Vassilios Papadopoulos

Vassilios Papadopoulos is the dean of the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, a position he has held since 2016, and interim dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He holds the John Stauffer Decanal Chair in Pharmaceutical Sciences and is a professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences and medicine at the University of Southern California.

A noted scientist and innovative leader, Papadopoulos has published over 400 papers, holds numerous patents and serves on many national and international advisory committees. He is an elected foreign member of the National Academies of Medicine and Pharmacy in France and fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

As dean of the USC Mann School, Papadopoulos has been a prominent national voice on the topic of re-envisioning the future of pharmacy education for the 21st century and expanding the role of the pharmacist on the health care team. Under his leadership, the school launched numerous new degree programs, recruited outstanding new faculty, and expanded the school’s state-of-the-art research and educational facilities. The school’s students, staff, faculty and alumni played a key role in the COVID-19 mass vaccination efforts in the city of Los Angeles. In 2022, the school received a $50 million endowment—the largest naming donation for a school of pharmacy in California—and was renamed in honor of the inventor and physicist Alfred E. Mann. In 2025, he received the American Pharmacists Association Outstanding Dean Award. From 2022 until 2026, he also served as the interim dean of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.

Prior to coming to USC, for nearly a decade, Papadopoulos led initiatives at McGill University Health Centre’s research arm, which resulted in more than $300 million in federal and provincial grants to build a state-of-the-art facility for clinical and biomedical research. He established the Desjardins Centre for Advanced Training to foster the development of future scientists and clinicians, and a business development office to facilitate knowledge transfer and assist in the commercialization of technologies. Under his leadership, the Research Institute launched numerous international collaborations. In addition to his leadership roles, he was professor of medicine at McGill University, holding the Canada Research Chair in biochemical pharmacology and the Phil Gold Chair in medicine.

Earlier in his career, he served on the faculty of Georgetown University School of Medicine, rising to become professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. In 2004, Papadopoulos was appointed associate vice president for research and then director of the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization (Dean of Research) at Georgetown University Medical Center.

A School of Pharmacy graduate of the University of Athens in Greece, Papadopoulos holds a Ph.D. in health and life sciences from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, France.

• The XXVth North American Testis Workshop, Lifelong Cell-Cell Interactions in the Testis: A Driver for Male Fertility
  NIH · R13HD098767 · Apr 1, 2019 – Mar 31, 2021 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Fetal Origin of Male Reproductive Disorders
  NIH · R01ES013495 · Aug 1, 2005 – Apr 30, 2011 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Plasma Diagnostic for Alzheimer's Disease Pathology
  NIH · R41NS048688 · Jun 21, 2004 – May 31, 2006 · Role: Principal Investigator
• BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF GINKGO BILOBA IN CANCER
  NIH · R21AT000359 · Feb 1, 2001 – Dec 31, 2002 · Role: Principal Investigator
• PERIPHERAL BENZODIAZEPINE RECEPTOR IN BREAST CANCER
  NIH · R21CA080763 · May 20, 1999 – Apr 30, 2000 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Acute Hormonal Regulation of Steroidogenesis
  NIH · R01HD037031 · Dec 15, 1998 – Jun 30, 2010 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Role of Benzodiazepine Receptor in Leydig Cell Function
  NIH · R01ES007747 · Apr 1, 1995 – Nov 30, 2011 · Role: Principal Investigator
• INTRATESTICULAR REGULATION OF LEYDIG CELL FUNCTION
  NIH · K04HD001031 · Dec 1, 1993 – Nov 30, 1998 · Role: Principal Investigator
• MECHANISMS OF REGULATION OF CHOLESTEROL TRANSPORT
  NIH · R55DK043358 · Sep 30, 1991 – Sep 29, 1993 · Role: Principal Investigator

• Culty, Martine
• Stanczyk, Frank
• Pike, Christian
• Hirsch, Joshua
• Wood, Ruth
• Cohen, Pinchas