Chapman University School of Pharmacy - CUSP

Giving back to the community looks different for different people. Pharmacists work directly with patients, serving community members every day. For Mariana Velarde-Alvarez, who joined Chapman through the APEx program and is working towards her Pharm.D. degree, the path to pharmacy has always been about people.

She says, “Through my education, I have come to see pharmacy not only as a career, but also as a way to advocate for patients, improve access to care, and make a meaningful impact in the communities I serve.”

See how Mariana is turning her passion for people into real-world impact here: https://bit.ly/43Oq0oe

"My experience at Chapman was such a meaningful growth period for me."

For Sara Kurd-Misto, PharmD., those words carry real weight. A CUSP alumna who never imagined herself pursuing residency or working in a hospital, Sara credits her time at Chapman, and the mentors she found here, with opening doors she didn't know existed.

Today she's a Clinical Pharmacist at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, a published researcher, and wrapping up her term as president of CUSP's Alumni Advisory Board, where she helps current students navigate the unexpected turns that often define a pharmacy career.

Read her full reflection here: https://bit.ly/4e8QxTj

The future of healthcare was on full display last week at the Chapman University School of Pharmacy. Our annual Research Day brought together a diverse group of master’s and PhD students in the Pharmaceutical Sciences programs, PharmD students, research fellows, faculty, and distinguished guests to present original findings in pharmacology and public health.

A special thank you goes out to our keynote speaker, Dr. Robert Thorne, for sharing his expertise on the mindset adjustments needed for the biotech industry. We also appreciated Dr. Adair Blyer for visiting from Cedars-Sinai to discuss the vital role of pharmacists in cardiovascular care.

Read the full highlights from CUSP’s Annual Research Day here: https://bit.ly/4nDRUMQ

A new $535,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute is advancing a more targeted approach to treating one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. Kamaljit Kaur, Ph.D., has received an R15 award from the National Institutes of Health to lead this effort.

Kaur is leading research focused on improving outcomes for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), one of the most difficult-to-treat forms of the disease, which disproportionately affects younger women and underserved populations.

“By targeting EGFR receptors in TNBC using our drug conjugates, we can deliver several-fold higher levels of drug to cancer cells compared to giving the drug alone." Read more here: https://blogs.chapman.edu/pharmacy/2026/04/27/kaur-receives-535000-nih-grant-for-breakthrough-breast-cancer-treatment/

Chapman University School of Pharmacy has climbed to 74th in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, marking a six-spot improvement from the previous cycle and a remarkable rise from 99th in 2023.

These results are the result of sustained commitment to excellence. Our 2025 Pharm.D. graduates achieved a 93.7% first-time NAPLEX pass rate, placing us in the top 25 pharmacy programs in the nation, outperforming both California (86.7%) and national (86.8%) averages. We also recorded an 82.2% PGY-1 ASHP-accredited residency match rate in Phase 1, the highest in California.

Read the full story here: https://blogs.chapman.edu/pharmacy/2026/04/08/chapman-university-school-of-pharmacy-climbs-national-rankings-as-student-success-soars/

Pharm.D. student Ranae Whitaker stepped onto Capitol Hill at RxImpact to shape the future of pharmacy 💊

“Being a pharmacist and connecting it to policy gives you the best of both worlds by working on an individual and collective level to help people. Access to care is definitely the issue I’m most passionate about.”

Ranae’s passion for access to care is rooted in her own experience working in community and specialty pharmacy settings. She witnessed firsthand how pharmacy closures and insurance barriers can disrupt patients’ lives, especially when large patient populations are suddenly absorbed by already overburdened pharmacies.

Read more here: https://blogs.chapman.edu/pharmacy/2026/03/23/students-engage-in-national-pharmacy-policy-at-rximpact/

Matching at 82.2%, CUSP had the highest rate in California for PGY-1 ASHP-accredited residencies in Phase 1!

"First and foremost, I am extremely proud of our students. Their talent and dedication inspire us daily. I firmly believe that CUSP's culture for continuous improvement, along with an unwavering commitment to each student’s success by all of our faculty and staff, is behind these outcomes," says Dean Rennolds Ostrom.

Congratulations to our graduating Pharm.D. class! We can't wait to see your continued success and growth.

What an incredible way to end February, discussing all things patient safety for the 6th annual Pacific Coast Patient Safety Conference!

Co-hosted with the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the 2026 conference took a wider lens on healthcare and how each staff member, regardless of title or role, contributes to a culture of safety.

Some notable sessions included the keynote by California Surgeon General Diana Ramos, MD, who discussed health equity as a community initiative, the opening session by Christopher Jerry, President and CEO of the Emily Jerry Foundation, who reflected on the human stories behind the data and his advocacy since losing his daughter to a medication error, and Anne Sodergren's important regulatory updates from the California Board of Pharmacy.

This conference would not have been made possible without our dedicated planning committee and sponsors, particularly Fresenius Kabi. Read the full breakdown of PCPSC 2026 here: https://blogs.chapman.edu/pharmacy/2026/03/02/pacific-coast-patient-safety-conference-convenes-in-monterey-pushing-a-new-era-of-safety-leadership/