Four Staff Members Recognized With SPOT Awards
Overview
The staff members are being honored for their project-specific contributions during the first half of the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
News
"Nontraditional" PharmD Students Answer the Call to Patient-Centered Care
Overview
Every year, the UCSF School of Pharmacy welcomes a new class of learners whose paths into the profession reflect the changing landscape of pharmacy. Among the Class of 2028 are a handful of "nontraditional" students who returned to school to pursue a PharmD degree after established careers.
California Poison Control System Responds to Largest Poisonous Mushroom Cluster in Decades
Overview
California is experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of mushroom poisonings, prompting urgent action from the California Poison Control System (CPCS), which is operated by the UCSF School of Pharmacy.
Expanding the Boundaries of Microscopy Through Curiosity, Collaboration
Overview
At the UCSF School of Pharmacy, Bo Huang, PhD, a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, is blending biological discovery with tool-building to reimagine how scientists visualize and understand life inside cells.
School of Pharmacy Faculty Among 2025 Highly Cited Researchers
Overview
Three faculty members — John Irwin, PhD, Aashish Manglik, MD, PhD, and Brian Shoichet, PhD — are named in Clarivate’s 2025 list of Highly Cited Researchers, recognizing their scholarly impact and influence in their fields.
From Crisis to Possibility: UCSF Pharmacists Reflect on 40 Years of Progress in HIV Care
Overview
Spanning the HIV epidemic, clinical pharmacy professors Betty Dong, PharmD, and Jennifer Cocohoba, PharmD, represent the role pharmacists have played in UCSF’s dedication to evidence-based, patient-centered innovation.
Pharmacology Fuels Promising Steps Toward HIV Cure
Overview
A new Nature study co-led by Amelia Deitchman, PharmD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, offers one of the most promising signs yet that sustained, antiretroviral therapy (ART)-free viral remission may be possible.
California’s New Patient Safety Law Elevates Pharmacists’ Role in Discharge Medication Safety
Overview
Pharmacy Times interviewed Rita Shane, PharmD, FASHP, FCSHP, vice president, chief pharmacy officer, and professor of medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and associate dean of clinical pharmacy services at UCSF School of Pharmacy, who explained that California’s new patient safety law—effective January 1—requires pharmacists to review discharge medication lists for high-risk patients to prevent harmful and often overlooked medication errors during care transitions.
Q&A: How UCSF Pharmacists Are Guiding Safe and Effective GLP-1 Use
Overview
Lisa Kroon, PharmD, assistant chief pharmacy officer of clinical innovation, education and research at UCSF Health and a professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, discusses the growing interest in GLP-1 medication and the important role pharmacists play in helping patients and clinicians navigate the clinical, financial, and access challenges of these popular drugs.
Biosimilar Insulins Show Path to Affordability
Overview
New research led by Department of Clinical Pharmacy Chair Jonathan Watanabe reveals the economic and access benefits of biosimilar insulins, offering a model for pharmacist-driven health policy and affordability.
Navy Veteran Finds New Ways to Serve in Pharmacy
Overview
As a U.S. Navy veteran, first-generation college student, and third-year PharmD student, Phuong Phan sees a throughline of service driving her desire to combine the discipline she learned in the military with her passion for science and patient care.
First-Gen Student Finds Purpose in Pharmacy
Overview
Yemeni American second-year PharmD candidate Selma Alamari overcame her parents’ initial hesitation about her decision to pursue a career in health care. Now they’ve become not just supporters, but advocates as she pursues her passions for improving diabetes care and advancing health equity.
What’s Next for the Implantable Artificial Kidney and Beyond
Overview
Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences Professor Shuvo Roy, PhD, is advancing The Kidney Project toward clinical readiness while translating its filtration technology into new therapies that could transform treatment for kidney failure, blood safety, neonatal care, and diabetes.
A Celebration of Science and Connection: UCSF Symposium Showcases Discovery, Collaboration and Alumni Impact
Overview
More than 100 current and former graduate students gathered on Oct. 3 for the School of Pharmacy’s first “Bridging Past and Future: Highlighting UCSF Graduate Students and Alumni” symposium.
Opportunity Rx: Could This Be a New Path Out of Pharmacy Deserts?
Overview
Our first-in-the-West free PharmTech to PharmD Pathway Program puts pharmacy technicians on the road to become pharmacists.
School of Pharmacy Faculty Receives 2025 Chancellor Principles of Community Awards
Overview
Population geneticist Ryan Hernandez, PhD, a professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, is recognized for revealing how humanity’s shared continuum shapes health outcomes and for expanding opportunities for aspiring scientists.
UCSF Student Recognized With CSHP Student Leadership Award
Overview
The annual award celebrating pharmacy students who exemplify leadership, service, and commitment to advancing pharmacy practice was given to Mackenzie Lee, a PharmD candidate in the Class of 2026.
Treat, Teach, Innovate: Why This Pharmacist Never Has a Dull Day
Overview
At the UCSF School of Pharmacy, innovation in patient care often starts beyond clinic walls. Through programs like Cut Hypertension, Director of Community-Based Practice Innovation, Crystal Zhou, PharmD, is closing gaps in access to care and improving health outcomes while shaping the next generation of pharmacists.
NIH Honors School of Pharmacy Scientists for Exceptional Creativity
Overview
Vice Dean of Research Tanja Kortemme, PhD, and Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences Assistant Professor Kyle Cromer, PhD, are among seven UCSF scientists recognized with prestigious NIH High-Risk, High-Reward Awards for 2025.
Vaccinate the Dean: Pharmacists Keep the Focus on Prevention
Overview
Dean Kathy Giacomini, PhD, BSPharm, received her flu shot from a second-year PharmD student, calling attention to the pharmacist’s role in safeguarding public health and kicking off American Pharmacists Month.