UCSF School of Pharmacy

01/23/2025

We’re thrilled to announce that four of our faculty members will be part of the 24th Precision Medicine World Conference - PMWC LLC from February 5-7, 2025, at the Santa Clara Convention Center, CA — the premier forum for leaders transforming the future of health care, co-hosted by Stanford University and UCSF!

Among our experts will be: Nadav AhituvAhituv, PhD (Beyond the Genome: Harnessing Epigenetics in Rare Disease Treatment); Michelle Arkin, PhD (Emerging Technologies); Dean Kathy Giacomini, PhD, BSPharm (New Frontiers in Precision Medicine); and Tanja Kortemme, PhD (AI-Driven Protein Design).

— a fantastic opportunity to share breakthroughs and build collaborations that will shape the future of precision medicine — will feature over 400 speakers, 12 tracks, and honorees like Nobel Laureates Carolyn Bertozzi, Drew Weissman and Carol Greider, NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang and FDA Commissioner Robert Califf.

Learn more about how UCSF is pioneering a knowledge computing platform to enable new therapies, better outcomes, greater value and more equitable access to precision medicine through cutting-edge biomedical research, diverse data sets and game-changing partnerships.

01/22/2025

Leaders from the academic, industry and regulatory sectors engaged in thoughtful dialogue and addressed critical issues in regulatory science, health care and the development of medical products at the sixth annual UCSF-Stanford University CERSI (Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation) Summit on Jan. 12, 2025. The event featured moderated panels and lively debates on complex issues, with a particular focus this year on generative AI and women’s health. https://tiny.ucsf.edu/mZrleG

01/15/2025

What health care opportunities, trends and challenges await the pharmacy profession in the next five years?

Department of Clinical Pharmacy Chair Jonathan H. Watanabe, PharmD, PhD, shares insights from The Pharmacy Forecast, published annually in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy (AJHP). https://tiny.ucsf.edu/y54AIa

01/10/2025

Elaine Law began participating in professional pharmacy organizations shortly after earning her PharmD degree from UCSF in 2008. When she noticed that she was one of the few in her age group, she set out to change that trend.

While completing her residency in 2009, Law joined the CSHP - California Society of Health-System Pharmacists (CSHP) Golden Gate Chapter and helped form a new committee focused on cultivating participation and leadership among young pharmacists.

Today, Law is celebrating this year’s by becoming president of the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Her dedication to the next generation of pharmacists will be a theme of her three-year term as CSHP president, just as it has been a driving force in her work as an experiential educator, finding unique clinical opportunities for learners in her cohorts.

“I work with students very closely, and that’s why I felt compelled to be so involved. It’s particularly important for me and my colleagues to be part of these organizations, to be an example to students,” said Law, associate clinical professor of pharmacy practice and regional coordinator for San Jose at the University of the Pacific. “It empowers them and shows them what is possible.” https://tiny.ucsf.edu/iDMma7

01/08/2025

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute - HHMI has announced the newest Hanna Gray Fellows. Our own José A. Velilla, PhD, was named among 25 outstanding early career scientists who have demonstrated a commitment to making foundational discoveries while building an inclusive culture in academic science.

The Institute will invest up to $1.5 million in support for each fellow over the course of up to eight years, spanning postdoctoral training through transition to starting their independent lab as a faculty member. Velilla, who is mentored by Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Associate Professor Aashish Manglik, MD, PhD, and Psychiatry Professor Mark Von Zastrow, MD, PhD, in the UCSF School of Medicine, is leveraging advances in the fields of electron microscopy and mass spectrometry to bridge the atomic and cellular scales in understanding G protein-coupled receptor signaling from unconventional cell locations.

12/30/2024

Bringing with it new discoveries, new opportunities and even a new graduate degree program with AI at the forefront, 2024 was a year of innovation and continued excellence at the UCSF School of Pharmacy.

Here are just a few of the many highlights that advanced our mission of leadership in research, education, clinical care, and entrepreneurship––expanding knowledge and improving the health of people everywhere.

December 30, 2024 · Here are some of the standout moments from 2024 that drove our commitment to leadership in research, education, patient care, and innovation, all aimed at expanding knowledge and enhancing health worldwide.

12/20/2024

In the world of precision medicine, molecular diagnostics (MDx) have the power to transform patient care by using genetic information to guide individualized approaches to care and improve clinical outcomes.

Yet access to these advanced tests often lags their development, primarily due to cost and uneven insurance coverage. Department of Clinical Pharmacy Assistant Professor Emily A. Hammad Mrig, PhD, is tackling this issue by using AI tools to identify patients and solutions that make MDx more affordable and equitable. Read more: https://tiny.ucsf.edu/3rGduU

12/10/2024

Congrats to PharmD students Keo Chui and Immanuel Tjahjadi, both Class of 2025, who took third place in the AmAmerican Society of Health-System PharmacistsASHP) 29th Clinical Skills Competition.

The event, which drew teams from 133 schools and colleges of pharmacy, was held at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, Dec 8-12 in New Orleans, LA.

The national interactive competition challenged student pharmacists to analyze complex patient case scenarios and make treatment recommendations for them. Chui and Tjahjadi were advised by Mike Trillanes, PharmD, faculty advisor of UCSF’s chapter of the CSCSHP - California Society of Health-System PharmacistsCSHP), who helped prepare them for the team-based analysis of clinical scenarios faced by hospital and health-system pharmacists.

12/05/2024

Recognizing UCSF’s research excellence, several faculty members from the School have been included in the Clarivate 2024 list of Highly Cited Researchers, recognizing the significant impact of their scholarly contributions.

Researchers were chosen by their authorship of multiple Highly Cited Papers—those that ranked in the top 1 percent of citations within their fields and publication year in the Web of Science over the past decade. The list includes:

Nevan Krogan, PhD, director of the School’s Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), renowned for his work in systems pharmacology.

Brian Shoichet, PhD, co-vice dean of graduate pharmacy education programs, for the field of pharmaceutical chemistry and a leader in computational drug discovery.

Aashish Manglik, MD, PhD, a faculty member in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and an expert in molecular pharmacology.

Kathy Giacomini, PhD, BSPharm, a leader in pharmacogenomics, drug development, and regulatory sciences and the School’s dean.

Of all the world’s scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers are 1 in 1,000. This recognition reflects the school’s commitment to fostering groundbreaking research that addresses critical issues in health care and pharmaceutical sciences.

11/26/2024

Nadav Ahituv, PhD, a faculty member in the Dept. of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (BTS), a joint department of the UCSF School of Pharmacy and the UCSF School of Medicine, received the 2024 ASHG - American Society of Human Genetics Achievement Award earlier this month, for outstanding achievements and contributions to human genetics. The Ahituv Lab investigates gene regulatory elements and their relationship to human diversity and disease, and utilizes gene regulatory elements for gene therapy.

“These are revolutionary times, not only for genetic sequencing, where you could detect and diagnose a disease, but also for gene therapy, where you can fix the genetic cause of the disease,” Ahituv said. https://tiny.ucsf.edu/Wh7ao5

📸 Pictured: Ahituv with Andrew McCallion, PhD, Chair of the ASHG Awards Committee.

11/23/2024

Marcos Contreras, PharmD ’05, MBA, began his career as a research associate in medicinal chemistry but has since carved a unique path in pharmacy, blending expertise in sterile compounding, nuclear pharmacy and now veterinary medicine. His pivot to pharmacy came after three years as a bench scientist.

“Most people in my role pursued a PhD, but pharmacy had always intrigued me,” Contreras said.

Contreras’ journey after graduation began in community pharmacy at Oakland’s La Clínica de La Raza, serving Spanish-speaking, underserved patients. Then he transitioned to nuclear pharmacy, where his sterile compounding expertise proved invaluable.

Throughout, his ties to UCSF remained strong, and he later accepted a position at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH). In veterinary pharmacy, Contreras grapples with unique challenges, such as adapting USP 800, a set of standards created by the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) for safely handling hazardous drugs in health care settings.

“It’s easier to control human patients than animals,” he said. “But we aim to set an example as an academic institution.”
https://tiny.ucsf.edu/faktED

11/22/2024

Please join us in welcoming Jonathan Watanabe as the new chair of our Department of Clinical Pharmacy. A nationally recognized geriatrics pharmacist, phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal policy leader and outcomes researcher, he begins his appointment on Jan. 2.

November 22, 2024 · Jonathan Watanabe, PharmD, PhD, has been named chair of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and will join the School of Pharmacy beginning Jan. 2, 2025.

11/20/2024

Congrats to our School of Pharmacy recipients of the Academic Senate Clinical Excellence Awards, which honor individuals who have demonstrated excellence in clinical care across all UCSF schools and practice care sites.

Scott Fields, PharmD, a pharmacist at UCSF Health Medical Center, and Samantha Valle-Oseguera, PharmD, who serves as an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist at Kaweah Health, received awards for senior faculty winners. Rebecca Leon, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist for the UCSF Office of Population Health Clinical Programs, received the award for junior faculty.

11/18/2024

Be sure to watch the 2024 State of the University Address with Chancellor Sam Hawgood on Thurs, Nov. 21, at noon. Our own Jaysón Davidson, a PhD candidate in the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics program, will be joining Hawgood in sharing his vision for the future of health, science and education.

Davidson’s experiences include basic science, translational science and clinical computational science, and he has been recognized as a DEI Chancellor Awardee and UCSF-Stanford FDA CERSI Diversity scholar.

This year marks a decade of growth and innovation under Hawgood’s leadership at UCSF, and his will look to the future through the eyes of a new generation of leaders in health sciences discovery and care. Mark your calendar to explore the exciting opportunities ahead! https://www.facebook.com/events/1549587732356746/

11/16/2024

Akinyemi Oni-Orisan, PharmD, PhD, and Bani Tamraz, PharmD, PhD, have been recognized with the inaugural STRIPE Double Helix Award by the American Society of Pharmacovigilance, which honors exceptional contributions to pharmacogenomics.

Oni-Orisan, whose lab conducts computational research investigating therapies for cardiovascular disease using observational data from electronic health records, has been instrumental in developing clinical applications that bring pharmacogenomics (PGx) directly to patient care. His research, which integrates pharmacology, genetics and patient-focused studies, is focused on understanding how genetic differences affect individual responses to medications.

Tamraz played a key role in the May 9, 2023, launch of the clinical PGx program at UCSF Health as its clinical lead and serves as the inaugural director of the PGx program at the UCSF School of Pharmacy. A dedicated advocate for PGx, Tamraz provided expert testimony to the California Assembly Health Committee in support of the Pharmacogenomics Advancing Total Health (PATH) for All Act (Assembly Bill 425). This legislation, which took effect in July 2024, establishes PGx as a covered benefit for Medi-Cal members, expanding access to precision medicine in California's state-funded health program.

November 15, 2024 · 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 ...

11/14/2024

Congrats to PhD students Maddie Blaauw and Jacqueline Williams, who have been selected as the 2025 recipients of the Genentech-UCSF School of Pharmacy Diversity Fellowships.

The one-year fellowship will enable the students to gain professional experience in industry, equipping them with new skills in research and collaboration and preparing them for careers in the private sector. The fellowship includes a priority opportunity to apply for a summer research internship in a Genentech laboratory.

“It’s important that we offer our PhD students the opportunity to gain the skills, experience and confidence to become leaders in the field,” said Ryan Hernandez, PhD, fellowship director and professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences. “And we should make these experiences available to students from diverse backgrounds who can bring their unique perspectives to the table in addressing our most pressing health problems.”

Blaauw is pursuing her doctorate in the Bioengineering Program, and Williams is studying in the Biological and Medical Informatics Program. Each student was nominated for the fellowship by their faculty advisor.

November 13, 2024 · 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.