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.
Aditya is a Second Year PhD student in Dr. Gauri Rao’s Lab. He completed his Bachelor’s in Pharmacy at the University of Mumbai, India, and received his Master’s in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences under the mentorship of Dr. Stan Louie and continued to work there for 1 year as a Research Technician.. Currently in the Rao lab, he is pursuing his interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms influencing bacterial resistance in emerging multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections.
Aditya Naik
CHAIR
Quan is a clinical pharmacist with a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Hanoi University of Pharmacy, Vietnam. In 2024, he earned a Master’s degree in Epidemiology from the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Currently, he is a 2nd-year PhD student in the Rao lab
Anh Quan Truong
COMMUNICATION CO-CHAIR
Mana is on a dynamic journey in the world of pharmaceuticals, currently pursuing a Master of Drug Development Management at the University of Southern California. Her academic journey began in Hungary, where she earned her PharmD degree from the University of Debrecen.
With a global perspective, Mana has immersed herself in various pharmacy settings through internships, ranging from community pharmacies in Hungary and Iran to clinical pharmacies in Hungary such as the National Institute of Oncology and the National Institute of Pulmonology, as well as in two clinics in Budapest, Hungary. Additionally, she served as a research assistant in the Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Debrecen, focusing on the effects of traditional Chinese medicine on renal cancer cells, which constituted her PharmD thesis project.
Mana also worked as a regulatory affairs intern at Dexcom, a pioneer in producing Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) devices, based in San Diego, California. She contributed to the Team-based Regulatory and Quality (TRAQS) project from USC during her internship at Dexcom.
Currently, Mana is actively engaged in research within Dr. Daryl Davies’ laboratory, focusing primarily on the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD), and neurodegenerative diseases, particularly exploring the effects of traditional medicine on these conditions. Additionally, she is deeply interested in computational drug design and actively involved in ongoing research in computational drug design, particularly in the field of cancer therapeutics.
Mana Rahimian
SOCIAL CO-CHAIR
Pratika Jagdish is pursuing a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, holding a Bachelor of Technology degree in Biotechnology Engineering from RV College of Engineering, Bangalore, India. Her undergraduate research focused on personalized nutrition and biofortification, including the development of micronutrient-enriched food formulations using seed-based ingredients and phytate reduction techniques to enhance bioavailability. Currently, Pratika is pursuing her master’s thesis in Dr. Andrew Mackay’s lab, where she is working on the development and characterization of elastin-like polypeptide (ELP)-based nanocarriers for cancer immunotherapy. Passionate about translational research, drug delivery, and the intersection of computation and nanomedicine, she aspires to pursue a PhD and contribute to the innovation in targeted therapeutics and personalized healthcare solutions. Beyond the lab, Pratika is actively involved in academic mentorship ( Course Assistant for USCMann - International Student Summer Program 2025), student leadership, and science communication initiatives.
Pratika Jagdish
CO-CHAIR
Agrima Dwivedi is currently pursuing an MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy. She earned her Bachelor’s in Pharmacy from Banasthali Vidhyapith. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in formulation studies on corticosteroid use in psoriasis, gaining early exposure to pharmaceutical formulation techniques and dermatological therapeutics. At USC, she is a member of Dr. Liana Asatryan’s lab, where her portion of the work focuses on alcohol-associated liver disease, with a particular emphasis on characterizing lipid molecular profiles and lipidomic changes associated with alcohol and drug exposure. Her research also explores the gut–brain axis and the molecular pathways underlying disease progression, using a multidisciplinary approach that integrates molecular biology, lipidomic, and translational science. Agrima aspires to become a drug researcher dedicated to developing innovative therapeutic strategies that address unmet medical needs.
Agrima Dwivedi
COMMUNICATION CO-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
Melissa Martinez
TREASURER
Ruchira graduated as a pharmacist from India. She pursued a Master’s in Molecular Pharmacology at USC, where she conducted research under Dr. Ian Haworth, focusing on the application of artificial intelligence in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Currently a PhD student in the MacKay Lab at USC, Ruchira is working on the discovery of novel peptide therapeutics in autoimmune diseases.
Ruchira Joshi
SECRETARY
Gauri Rao, PharmD, MS is associate professor of clinical pharmacy at the USC Mann School. She serves as the Director of the Quantitative Drug and Disease Modeling Center.
An expert in quantitative modeling approaches, she leads a research program that focuses on employing a quantitative, “systems-based” approach to rationally design and optimize clinically relevant antibiotic dosing strategies to treat infections caused by highly resistant Gram-negative organisms.
Dr. Rao completed her Doctor of Pharmacy and a Masters in Pharmacometrics at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy, University at Buffalo. Between 2016-2023, Dr. Rao was a faculty member at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, where she served as Director of the UNC Fellowship Program.
Gauri Rao, PharmD
FACULTY CO-ADVISOR
Ayush Navle is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, along with a Graduate Certificate in Regulatory and Clinical Affairs (Drugs/Biologics). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a Business minor from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS University), Boston. His academic and research experiences have centered on pharmaceutical manufacturing, analytical method development, and formulation optimization—developing HPLC methods, performing excipient compatibility studies, and exploring 3D-printed dosage forms using Selective Laser Sintering (SLS).
At USC, He has worked on quality-focused regulatory projects including CAPA investigations for medical device components under 21 CFR 820 and strategic planning for a pre-IND oral oncology drug, integrating FDA regulatory requirements, IP strategy, and clinical positioning. His work reflects a strong interest in pharmaceutical quality systems, regulatory compliance, and manufacturing efficiency.
With a growing interest in pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality, He aims to apply his technical and regulatory knowledge toward future entrepreneurial ventures, specifically in the development and commercialization of niche Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and related value-added products. He is driven by the goal of improving access to high-quality, cost-effective therapies in both emerging and regulated markets.
Ayush Navle
TREASURER
Sharon is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical and Translational Sciences at USC's Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She received her BSc in Chemistry at New York University (Abu Dhabi campus) and continued to work there for 2 years as a Research Assistant. Her projects spanned from material chemistry, developing new synthetic methods for nanoparticles, to computational chemistry, simulating the glucose-responsive oral delivery of insulin. She is passionate about developing nano drug delivery platforms and hopes to translate these technologies into clinically impactful therapies.
Sharon Lee
SECRETARY
Ian Haworth received his PhD from University of Liverpool, UK (adviser: Prof. Raymond J. Abraham), 1986-1989, in physical organic chemistry, and conducted postdoctoral work at Oxford University, UK (adviser: Prof. W. Graham Richards), 1989-1992. He joined USC in 1992. His research interests lie at the interface between chemistry, biology and the computational sciences, with the goal being an improved understanding of the dynamics of molecular association of nucleic acids and proteins. He has published more than 60 papers in this area, and his work has attracted funding from federal and non-federal sources.
Haworth’s laboratory has developed algorithms for nucleic acid structure building, nucleic acid aptamer design, transporter protein structure and analysis, and MHC-peptide-TCR association. The basis of these algorithms is accurate reproduction of molecular association through proper molecular and theoretical descriptions of biological interfaces.
Ian S Haworth, PhD
FACULTY CO-ADVISOR