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 2018 - Pain Management and Opioid Endemic
Chris Rabot is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Pharmacology & Pharmaceutical Sciences program. He earned his B.S. in Biology from the University of Richmond in 2016 before joining Dr. Clay Wang’s lab, where he studies the production of secondary metabolites through the activation of biosynthetic gene clusters in fungi.
Alicia Warnecke is a second-year Ph.D. student at the USC School of Pharmacy who double-majored in biology and neuroscience at Syracuse University. Alicia is currently a member of the Daryl Davies and Michael Jakowec/Gizelle Petzinger labs, where she studies the role of P2X4R modulation on dopamine.
Kabir Ahluwalia completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at Georgia Institute of Technology in 2016, and joined USC in the Fall of 2017 as a Ph.D. candidate in the Pharmaceutical and Translational Sciences program. He has recently joined the lab of Dr. Daryl Davies, where he studies the relationship between the human gut microbiome and alcohol use disorder.
Chris Rabot
CHAIR
Alicia Warnecke
VICE CHAIR
Kabir Ahluwalia
SECRETARY
Lucas Gutierrez is a second-year Ph.D. student at the USC School of Pharmacy. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Irvine in Biology, as well as a Master’s degree at California State University, Los Angeles in Biology. Lucas is currently working in the Dr. Houda Alachkar Lab, where he studies T-cell receptor repertoire in Graft vs Leukemia effects in the context of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Jiawen Yang is a first-year Masters student in Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology program. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in clinical pharmacy from the Pharmacy School of Capital Medical University in China. She is currently in Dr. Houda Alachkar’s lab, where she focuses on experimental therapeutics, looking for novel targets in the progression of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Xin is a first-year graduate student in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Masters program. She received her Bachelor’s degree at Sichuan University in China. She is working in Dr. Ian Haworth’s lab, where she focuses on the simulation of the interactions between small molecules and proteins using computational approaches.
Lucas Gutierrez
TREASURER
Jiawen (Lyn) Yang
CO-COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR
Xin (Fish) Yu
CO-COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR
Eva Severado is a first-year graduate student in the Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology Master's program. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and was an intern at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Eva is currently in Dr. Culty’s laboratory, where she focuses on determining the effects of prenatal exposure to estrogenic compounds and plasticizers found in the environment or diet on male reproduction.
Eva Severado
SOCIAL CHAIR
Liz Aguiniga is the Associate Director for The Office of Graduate Affairs at the USC School of Pharmacy and serves as the Staff Liaison for the AAPS Board. Dr. Aguiniga received her Ph.D. from the Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences at Northwestern University. Dr. Aguiniga serves the graduate student population by providing academic and professional development opportunities for the students.
Lizath Aguiniga, Ph.D.
STAFF LIAISON
Houda Alachkar received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the Ohio State University in 2012 and received a PharmD degree from Ohio Northern University. She completed a fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics at the University of Chicago before she joined the University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy as an Assistant Professor in 2015. Dr. Alachkar's translational research focuses on experimental therapeutics and pharmacogenomics, particularly in acute leukemia.
Houda Alachkar, Ph.D.
FACULTY ADVISOR