To keep pace with health care’s evolving challenges, Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos, DPharm, PhD, has announced an administrative restructuring of the USC School of Pharmacy, including five new associate dean positions:

• Steven Chen, PharmD — William A. and Josephine A. Heeres Chair in Community Pharmacy — has been appointed associate dean for Clinical Affairs, stepping down from his duties as chair of the Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy. In this new role, Chen will direct clinical training for all students at the school and oversee and coordinate clinical services provided by faculty, staff and residents. Paul Beringer, PharmD, will serve as interim chair of the Titus Family Department while a national search is conducted to fill this important post.
• Former Interim Dean Glen L. Stimmel, PharmD, will serve as associate dean for Academic Affairs, where he will be responsible for all academic matters, including curriculum, assessment and accreditation.
• Irving Steinberg, PharmD, has been named associate dean for Faculty Affairs, where he will be responsible for overseeing faculty evaluation, development and promotion across the school.
• Susie Park, PharmD, will serve as associate dean for Student Affairs, where she will guide the PharmD student experience from recruitment and admission through advising and student life.
• Annie Wong-Beringer, PharmD, is the new associate dean for Research and Graduate Education. She will continue her oversight of the school’s graduate programs in addition to promoting interdisciplinary research across the school’s departments and centers and managing the research office and facilities.
• Clay Wang, PhD, has been named chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

In addition, Daryl Davies, PhD, will serve as director of Undergraduate Education, overseeing the school’s new undergraduate minor in Science and Management of Biomedical Therapeutics. He also will direct the USC Science, Technology and Research (STAR) program, which brings students from local high schools into USC labs.

Effective Feb. 15, the appointments come at a time when the landscapes of pharmacy education and professional practice are changing, driven by many factors including advancements in technology, Papadopoulos said. They also reflect the university’s commitment to diversity, access and inclusion, he added.

“These changes ensure the school remains the leader in its field, and the destination for education, research and professional practice innovation,” Papadopoulos said.