Introduction

The Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (BTS) was formed in 2009 as a joint department of the UC San Francisco Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine. It roots, however, extend back 1965 when the School of Pharmacy created a Department of Pharmacy, and in 1995 renamed it to the Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences. The latter joined with the medical school's Program in Bioengineering to form the current BTS department. 

Childers in biopharmaceutics lab

Then: Robert Childers, Class of 1958, in the biopharmaceutics lab

post-doc laboratory

Now: postdoc Rachel Lowe working on The Kidney Project

Department chairs

Became Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, 2009

Desai

2014—

Tejal Desai, PhD

Giacomini

2013–2014

Kathy Giacomini, PhD

Giacomini and Nelson

2009–2013

Kathy Giacomini, PhD, and Sarah Nelson, PhD (co-chairs)

Became Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, 1996

Giacomini

1998–2009

Kathy Giacomini, PhD

Benet

1996–1998

Leslie Benet, PhD

Department of Pharmacy

Benet
1978–1995 Leslie Benet, PhD
Riegelman
1967–1978 Sidney Riegelman, PhD
Goyan
1965–1967 Jere Goyan, PhD

group of 34 persons

All non-clinical faculty, 1962

Chairships

1965–1967: The Goyan chairship

  • A discussion of notable faculty members

1967–1978: The Riegelman chairship

  • Ninth Floor Project: Beginnings of the Clinical Pharmacy program
  • Major departmental scientific contributions

1978–1998: The Benet chairship

  • Recruitment
  • Division of Toxicology
  • Clinical Pharmacology
  • NIH funding
  • NONMEM
  • Leading department publishing
  • Drug Studies Unit
  • Pharmacokinetics for Pharmaceutical Scientists
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Founding AAPS
  • Name change: Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences
  • Major departmental scientific contributions

​1998–2009: The Giacomini chairship

  • Pharmacogenomics research grant
  • Move to Mission Bay
  • Computational and systems biology
  • Biological and Medical Informatics (BMI)
  • Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics (PSPG)
  • CDDS
  • ACDRS and CCDRS
  • Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (BTS)
  • Major departmental scientific contributions

2009–2014: The Giacomini-Nelson co-chairship

  • Center for Quantitative Pharmacology
  • Biomedical Micro and Nanotechnology Core
  • CERSI
  • Rosenman Institute
  • Major departmental scientific contributions

August 2014—: The Desai chairship

 

Founding of the School’s three departments

1868

University of California is founded

1872

California College of Pharmacy is founded

1873

College of Pharmacy affiliates with the University of California (Toland Medical College affiliates, 1873; College of Dentistry, 1881; UC Training School for Nurses, 1907)

1934

Affiliated College of Pharmacy becomes the College of Pharmacy of the University of California

1955

College of Pharmacy becomes the School of Pharmacy

1958

Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry forms

1964

San Francisco campus of the University of California gains independence under the name “University of California, San Francisco Medical Center” and becomes the ninth campus in the UC system

1965

Department of Pharmacy forms

  • 1996: Department of Pharmacy changes its name to the Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences

  • 2009: Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences reforms as a joint department under the Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine and renames as the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences

1970

Name changes to University of California, San Francisco

1973

Division of Clinical Pharmacy forms

Next: 1965–1967: The Goyan chairship

Writing credit

Thank you to Leslie Benet, PhD, for developing this history and to the many members of the department, past and present, who made significant contributions to this history. The department thanks Robert Levin, PharmD, and Robert Day, PharmD, who provided many of our historical images.