AAPS - USC STUDENT CHAPTER
The AAPS University of Southern California (USC) Student Chapter was established in 1996 by graduate students Neil Mathias, Wilson Meng, and Silvia da Costa in the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy.
The USC Student Chapter was one of the only four student organizations within AAPS in 1996. While its chapter members have continued to uphold the chapter's reputation for active involvement in speaker programs, social events, and networking, AAPS - USC Student Chapter's main pride lies in the success of its annual "Moving Targets" multidisciplinary symposium.
MOVING TARGETS 2022 - World of Code
Ronak is pursuing the MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences at USC. He has opted for the MS Thesis track under the able guidance of Dr. Jean Shih. He is currently investigating the role of MAO Inhibitors on various types of cancers, namely Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and liver cancer. He has completed his Bachelors of Pharmacy from University of Mumbai.
Ronak Shethia
CHAIR
Alan is a first-year PhD student in Dr. Paul Beringer’s lab at USC School of Pharmacy. His research investigates the mechanisms behind drug-induced liver injury (DILI) caused by cystic fibrosis (CF) drugs and aims to apply mechanistic data to model the risk of DILI in patients taking CF drugs. Alan also attended USC for undergrad, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology, a minor in Science and Management of Biomedical Therapeutics (SMBT), and a specialization in Applied Analytics.
Alan Shi
TREASURER AND COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR
Karishma Chhugani is a graduate student pursuing her PhD in Pharmaceutical and Translational Sciences at University of Southern California’s School of Pharmacy. She completed her Master’s in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Southern California in May 2021. She graduated from University of California, Riverside in June 2019 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology. Currently, as part of her PhD, Karishma is working on exploring the cell type composition, gene expression, and clinical severity scores in Sepsis patients through various machine learning and data driven approaches.
Karishma Chhugani
SECRETARY
Aparna is a second year MS student at the School of Pharmacy. She is currently working in Dr. Eun Ji Chung’s lab. She holds a B. Pharmacy from SRM Institute of Science and Technology.
Aparna Ram
CO-VICE CHAIR
Unnati completed a Bachelor’s in Pharmacy at the Mumbai University, India. She is currently studying for a Masters in Pharmaceutical sciences at the USC School of Pharmacy and pursuing thesis work under the guidance of Dr. Jean Shih. She works on the various functions and effects of a Near infrared dye conjugate MOA A inhibitor on the growth of different types of cancers, majorly glioblastoma.
Unnati Shah
CO-SOCIAL CHAIR
Jennica Zaro is an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences and assistant dean for assessment in the Office of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Studies. A PhD graduate in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the USC School of Pharmacy, she has held several roles in the pharmaceutical industry, where she has developed formulations for aerosol products and designed and validated analytical methods for protein drugs.
Zaro’s research is focused on targeted drug delivery applications utilizing protein-drug conjugates or recombinant fusion proteins, for which she has been awarded numerous grants and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters. She completed the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s Academic Leadership Fellows Program, serves on the Board of Grants for the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education, and has served on several other national and international grant review panels, including the National Institutes of Health and the United Kingdom Medical Research Council.
Jennica Zaro, Ph.D.
FACULTY ADVISOR
Sawanee is a second year MS student at The School of Pharmacy, she is currently working in Dr Ian Haworth and Dr Jean Shih’s lab. She holds an MS in Bioinformatics from the University of Pune.
Sawanee Joshi
CO-VICE CHAIR
Naresh is a second year MS student at the School of Pharmacy. He is currently working in Dr. Serghei Mangul’s lab. He holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Mumbai University.
Naresh Patel
CO-SOCIAL CHAIR