Introduction

While not a fully formed department until 1958, the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy traces its roots to 1939. It was then that graduate degrees in pharmaceutical chemistry debuted at the University of California, Berkeley. The pharmaceutical chemistry graduate program eventually moved to the San Francisco campus helping to seed what is today a thriving basic sciences department that is pushing forward the frontier of not only pharmaceutical chemistry but emerging fields related to the discovery and development of precise therapeutics.

Daniels presents a molecular structure

Then: Troy C. Daniels at the blackboard, 1930

Huang

Now: Bo Huang in the optics lab

Department chairs

Jacobson

2016—

Matt Jacobson, PhD

Wells

2008–2016

James Wells, PhD

James

1995–2008

Thomas James, PhD

Kollman

1993–1995 (acting)

Peter Kollman, PhD

Kuntz

1993–1993 (acting)

Irwin (Tack) Kuntz, PhD

Kenyon

1982–1992

George Kenyon, PhD

Wolff

1970–1982

Manfred Wolff, PhD

Craig

1965–1970

John Craig, PhD

Kumler

1959–1965

Warren (Bud) Kumler, PhD

Eiler

1958–1959

John J. Eiler, PhD

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: 1937–1958

 

Writing credit

Thank you to Thomas James, PhD, for developing this history and to James Wells, PhD, for the update since he became department chair in 2008.

Bo Huang image credit: © majedphoto, Matt Jacobson image credit: Elisabeth Fall