June 2009

Deans call for changes in PharmD accreditation

UCSF School of Pharmacy Dean Mary Anne Koda-Kimble, PharmD (image left), and Marilyn Speedie, PhD (image right), dean of the College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, are advocating for immediate changes in how doctor of pharmacy programs are accredited in the United States. If these changes are not made, they call for the formation of a new accrediting body. Their editorial appeared in Pharmacotherapy, Volume 29, Issue 5, 2009.

Protein found that regulates glucose in humans, not in mice

A team of scientists, who were led by UCSF School of Pharmacy faculty member Frances Brodsky, DPhil, have found in humans a protein responsible for glucose metabolism that is not present in mice. Since mice are often used as models when studying diabetes and other diseases, the often unknown differences between mice and humans can create obstacles to direct translation of research.