Vassilios Papadopoulos, dean and professor at the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) for 2024.
Fellows are elected by their peers for their outstanding scholarly, scientific and artistic achievement. They are distinguished individuals from all branches of learning who have made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life.
In a September 3 announcement, the Royal Society of Canada noted Papadopoulos’ significant contributions to the field of steroid hormone biosynthesis and regulation.
Papadopoulos’ work has pioneered the pharmacology of steroidogenesis and neurosteroidogenesis with direct impact on the understanding and treatment of endocrine, reproductive, neurological and psychiatric diseases. He has contributed to the success of universities and academic health sciences centers by invigorating outstanding and interactive academic environments and training the next generation of scientists and health professionals.
Of the 104 fellows in the 2024 cohort, Papadopoulos – a dual citizen of the United States and Greece – is one of only two who is neither a resident nor a citizen of Canada.
The Society annually elects up to four Foreign Fellows who, at the time of their election, are neither residents nor citizens of Canada and who, “by their exceptionally distinguished intellectual accomplishments in the arts, humanities and sciences, have helped promote the object of the Society in ways that have clear relevance for Canadian society.”
Prior to coming to USC in 2016, Papadopoulos served for nine years as executive director and chief scientific officer at the Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Montreal, Canada, where he led initiatives including “Translational Research and Intervention Across the Lifespan,” which resulted in over $300 million in federal and provincial grants and donations that led to the construction of the McGill University Health Centre complex in Montreal.
The 2024 fellows will be welcomed at the Royal Society of Canada Celebration of Excellence and Engagement (#COEE2024) on Saturday, November 9 in Vancouver, British Columbia.