Education

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.

Professional Degree Programs

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

  • PharmD 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 an 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 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

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

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. Contact: Robin Corelli, PharmD