Jonathan Watanabe Named Chair of Clinical Pharmacy

Nationally recognized geriatrics pharmacist, phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal policy leader and outcomes researcher, Jonathan Watanabe, PharmD, PhD, has been named chair of the Depart­ment of Clinical Pharmacy. His appointment begins Jan. 2, 2025.

Since 2020, Watanabe has served as associate dean of assessment and quality at UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal Sciences, where he led multiple prior successful report submissions and site visits for accreditation. He also served as director of the Center for Data-Driven Drugs Research and Policy.

Watanabe said he was drawn to UCSF by its tradition of innovation in clinical pharmacy and its steadfast commitment to advancing practice.

“There is vast opportunity to transform pharmacy practice and catalyze patient care and public health further with the incredible talent within the depar­tment and the school,” Watanabe said. “I’m looking forward to being a part of that. I want to bolster what the faculty are accomplishing by utilizing that expertise, combining it with the large data research I’ve been involved with, and looking at new paradigms for advancing pharmacy practice.”

Watanabe will succeed Jennifer Cocohoba, PharmD, MAS, who has served as interim chair since January 2024.

As chair, Watanabe will oversee a depart­ment that delivers education to PharmD and other graduate students. The depart­ment also administers multiple large research programs as well as the California Poison Control System.

“Jonathan has the leadership skills, research expertise, and experience in advancing patient care and health policy that make him a strong fit as the chair of the Depart­ment of Clinical Pharmacy,” said Dean Kathy Giacomini, PhD, BSPharm. “We are excited to welcome him to UCSF and to work collaboratively with him to build on the depart­ment’s pioneering history.”

With a PharmD degree from the University of Southern California and a PhD from the University of Washington, Watanabe has dedicated his career to applying real-world pharmacy and health data to develop policy solutions that improve patient care and health equity, especially for marginalized communities.

He has given briefings on the implications of discarded medications to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and to the House Finance Committee, Ways and Means Committee, and Energy and Commerce Committee as part of legislative efforts to improve patient-centered care and medication management.

In addition, he has helped develop national quality metrics for long-term care and transitions of care.

“So many of these health challenges that we confront such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer, are tragic, but there can be joy in the pursuit of trying to reduce human suffering,” Watanabe said. “It is exciting to watch inspiration occur between people working to solve these issues.”

Watanabe has served on task forces, boards and committees at the state and national levels. He is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation and served as co-chair of the NASEM Preparing the Future Workforce in Drug Research and Development workshop. He is a member of the board of directors of the California Geriatric Society. His past service includes the California Health Benefits Review Program Task Force, the Advisory Group on Pain Assessment and Management in Long-Term Care Settings for the Joint Commission, and the American Academy of Neurology Neurotherapies Workgroup on Pharmacoeconomics. As a National Academy of Medicine fellow, he contributed to the Making Medicines Affordable: A National Imperative report and he chairs the Innovations in Pharmacy Training and Practice to Advance Patient Care Workshop Committee of the National Academies.

He has won numerous awards and honors. Among them, he was the first pharmacist to be selected for the National Academy of Medicine Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Program, and he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Washington School of Pharmacy.