News

Using AI to Make Precision Medicine More Accessible

Emily A. Hammad Mrig, PhD, is using natural language processing (NLP) to identify patients and solutions that make molecular diagnostics more affordable and equitable.

The fall Town Hall of 2024 for the UCSF School of Pharmacy covered updates on the Strategic Plan, efforts to boost engagement, the introduction of new initiatives like the PharmTech to PharmD Pathway, and the 3+3 BS to PharmD program with UC Merced. Significant announcements included the arrival of Jonathan Watanabe as the new chair of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, the launch of a new Staff Council, and a demo of Versa, UCSF’s protected generative AI platform.

Jaysón Davidson, a fifth-year PhD candidate in the Graduate Division’s Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics program, said being surrounded by high-level thought leaders has enabled him to become a visionary himself.

The recognition of Krogan, Shoichet, Manglik, and Giacomini underscores the school’s commitment to fostering groundbreaking research that addresses critical issues in health care and pharmaceutical sciences.

The Dean's Apple Teaching Awards for summer/fall 2024 were given to faculty and student instructors who received outstanding scores on student evaluations.

Jonathan Watanabe, PharmD, MS, PhD, has been named chair of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and will join the School of Pharmacy beginning Jan. 2, 2025.

Marcos Contreras, PharmD ’05, MBA, transitioned from medicinal chemistry to pharmacy after an interview at UCSF School of Pharmacy. Leveraging his sterile compounding skills, he moved into nuclear pharmacy and earned an MBA, leading to his role as director of pharmacy at UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

Oni-Orisan has been instrumental in developing clinical applications that bring pharmacogenomics (PGx) directly to patient care, with a focus on equity. Tamraz leads the UCSF PGx program, advocates for accessible precision medicine in California and conducts research focused on translating PGx science into patient care.

PhD students Maddie Blaauw and Jacqueline Williams have been awarded the 2025 Genentech-UCSF School of Pharmacy Diversity Fellowship. This one-year fellowship provides industry experience, new research skills, and the chance to apply for a Genentech summer research internship.

Nearly 40 percent of students at the UCSF School of Pharmacy are first in their families to graduate from college. In honor of National First-Gen Day on Nov. 8, read about our trailblazers and what their determination to succeed brings to our school’s diverse community.

The first program of its kind in the United States, the MS in AICD3 is enabling its graduates to gain a competitive edge for some of the most desirable jobs in the biopharmaceutical industry and in academia.

The Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (BTS) chair is leading a multidisciplinary team that will receive federal funding to prevent side effects before drugs go to clinical trials.

Jacqueline Parizher, PharmD ’22, a psychiatric clinical pharmacist at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, is at the forefront of psychiatric and substance use disorder care, serving the city’s most vulnerable populations.

Playing to his interpersonal and technical strengths, Christopher Nowak, PharmD, PMP, Class of ‘22, says UCSF’s pharmacy curriculum has helped him thrive at AstraZeneca Rare Disease.

The retail pharmacies at Mission Bay and Parnassus will complement comprehensive and accessible health services and create opportunities for UCSF pharmacy students to complete part of their training with interprofessional teams that equipped to provide patient-centered care.

Isela Lopez, from Chula Vista, San Diego, studied physiology and metabolism at UC Berkeley before choosing UCSF to pursue her interest in pathways and drug action.

Over a career that spanned five decades, Robert L. Day, PharmD, ’59, significantly advanced pharmacy education, changed the lives of countless students and became the school’s resident historian.