HONORING LEADERSHIP: 2023 ALUMNI AWARDS

Seven outstanding pharmacy leaders will be recognized at the annual USC School of Pharmacy Alumni Awards Gala, to be held February 26, 2023, at the Westdrift Manhattan Beach Hotel.

The Dean’s Medallion Award will be presented to Richard Dang, PharmD ’13, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy and director of the residency program at the USC School of Pharmacy, and president of the California Pharmacists Association. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dang was a leading voice for testing and vaccination, notably heading the Los Angeles COVID-19 program that resulted in nearly 1.5 million vaccines administered across the city.

The Innovation in Regulatory Science Award will go to Duane Mauzey, DRSC ’12, director of regulatory affairs for chemistry, manufacturing and control at Glaukos Inc., where he oversees quality of clinical and marketing applications for novel pharmaceuticals that treat chronic eye diseases. He also is an adjunct assistant professor at the USC School of Pharmacy.

Jimmie L. Overton, PharmD, will receive the Honorary Alumni Award. He is co-founder and managing partner at Govise Inc. and previously served as vice president of global medical information and medical promotional review at Allergan. A recognized medical affairs subject matter expert, he has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare.

Jeffrey S. McCombs, PhD, will be presented with the Innovation in Pharmacoeconomics Award. In 1994, he and colleagues established the nation’s first—and now most prestigious—graduate program in pharmaceutical economics. Earlier this year, McCombs retired after more than three decades on the faculty of the USC School of Pharmacy.

Charles W. Stark, PharmD ’82, will receive the Research Achievement Award. He is senior vice president of research and development at Emmaus Medical Inc. He previously held roles at immunotherapeutic companies Bavarian Nordic and Dendreon and at pharmaceutical company Pfizer. He is an assistant professor at the USC School of Pharmacy and has been an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience preceptor since 1991.

David Truong, PharmD ’07, MS Regulatory Science ’07, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award. He is director of global regulatory affairs at Jazz Pharmaceuticals in San Diego. Previously he was director of regulatory affairs at Greenwich Biosciences and at Teva Pharmaceuticals. He also practices in a community pharmacy setting at Costco Wholesale. Truong has precepted and mentored students and serves as an adjunct faculty member at the USC School of Pharmacy. He is also a trustee of the California Pharmacists Association and a board member of USC’s QSAD Centurion.

The Young Alumni Award will go to Lilia Xu, PharmD ’12, vice president of business development for 986 Degrees Corp., which operates several pharmacies in the San Gabriel Valley and has provided more than 40,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to the community. Xu is a member of the boards of the San Gabriel Valley Pharmacists Association and QSAD Centurion at the USC School of Pharmacy.

Finally, the Community Service Award will be presented to all those who volunteered at vaccination clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic in honor of their outstanding work in the community. USC School of Pharmacy faculty, students and alumni played a key role in vaccinating Angelenos against COVID-19. They joined fellow volunteers in inoculating more than 1 million people during the height of the pandemic, selflessly volunteering many hours at vaccine points of dispensing throughout Greater Los Angeles.