USC School of Pharmacy leader Vassilios Papadopoulos has been elected to a fellowship by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) for his steroid hormone research, which has major applications in aging, cancer, endocrine and reproductive disorders, and in neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

Papadopoulos, John Stauffer Dean’s Chair in Pharmaceutical Sciences and dean of the USC School of Pharmacy, was formally recognized as a 2019 AAPS Fellow at PharmSci 360, the association’s annual meeting and exposition in San Antonio, TX on Sunday, November 3.

According to AAPS, “the status of fellow is in recognition of professional excellence and sustained superior impact to global health and to the AAPS community.”

One of only eight scientists from across the country to receive this recognition in 2019, Papadopoulos is the fifth member of the USC School of Pharmacy faculty to receive the honor over the 33-year history of AAPS. The first was the late USC School of Pharmacy Dean Emeritus John A. Biles.

Research in the Papadopoulos laboratory has led to a better understanding of the pathways leading to steroid hormone synthesis, the pharmacology of steroid formation in the periphery and brain, the identification of new molecules targeting key elements in diseases where steroids play a determining role, and the development of diagnostics for these diseases.

— Michele Keller

Read more about Papadopoulos and the latest research from the Papadopoulos lab.