Dorie Apollonio, PhD, MPP

Apollonio
Phone: +1 415 502-1942
530 Parnassus Avenue, Rm 365
UCSF Box 1390
San Francisco, CA 94143
United States

Affiliations

What I do

My work considers the activities of industries implicated in the spread of non-communicable diseases, including tobacco, pharmaceuticals, cannabis, alcohol, and food. Some recent work has identified tobacco cessation strategies for vulnerable populations, sought to understand the scope of tobacco and cannabis co-use, assessed the spread of laws addressing new tobacco and cannabis delivery systems, and identified the extent of pharmacist prescribing. My work has been published in journals in multiple disciplines, including law, medicine, pharmacy, political science, public health, and public policy. I’ve been an instructor and research mentor in the UCSF School of Pharmacy since 2004.

Departmental research area

My research expertise

health policy, substance use, tobacco control, cannabis, opioids, vulnerable populations, homelessness, mental health disorders, cancer, pharmacist furnishing

Professional background

Biography

Dr. Apollonio is Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research considers considers the activities of industries implicated in the spread of non-communicable diseases, including opioids, tobacco, and cannabis. Her current work includes efforts to:
-- Understand and address the role of pharmaceutical companies in the opioid crisis
-- Improve the regulation of novel cannabis products, with a focus on reducing poisonings among children
-- Increase access to medications in primary care deserts in California
-- Expand access to tobacco cessation services for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco
-- Expand access to tobacco cessation services for residents of the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Foothills (in partnership with the UC Merced Nicotine and Cannabis Policy Center)

Her funding record includes past and current awards at the national level from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Cancer Institute, and US Food & Drug Administration Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science; at the state level from the California Breast Cancer Research Program, California Department of Cannabis Control, California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, and University of California Cancer Research Coordinating Committee; and the institutional level from the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Her work has been published in journals across multiple disciplines, including law, medicine, pharmacy, political science, public health, and public policy. She has served as an instructor in the UCSF School of Pharmacy since 2004, and has earned multiple teaching awards. Between 2020 and 2025, she mentored 97 PharmD students whose work in small groups resulted in 23 peer-reviewed publications.

Research keywords

  • opiates
  • cannabis
  • vulnerable populations
  • homelessness
  • mental health disorders
  • heart disease
  • sugar
  • health policy
  • cancer
  • tobacco control
  • substance use
  • Drug Overdose
  • Tobacco Use
  • smoking cessation
  • Tobacco Products
  • tobacco industry
  • cannabis
  • Commerce
  • Marketing
  • Smoking
  • pharmacists
  • Taxes
  • Community Pharmacy Services
  • pharmacies
  • Poison Control Centers
  • Public Policy