PharmD degree program art highlights science, focus on patients

By UCSF School of Pharmacy Editorial Staff / Thu Dec 19, 2019

The newly installed artwork can be found on the ninth floor of the UCSF Medical Sciences Building.

A scientific way of thinking, with the patient top of mind. The philosophy that underlies the UCSF doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree program curriculum made a visual appearance in December with the installation of wall art on the ninth floor of the UCSF Medical Sciences Building—the hub of PharmD student activity—and the debut of a video that captures the installation and PharmD student reactions to the wording embedded in the art.

Both the art and the video emphasize that, in the UCSF PharmD degree program, students learn to “think scientifically” and “question the status quo” in an environment where “patients are the center of it all.”

This philosophy is unique among pharmacy schools nationwide, explains B. Joseph Guglielmo, PharmD, dean of the UCSF School of Pharmacy, in the video.

“We encourage (students) to ask questions. We want (students) to be curious…to know why,” adds the School’s Vice Dean, Sharon L. Youmans, PharmD, MPH. “If you have ambitions or dreams of being a pharmacist. If you want to be in an environment…doing things that no one else in the world is doing, this is the place to be.”