Join us for the 2024 Avis Distinguished Visiting Professorship lecture featuring David Z. D’Argenio, PhD, on October 11 at noon in the College of Pharmacy Building 102.
About David Z. D’Argenio, PhD
David Z. D’Argenio, PhD, is Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Viterbi School of Engineering of the University of Southern California and the inaugural holder of the Chonette Chair of Biomedical Technology. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. Dr. D’Argenio has been a member of the Biomedical Engineering Faculty at USC since 1979. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Engineering in Medicine and Biology, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, and the International Society of Pharmacometrics. From 2003-2008 he served on the US FDA Advisory Committee for Pharmaceutical Science and Clinical Pharmacology. He has served as Chairman of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at USC from 1996-2003 and was the inaugural holder of the Dwight C. and Hildagarde E. Baum Chair of Biomedical Engineering. He also served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Engineering at USC from 1993-1996 and as the Interim Director of the Alfred Mann Institute of BME at USC from 1998-1999. Dr. D’Argenio has been a visiting scientist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis and at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, CNR, Padova, Italy, as well as a visiting professor at the University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.
His awards include the Lewis B. Sheiner Award from the International Society of Pharmacometrics in 2018; the Gerhard Levy Distinguished Lectureship, Univ. of Buffalo, SUNY, 2016; the Mellon Mentoring Award, Univ. Southern California, 2010; the USC School of Engineering Service Award, 1992; the USC School of Engineering and TRW Excellence in Teaching Award in 1985. He was a co-founder of the International Society of Pharmacometrics (2010). Professor D’Argenio has served as a consultant for numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Simulations Plus (NASDAQ: SLP), Inc. from 1996-2016.
About Kenneth Avis, PhD
Kenneth Avis, PhD, was born in the small southern New Jersey town of Elmer, around 50 miles from Philadelphia, PA, on June 3, 1918. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, Master of Science, and Doctor of Science from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. In 1946, he joined the faculty at his alma mater and advanced to the position of Associate Professor.
In August 1961, Dr. Avis relocated to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center as an Associate Professor. Within six years, he was promoted to Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Pharmaceutics at the UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy. In 1972, he was appointed Director of the Division of Parenteral Medications, and in 1977, he became Goodman Professor, the only faculty member in pharmacy to receive such an honor from the University. Dr. Avis was appointed Chairman of the Department of Pharmaceutics in 1983. After retiring from full-time duties in 1988, he continued to serve UT Health Science Center as Emeritus Professor in Pharmaceutics. Throughout his career, Dr. Avis received numerous awards from his profession and remained actively involved in many professional roles. Dr. Avis passed away on January 28, 1999.
“When Dr. Avis first came to the UT Health Science Center, we had no research program in the area of parenterals, much less training or educational programs. By the time he started, Dr. Avis and his colleagues had developed an internationally recognized program. His tireless efforts and significant contributions to the College of Pharmacy will long be remembered,” stated Marvin C. Meyer, PhD, Chair Emeritus of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy.
Dr. Avis’s expertise and major areas of interest were in the manufacturing, processing, and control of sterile parenteral medications. He developed the postgraduate course in this area at UT Health Science Center for industry members, hospital pharmacists, and government agencies. He established UT Health Science Center’s Sterile Products Laboratory, where postgraduate and undergraduate training takes place. Dr. Avis served the US Food and Drug Administration and industry in seminars and programs focusing on Good Manufacturing Practices and the development of dosage forms.
Dr. Avis was known for his leadership throughout his professional career. In addition to his responsibilities at the UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy, he held leadership positions at both local and national levels. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) for seventeen years, from 1960 to 1977. He also served PDA as the National Program Chairman for two years and was the President of the organization in 1968 and 1969. At the time of his passing, he was engaged in writing a history of the PDA. Dr. Avis served in numerous advisory capacities to the United States Pharmacopeia and the US Food and Drug Administration for over 25 years. He was also the founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Evangelical Christian School (ECS) in Memphis, a role he held for ten years.
Dr. Avis was widely recognized and honored for his lifetime of achievements. He received several prestigious honors and awards including the Schaufus Parenteral Technology Achievement Award (1976), Parenteral Drug Association Research Award (1974 and 1978), Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science Alumni Award (1977), UT National Alumni Association Public Service Award (1980), and the FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation (1987). In 1986, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.
Dr. Avis was also listed in several prominent publications including American Men and Women of Science, Personalities of the South, Dictionary of International Biography, Who’s Who of the South and Southwest, Outstanding Educators of America, Men of Achievement, Notable Americans of 1976-77, Personalities of America, Who’s Who in American Education, and Who’s Who in Science and Engineering.
Dr. Avis worked as a consultant for over 50 pharmaceutical companies, universities, hospitals, and governmental agencies during his career. He authored more than 30 peer-reviewed research papers in the field of parenteral dosage forms and was part of the editorial boards or staff of nine national pharmaceutical journals. Dr. Avis also contributed chapters to renowned textbooks such as Remington’s Pharmaceutical Sciences, The Theory and Practice of Industrial Pharmacy, and Dispensing of Medications. Additionally, he served as the senior editor of the 1st and 2nd editions of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms Parenteral Medications, a comprehensive 3-volume reference work. He was also the coordinating editor of Applied PharmTech 2000, a series of books on practical pharmaceutical technology.
Dick R. Gourley, PharmD, the former Dean of the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, said this about Dr. Avis: “He was clearly a leader and innovator in the field of parenteral medications. Dr. Avis’s expertise influenced many students over the years at UT. We are very proud that he was associated with the University of Tennessee for many years.”
Dr Avis was an active member of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, the Parenteral Drug Association, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, and the Rho Chi Honor Society.
During World War II, Dr. Avis served as a petty officer in the US Navy Hospital Corps in the South Pacific theater. He and his wife, the former Irma Jeanette Hildreth, had one son and two daughters. Mrs. Avis passed away on February 28, 2005.