Education

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Elisabeth Fall

Overview

Department of Clinical Pharmacy faculty members prepare Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students to become leaders of the profession; train pharmacy residents as therapeutics specialists; teach dental, medical, nursing, and physical therapy students, patients and health professionals about safe, effective medication use; share their expertise beyond UC San Francisco; and continually educate themselves about new developments in their fields.

Professional degree programs

The department is responsible for aspects of the following degree programs:

PharmD professional degree program

Faculty members in the three School of Pharmacy departments develop and deliver the School’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program, which is administered by the Dean’s Office. Faculty members outside the School also teach in the PharmD program. There is also option to pursue a PharmD-PhD dual degree.

Department of Clinical Pharmacy faculty members are deeply involved with all aspects of the PharmD curriculum, from course development to the use of new methodologies and technologies. The department’s volunteer faculty members are essential to the success of the program, particularly the experiential coursework that students begin in the third year of the curriculum. In addition, the department is committed to furthering research that explores the effectiveness of new educational models.

Other professional degree programs

Department faculty members teach in professional degree programs in the Schools of Dentistry, Nursing, and Medicine, including the medical school’s physical therapy degree program.

Postdoctoral programs

Pharmacy residency program

  • Director: Mandy Brown, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP

The Pharmacy Residency Program offers first-year general practice and second-year specialty residencies, administered by the UCSF Health Pharmacy Enterprise in partnership with Department of Clinical Pharmacy faculty.

Fellowship programs

Fellowships provide early-career PharmD, PhD, and MD graduates with specialized training ranging from the lab to the clinic, company, and government agencies. Explore fellowship opportunities supported by UCSF and the UCSF School of Pharmacy.

Department of Clinical Pharmacy fellowship programs

Postdoctoral research

Postdoctoral research fellowships support scholars whose work is critical to the research mission of UCSF. Department faculty members welcome inquiries from postdoctoral research fellows who have already received fellowship funding for postdoctoral study by an external agency.

At UCSF, faculty members usually prefer to receive the names of prospective postdoctoral scholars directly from research colleagues. See: Office for Postdoctoral Scholars and Finding a Postdoctoral Advisor. Some but not all postdoc positions are listed at OCPD Opportunities and Jobs Board.

Career-development courses

The department shares its expertise nationally and internationally through the following courses, offered to professionals in industry, regulatory agencies, academia, and health care.

Rx for Change: Clinician-assisted tobacco cessation

  • Contact: Robin Corelli, PharmD

A comprehensive tobacco cessation training program, Rx for Change equips health professional students and practicing clinicians, of all disciplines, with evidence-based knowledge and skills for assisting patients with quitting.

Interdisciplinary approach

Department faculty pharmacists and hospital pharmacists, nurses, and physicians began to work together in the 1960s at UCSF Health to ensure optimal medication therapy for hospital patients. This team approach to pharmacy care was incorporated into the School’s PharmD curriculum.

Today, the education of all health professional students is becoming increasingly and intensely interdisciplinary as issues of health care cost, quality, access, and disparities in the United States call for dramatic changes in how care is delivered. To promote expanded interdisciplinary practice, Department of Clinical Pharmacy faculty members work with education leaders across campus to integrate curricula, and they teach in professional degree programs outside the School of Pharmacy.