FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about the American Course on Drug Development and Regulatory Sciences (ACDRS)

ACDRS Course

	Course Description
when	For ACDRS 2025 Course: January 2025 to October 2025
where	For ACDRS 2025 Course: University of California, Washington Center in Washington, DC
day and time	There are six sessions. Hybrid course with the option to attend in-person (in DC) or virtually (via Zoom) for three days of eight hours each day.
who should attend	The course is for those who have a good grounding in medical product development basics and can benefit from a more in-depth, comprehensive and systematic immersion into modern medical product development, regulation, and market introduction: the biopharmaceutical industry (including medical device manufacturers) and their service industries industry, government, and academic scientists decision- and policy-makers The Course specifically targets the following professionals: Drug discovery and non-clinical development team leaders Drug discovery and translational scientists from industry, government, and academia Drug and medical device product/clinical development team leader and members Clinical pharmacology and development team leaders, pharmacists, and clinical scientists Therapeutic area and technology platform managers Regulatory scientists from industry, government, and academia Portfolio, program, and project managers Knowledge transfer, partnering, licensing, and legal experts Heads of research and/or product development and business executives Investors from venture funds and financial institutions
eligibility criteria /requirements	You must: have a higher university degree, such as MD, PharmD, PhD, Master's, or JD (Applicants without terminal degrees but with extensive product development will be considered) have a primary interest in medical product discovery, development, regulation, or related activity have at least one year of work experience in medical product development be qualified via standards and nominations by submitting a one-page curriculum vitae to [email protected] prior to or immediately following registration
topics	Content is comprehensive and interconnected. See topics and learning outcomes on the Course page
learning methods	lectures, team-involved case studies, discussions (including panels), online learning, intersession activities, and final examination
fee	$15,000.00 before or on the early registration deadline can be made in one or two installments discounted fee for a limited number of participants from academia and government is available; contact [email protected] for details
cancellations/refunds	UCSF reserves the right to cancel, alter or reschedule the course for any reason, including determination at its sole discretion that the course cannot be held as planned. UCSF also reserves the right to close registration when maximum capacity is reached. Thus, registrants are advised against making non-refundable travel arrangements. Should any party make non-refundable hotel reservation(s) and/or purchase non-refundable airline, train, and/or other transit bookings, that party does so at its own risk. UCSF is not responsible for any travel or other costs incurred due to a cancellation, except for the registration-fee cost and such strictly only as provided below: Should UCSF cancel or reschedule the course for any reason, or should UCSF determine for any reason that your enrollment would exceed maximum capacity, your full registration fee will be refunded or, at your option, be converted to a credit towards the rescheduled course or towards this course in a later year. In respect of all other cancellations: For those received in writing on or before December 20, 2024, the fee (less, as administrative expenses, $500 per canceled enrollee) will be returned; but there shall be no refund on cancellations made after December 20, 2024.
contact	[email protected]

ACDRS Workshop

	Workshop Description
day and time	one day
who should attend	open to all interested parties, including ACDRS alumni and faculty
topics	one topic
learning methods	lectures, panel discussions, and Q&A
fee	registration fee amount provided when workshop announced
contact	[email protected]

ACDRS Webinar

	Webinar Description
day and time	one-hour
who should attend	open to all interested parties, including ACDRS alumni and faculty
topics	one topic
learning methods	lecture and Q&A
fee	no cost
contact	[email protected]

“I was very fortunate to participate in the ACDRS course early in my career in drug development The course provided real-world examples taught by thought-leaders in the field from academia, regulatory agencies, and industry. Having classmates who also represented these co-operative facets of drug development enriched the experience by providing alternate viewpoints and opportunities for professional interactions.”
—Kofi Mensah, Director, Early Development, Bristol Myers Squibb