One of UCSD’s newest schools is beginning to shape the pharmacists of the future and these students may, in turn, shape the industry itself.

Who are these pharmacists of the future? They are counselors educated in post-genomic science, who can tailor drug therapies specifically to an individual’s genetic makeup and they are receiving their training today in the new UCSD School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Anthony Manoguerra, Pharm.D, the school’s associate dean for student affairs, says the emphasis when he graduated from pharmacy school 33 years ago was on chemical preparation and dispersal of medications. Pharmacists learned how patients handled drugs by watching what happened to the millions of people who took them.

“Now, pharmacy has become more patient-oriented,” he says. “At the same time, our post-genomic era has provided us with the scientific tools to develop new individualized medical therapies. We’ll soon be able to determine when a specific patient can’t tolerate a drug, due to his genetic predisposition.”

Third-year student Joe Ennesser, 29, was a pharmacy technician for three years before he entered the school as a member of the charter class in 2002. “UCSD has shown us so many career possibilities in community pharmacies, hospitals, pharmaceutical management and academic or biotech company research,” he says, adding that he wants to work with patients in a hospital setting.

Classmate Rachel Ferri, 27, was previously an organic chemist for a San Diego biotech firm, where she synthesized drugs. Now she plans to work on drug design. “I liked the pharmaceutical industry, but I want to be involved at the later stages of drug development,” she says. “I believe my degree will help me facilitate clinical trials of promising new drugs.”

Third-year student Jason Lam, 25, worked in a pharmacy for a few years after graduating, and during that time heard patient concerns and saw first-hand how the business worked. That experience has stimulated an interest in pharmaceutical management although he is still keeping
his options open. “And that’s one of the really nice aspects of this school,” he says. “I may go into a hospital pharmacy where I can interact with patients, or I may consider management.”

The school currently offers a four-year doctorate in pharmacy (Pharm.D). During their third year, the students select an “area of emphasis”—either clinical pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical technology and management, or pharmaceutical sciences. At full capacity, the projected enrollment will be 240 Pharm.D. students, 60 Ph.D. students and 30 pharmacy residents.

The 16 women and 9 men who are the members of the charter class entered the school in the fall of 2002 with bachelor’s degrees in a variety of disciplines and an average undergraduate GPA of 3.67. They will graduate in 2006 with Pharm.D. degrees, prepared for a new post-genomic world of tailored drug therapies.