To celebrate the more than 50-year history of the USC School of Pharmacy and the pharmaceutical company Allergan, Dean R. Pete Vanderveen hosted a luncheon on March 19 with guests of honor USC Life Trustee Gavin S. Herbert, a founder of Allergan and chairman emeritus of the company’s board of trustees, and School of Pharmacy Dean Emeritus John A. Biles.

While the luncheon recognized the generous support of Allergan to USC’s fellowship program, the event also provided a rare opportunity to reflect on the role the company has played in the school.

Herbert is a former chairman of the school’s board of councilors.

“Long before I arrived at USC, Allergan was playing an important leadership role at the school, and we deeply appreciate it,” Vanderveen said.

Allergan’s support includes the naming of two professorships, the Gavin S. Herbert Professorship in Pharmaceutical Sciences, currently held by Sarah Hamm-Alvarez, and the John A. Biles Professorship in Pharmaceutical Sciences, held by Wei-Chiang Shen.

In addition, Allergan named the Herbert Hall of Administration at the school and has supported a thriving fellowship program with funding at $820,000 for the current academic year alone.

“There would not be an Allergan without John Biles,” said Herbert, referring to contributions that Biles made to the company in its early days more than a half century ago.

Biles thanked everyone at the gathering for the tremendous support that Allergan has provided to the School of Pharmacy over many decades.

Vanderveen took the opportunity to note that “Dean Biles truly stands as one of our greatest deans. I can only hope to lead as effectively during my tenure as Dean Biles did during his.”

Other attendees at the event included Allergan executives and the four fellows they currently are mentoring through the fellowship program.