UCSF School of Pharmacy

UCSF School of Pharmacy A global leader in innovating pharmacy education, biomedical research, and health care.

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This World Pharmacists Day, we're celebrating alumni like Steven Parella, PharmD ’19, whose journey into pharmacy began ...
09/25/2026

This World Pharmacists Day, we're celebrating alumni like Steven Parella, PharmD ’19, whose journey into pharmacy began with an unexpected opportunity — and a simple belief: Trust the process.

After returning to San Francisco while his grandmother was receiving cancer treatment at UCSF Health, Steven discovered the School of Pharmacy’s post-baccalaureate program. Just days after her funeral, he walked into his first class.

Today, as a clinical pain pharmacist with Kaiser Permanente, he helps patients safely manage chronic pain through opioid tapering, hospice care, and medication education. For Steven, pharmacy is about more than medications — it’s about empowering patients, and improving lives one conversation at a time.

“Every personal, educational, and professional experience is preparing you for where you are meant to be,” Parella said. “Take it one step at a time, stay committed to your goals, and trust that you will get there.”

Read Steven’s inspiring alumni story and join us in celebrating the evolving role of pharmacists in patient care.

🔗 Read the full story: https://pharmacy.ucsf.edu/news/2026/09/trusting-the-process-steven-parella-finds-his-path-in-pharmacy

are an essential part of our research community — bringing new ideas, expertise, and energy to the work of advancing s...
09/21/2026

are an essential part of our research community — bringing new ideas, expertise, and energy to the work of advancing science and improving health.

During National Postdoc Appreciation Week, we’re celebrating postdoctoral scholars at the UCSF School of Pharmacy. From drug discovery and therapeutics to computational science, biology, and beyond, our postdocs contribute to research that spans disciplines and has the potential to transform health care.

Meet just a few of our dedicated postdocs — Sofia Bali, Sagar Bhattacharya, Andrii Kyrylchuk and Chao Wang. Learn about what drives them in their research, the most rewarding part of their UCSF postdoc experience so far, and their advice to future scholars.

Happy National Postdoc Appreciation Week!

UCSF Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs

AI can synthesize enormous amounts of scientific knowledge in minutes. But can researchers trust what it produces? That’...
09/18/2026

AI can synthesize enormous amounts of scientific knowledge in minutes. But can researchers trust what it produces?

That’s what Liang Zhao, PhD, MAS, MBA, and his team at the UCSF School of Pharmacy are helping to find out. Working with OpenAI colleagues, they’re developing a benchmark to test AI tools, including GPT-Rosalind, on scientific tasks involving clinical data.

“AI can accelerate the work,” Zhao said, “but humans still need to validate its results.”

Read more: https://pharmacy.ucsf.edu/news/2026/09/testing-ais-promise-for-life-sciences

Enzymes are some of nature’s most remarkable tools. Now, faculty at the UCSF School of Pharmacy are helping push enzyme ...
09/17/2026

Enzymes are some of nature’s most remarkable tools. Now, faculty at the UCSF School of Pharmacy are helping push enzyme design into a new era using AI.

The project, led by professors James Fraser, Bill DeGrado, and Tanja Kortemme in collaboration with the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is part of the Department of Energy’s , a national initiative to harness for scientific breakthroughs.

The UCSF project aims to design new enzymes to create useful biotechnology tools for manufacturing, clean energy, waste treatment and more.

Read more: https://pharmacy.ucsf.edu/news/2026/09/researchers-leverage-ai-to-design-new-generation-of-enzymes

UCSF

On Sept. 17, UC advocates will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill for the . The annual event underscores how sustained...
09/16/2026

On Sept. 17, UC advocates will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill for the . The annual event underscores how sustained federal investment in the National Institutes of Health drives medical innovation and the discovery of treatments and cures.

Advocates can join from anywhere through UCAN's Speak Up for Science campaign and urge lawmakers to support strong federal funding for medical research. Take action throughout the week to speak up for science: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/advocate/speak-up-for-science

University of California UCSF

What can you do with a PharmD? At UCSF, the answer is expanding. The UCSF School of Pharmacy has launched three new dual...
09/04/2026

What can you do with a PharmD? At UCSF, the answer is expanding.

The UCSF School of Pharmacy has launched three new dual degree programs, giving students more ways to build on their PharmD education:

🔬 PharmD-MSCR — Combine pharmacy with advanced training in clinical research.

🌎 PharmD-MPH — Pair pharmacy with public health through a collaboration with the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

🧬 PharmD-PhD — Prepare to bridge scientific discovery and patient care as a pharmacist-scientist.

Together, these programs are the latest examples of our commitment to educational innovation and to preparing pharmacists for the many ways they can contribute to health care.

“Our responsibility as educators is to give students the foundation, experiences and opportunities to pursue the many ways pharmacists can contribute to health care,” says Dean Kathy Giacomini, PhD, BSPharm. “These new programs are an important part of that vision.”

Learn more about the three new programs: https://pharmacy.ucsf.edu/news/2026/09/three-new-paths-expand-what-a-pharmd-can-become

pharm.ucsf.edu/pharmd-mscr
pharm.ucsf.edu/pharmd-mph
pharm.ucsf.edu/pharmd-phd

As the regulatory landscape evolves, how do we ensure innovation keeps moving forward while helping new medicines and he...
08/31/2026

As the regulatory landscape evolves, how do we ensure innovation keeps moving forward while helping new medicines and health technologies reach patients safely?The UCSF School of Pharmacy is launching a new Master of Science in Regulatory Science and Digital Innovation (RSDI) to prepare professionals to meet that challenge.

“The regulatory field is changing as quickly as the science and technology it oversees,” said program director Liang Zhao. “We need professionals who can anticipate what’s coming and respond effectively.”

The program builds on the school’s long-standing strength in the field, including the UCSF-Stanford Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (since 2014). The program offers two tracks: an executive path for mid- to senior-level leaders looking to gain expertise in the global regulatory landscape and policy , and a foundational path for early-career professionals entering or pivoting into regulatory science, biotech, or digital health.

Students complete the degree in four to five quarters, combining rigorous coursework with a thesis or capstone. Industry leaders from companies such as Intuitive Surgical, Genentech, and Accumulus Technologies are helping to shape the program.

Applications open Sept. 1 and close Dec. 1. The first cohort begins July 2027.

Learn more: https://pharmacy.ucsf.edu/news/2026/08/new-masters-program-aims-to-shape-future-of-regulatory-science

What if many of the genetic changes linked to ultimately disrupt the same molecular machinery?A new study published to...
08/27/2026

What if many of the genetic changes linked to ultimately disrupt the same molecular machinery?

A new study published today in Science by researchers at QBI in the UCSF School of Pharmacy and the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences offers a new view of what happens inside cells.

The researchers mapped more than 1,800 protein-protein interactions across 100 autism risk genes and found that many distinct mutations converge on shared protein networks. They also analyzed 54 patient-derived mutations to see how those changes alter the networks.

Why does that matter? If different genetic forms of autism disrupt the same molecular pathways, those shared pathways could become targets for therapies that address multiple forms of autism rather than one mutation at a time.

The highly collaborative study provides a framework for connecting genetic mutations to molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets—an approach that could extend beyond autism to other complex genetic diseases.

Read more: https://pharmacy.ucsf.edu/news/2026/08/largest-molecular-map-of-autism-opens-path-to-precision-therapies

Meet the UCSF School of Pharmacy Class of 2029 — from where they come from to the unexpected details that make this grou...
08/21/2026

Meet the UCSF School of Pharmacy Class of 2029 — from where they come from to the unexpected details that make this group unique.

Swipe through to uncover the fun facts about our newest PharmD students.

Did you know? The UCSF School of Pharmacy has a rich history of firsts, breakthroughs, and major impact.From ranking No....
08/17/2026

Did you know? The UCSF School of Pharmacy has a rich history of firsts, breakthroughs, and major impact.

From ranking No. 1 in NIH funding among pharmacy schools for 46 consecutive years, to to launching the nation’s first MS program in AI and Computational Drug Development and Discovery — our community continues to lead.

Swipe through for more facts about our students, alumni, and groundbreaking research!

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