoulos says she has remained doggedly and consistently focused on her research. “She didn’t let anything stop her,” Papadopoulos says. “Melanie is very determined, focused on the work, extremely well organized and an independent thinker. These attributes— together with her ability to carefully analyze the literature, ask the right questions, design important experiments and critically analyze the results—make her an excellent scientist with a promising career whatever she chooses to do. ” One especially rewarding aspect of Galano’s experience at USC, she says, came last year when a Canadian physician who had read published work from the Papadopoulos lab contacted the team. The doctor needed help in treating a patient who had an extremely rare genetic mutation that caused debilitating neurological and
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reproductive side effects. The USC researchers eagerly offered to collaborate, studying samples from the patient and working to translate their laboratory findings into possible treatments. “We are the first lab trying to find the biochemical mechanism behind why this is happening,” Galano says of the research. “We are using patient cells to search for available treatments that could alleviate these symptoms.” The Southern California native attended UC San Diego for her undergraduate degree in biochemistry and cell biology, with a minor in global public health. She has made a point of being actively involved on campus while still juggling full schedules of research and coursework. Her activities include joining the USC student chapter of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and serving as vice chair of the student committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (SC-DEI). She is also a founding board member of Parmasya, the school’s Filipino cultural affinity group, “Lab can be all-encompassing and it can become your whole life,” Galano explains. “I wanted to experience things outside lab and grow in other ways. Being part of SC-DEI and getting to know all these other students on campus, especially during this time, was very important to me. People always talk about how grad school is the hardest part of your life—but just having the support from Dr. Papadopoulos and Dr. [Martine] Culty, it’s been very rewarding.” After graduating in May 2022, Galano plans to work in the pharmaceutical industry as a research scientist, preferably on the West Coast. Her goal? To continue translating laboratory discoveries into potential treatments, helping patients live better, healthier lives. “That’s why I want to continue doing drug development research,” she says.
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SPRING 2022
PHOTO SHOP
Second-year pharmaceutical sciences PhD student Brent Beadell recreated photos taken of his grandfather, Charles F. Lombard, who graduated from the USC School of Pharmacy in 1939 with a PhD. Are you from a multigenerational USC pharmacy family? Share your story at pharmcom@usc.edu.
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CONNECTING OUR COMMUNITY
The USC School of Pharmacy’s website has been redesigned and upgraded to better meet the growing needs of our vibrant community.
Visit pharmacyschool.usc.edu today!
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Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos took alumni and donors on a site tour of the Seaver Hall renovation in February. The project is scheduled for completion in summer 2022.
