Katherine Yang, PharmD, MPH

Professor
Department of Clinical Pharmacy
Yang
[email protected]
Phone: +1 415 502-6511
Fax: +1 415 476-6632

Links

UCSF Profiles

Affiliations

Education programs

PharmD Degree Program

UCSF centers, institutes, and research programs

Clinical Pharmacist, UCSF Infectious Diseases Management Program
Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine

What I do

Along with Jennifer Cocohoba, PharmD, MAS, I assist in developing new models of pharmacy practice and foster patient care partner­ships with UCSF Health and external stakeholders in community pharmacy, public health, and other pharmacy schools.

As a clinical pharmacist, I specialize in the treatment of multi-drug resistant infections. My area of research is in the pharmacodynamic optimization of antibiotics for the treatment of multi-drug resistant gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. I am particularly interested in the treatment of bacterial biofilms, which are particularly difficult to treat with conventional antibiotics. I am also an infectious diseases pharmacist specialist at UCSF Health. In the School of Pharmacy, I am heavily involved in the PharmD curriculum and am currently the co-director of the Foundations course.

Departmental research area

clinical research

My research expertise

in vitro pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling of antibiotics on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

Clinical expertise

pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic dose optimization, Infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship

Professional background

Degrees

MPH, University of California, Berkeley, 2001
PharmD, University of California, San Francisco, 1998
BS, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, 1994

Licensure and certifications

Licentiate in Pharmacy, Nevada, 1999
Licentiate in Pharmacy, California State Board of Pharmacy, 1998

Biography

Kathy Yang, Pharm.D., MPH is a Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of California (UCSF) School of Pharmacy and an Infectious Diseases Clinical Pharmacist in the UCSF Medical Center. Dr. Yang specializes in the treatment of multi-drug resistant infections, particularly gram negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Her area of research focuses on the pharmacodynamic optimization of antibiotics for the treatment of biofilm-mediated infections such as cystic fibrosis.

Within the School of Pharmacy, Dr. Yang is involved in multiple aspects of the curriculum related to infectious diseases. Dr. Yang is also the co-director of Foundations, the first course of the Pharm.D. curriculum.

Research keywords

  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa
  • pharmacokinetics
  • biofilm
  • antibiotic resistance
  • antimicrobial stewardship
  • cystic fibrosis
  • pharmacodynamics
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial
  • cystic fibrosis
  • Biofilms
  • Voriconazole
  • Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated
  • Tobramycin
  • Long QT Syndrome
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Nitriles
  • Thienamycins
  • Triazoles
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa
  • Adenosine Monophosphate
  • Culture Media
  • Alanine

Publications

Highet A, Kendrick DE, Bandeh-Ahmadi H, Vitous A, Yang K, Ernst C, George BC. Pragmatic Mentoring Strategies for the Busy Surgeon Scientist. J Surg Educ. 2022 May-Jun; 79(3):695-707.
Trinh TD, Strnad L, Damon L, Dzundza JH, Graff LR, Griffith LM, Hilts-Horeczko A, Olin R, Shenoy S, DeVoe C, Wang L, Rodriguez-Monguio R, Gu TM, Hampton SR, Macapinlac BAC, Yang K, Doernberg SB. Reductions in vancomycin and meropenem following the implementation of a febrile neutropenia management algorithm in hospitalized adults: An interrupted time series analysis. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2021 09; 42(9):1090-1097.
Yang K. What Do We Know About Remdesivir Drug Interactions? Clin Transl Sci. 2020 09; 13(5):842-844.
Huang L, Haagensen JAJ, Verotta D, Cheah V, Spormann AM, Aweeka F, Yang K. Determination of Tobramycin in M9 Medium by LC-MS/MS: Signal Enhancement by Trichloroacetic Acid. J Anal Methods Chem. 2018; 2018:7965124.
Verotta D, Haagensen J, Spormann AM, Yang K. Mathematical Modeling of Biofilm Structures Using COMSTAT Data. Comput Math Methods Med. 2017; 2017:7246286.
Haagensen J, Verotta D, Huang L, Engel J, Spormann AM, Yang K. Spatiotemporal pharmacodynamics of meropenem- and tobramycin-treated Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2017 Dec 01; 72(12):3357-3365.
Trang TP, Hanretty AM, Langelier C, Yang K. Use of isavuconazole in a patient with voriconazole-induced QTc prolongation. Transpl Infect Dis. 2017 Aug; 19(4).
Haagensen JA, Verotta D, Huang L, Spormann A, Yang K. New in vitro model to study the effect of human simulated antibiotic concentrations on bacterial biofilms. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2015 Jul; 59(7):4074-81.
Huang L, Haagensen J, Verotta D, Lizak P, Aweeka F, Yang K. Determination of meropenem in bacterial media by LC-MS/MS. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2014 Jun 15; 961:71-6.
Fricks-Lima J, Hendrickson CM, Allgaier M, Zhuo H, Wiener-Kronish JP, Lynch SV, Yang K. Differences in biofilm formation and antimicrobial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from airways of mechanically ventilated patients and cystic fibrosis patients. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2011 Apr; 37(4):309-15.
Sohn AH, Schwartz JM, Yang KY, Jarvis WR, Guglielmo BJ, Weintrub PS. Risk factors and risk adjustment for surgical site infections in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery patients. Am J Infect Control. 2010 Nov; 38(9):706-10.
Yang, K MacDougall C Wiener-Kronish J. An Evidenced-based Practice in Critical Care. Epidemiology and management of antibiotic resistance in the ICU. 2010.
Steinman MA, Yang KY, Byron SC, Maselli JH, Gonzales R. Variation in outpatient antibiotic prescribing in the United States. Am J Manag Care. 2009 Dec; 15(12):861-8.
Yang K, Zhuo H, Guglielmo BJ, Wiener-Kronish J. Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa ventilator-associated pneumonia: the role of endotracheal aspirate surveillance cultures. Ann Pharmacother. 2009 Jan; 43(1):28-35.
Zhuo H, Yang K, Lynch SV, Dotson RH, Glidden DV, Singh G, Webb WR, Elicker BM, Garcia O, Brown R, Sawa Y, Misset B, Wiener-Kronish JP. Increased mortality of ventilated patients with endotracheal Pseudomonas aeruginosa without clinical signs of infection. Crit Care Med. 2008 Sep; 36(9):2495-503.
Lynch SV Yang K Brodie EL MacDougall C Andersen G Wiener-Kronish JP. Culture-Independent Bacterial Population Analysis - Clinical Implications for Respiratory and Other Infections. Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews. 2008; 4(1):35-9.
Yang K, Guglielmo BJ. Diagnosis and treatment of extended-spectrum and AmpC beta-lactamase-producing organisms. Ann Pharmacother. 2007 Sep; 41(9):1427-35.
Yang K Youmans S. Expanding the Role of the Pharmacist in Public Health. California Journal of Health-Systems Pharmacy. 2006; 18(3):14-19.
Youmans S Vogt E Yang K . Utilization of Community Pharmacies: Implications for Health Care Delivery. Harvard Health Policy Review. 2006; 7(1):180-7.
Yang K Graff L Caughey A. Blueprints Notes and Cases. Pharmacology. 2003.
Yang K, Guglielmo BJ. Patient education for H pylori: who benefits? West J Med. 2002 Mar; 176(2):97.