Giacomini receives Bill Heller Mentor of the Year Award

Kathy Giacomini, PhD, an expert in pharmacogenomic transporter biology and regulatory science, is the 2018 Bill Heller Mentor of the Year Award recipient from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE) for her mentorship of students.

The award recognizes university faculty members, nominated by their students and current or past AFPE Fellows, for their guidance, dedication, leadership, instruction, and encouragement.

The AFPE announced this year’s award recipient on September 10 from its headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

Giacomini, a faculty member in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (BTS), a joint department of the UCSF Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine, is known for her research on membrane transporters, molecules involved in the movement of drugs into and out of cells. She is also the co-director of the UCSF-Stanford Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation, the first regulatory science and innovation center on the West Coast, whose research is dedicated to improving the development and approval of effective medical products.

“Mentoring is the most meaningful thing I have done as a faculty member,” Giacomini commented. “I have been fortunate to have great mentors who have helped me, and in appreciation, I have devoted my life to giving back to young people, helping them in their careers and lives.”