Research in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy focuses on the precise, personalized relationship between patients and their medications. It also examines broader relationships between patients and the health care and public policy environments that influence factors such as medication cost and access, health disparities, and pharmacy practice models.
Department researchers seek to determine the safest, most effective use of medications for a given patient or population and disease state.
Department researchers determine, develop, and implement the most effective means of teaching how to deliver pharmacy care.
Department researchers study broad medication-related factors that ultimately affect the health of patients and populations.
1st
The UCSF School of Pharmacy is the oldest pharmacy school in the West, advancing education, patient care and research for more than a century.
No. 1
In 2025, and for the 46th consecutive year, the UCSF School of Pharmacy received more research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) than any other pharmacy school.
235,000
Operated by the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, the California Poison Control System is a critical safety net that responds to numerous calls about potential poison exposures every day.
Department of Clinical Pharmacy pharmacist faculty members care for the medication needs of patients in many health care settings. In addition, they innovate and evaluate new models of pharmacy care. And because the department’s practicing pharmacists are academicians, their patient care and research responsibilities go hand in hand.
These clinicians draw on their patient care expertise to develop better ways of delivering care, while rigorously and routinely evaluating the effectiveness of new approaches. The ultimate goal is to promote improved, evidence-based ways of caring for the medication needs of patients.
Department faculty pharmacists practice in acute care hospitals and ambulatory care settings with UCSF Health as well as in hospitals, clinics, community pharmacies, and physician group practices throughout California.
The department’s faculty pharmacists also practice in unique settings, often with the goal of studying new models of efficient, effective patient care.
Education
Postdoctoral scholars, specialists, and researchers (PSRs) from across the UCSF School of Pharmacy gathered at the Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision on the Mission Bay campus on June 24, 2026, for the third annual PSR Symposium, an inspiring day of scientific exchange, career development, and community building hosted by the Center for Collaborative Innovation (CCI).
A study authored by Jonathan Watanabe, PharmD, MS, PhD, chair of the UCSF Department of Clinical Pharmacy, shows that aligning approval across countries could make it easier for biosimilars to reach the market — and hopefully lower costs for all patients, just like generics.
New research led by Kathryn Phillips, PhD, professor of health economics and health services research in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, is drawing attention to a critical but often overlooked gap in modern health care: without the right diagnostic tests, even the most advanced therapies can’t reach their full potential.