The Department of Pharmacology is a leading center for research and training in the discipline of pharmacology, and is renowned for its strength in defining basic cellular and molecular mechanisms of signal transduction, elucidating molecular structure and function, and using computational science to translate basic knowledge into drug discovery relevant to treatment of cancer, cardiovascular and neurological diseases.

Announcements



U.S. News & World Report 
ranked UC San Diego's
Department of Pharmacology
Second in Best Global Universities for Pharmacology and Toxicology in 2018

Department of Pharmacology 
  Ranked second in Total NIH Funding for 2017
_________________________

Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is proud to announce the launch of their new M.S. in Drug Development & Product Management degree program.  The first class of students will commence September 2018. 



Seminars

Cutting-edge seminars are hosted almost every Tuesday in the UC San Diego Department of Pharmacology.  

Upcoming Seminars:

Tuesday, February 26, 2019 
Tracy Handel, Ph.D.
UC San Diego - Skaggs School of Pharmacy
"What Structure Tells Us About Chemokine Receptor Activation and Inhibition"
12:00 pm, Leichtag Building, Room 107

Thursday, February 28, 2019
Kevan M. Shokat, Ph.D.
UC San Francisco 
"Chemical Tricks for Drugging the Undruggable"
2:00 pm, Leichtag Building, Room 107

Tuesday, March 5, 2019 
Benjamin E. Turk, Ph.D.
Yale School of Medicine
"Deciphering Mechanisms of Substrate Targeting by Protein Kinases"
12:00 pm, Leichtag Building, Room 107

View the full Seminar Schedule​





 

In the News

February 2019

Distinguished Professors Susan Taylor and Edward Dennis Appointed Inaugural Chancellor Distinguished Professorships By Chancellor Khosla.

Congratulations to Drs. Olivia Molinar-Inglis (Trejo lab) and Danielle Schmitt (Zhang lab) who were selected as University of California President's Postdoctoral Fellows for 2019-2020. Four UC PPFP’s were awarded to scholars at UCSD; the two in Health Sciences are both in Pharmacology. 


Alexandra Newton, PhD wins the ASPET 2019 Julius Axelrod Award in Pharmacology.   

Palmer Taylor, PhD wins the ASPET 2019 Robert R. Ruffolo Career Achievement Award in Pharmacology.

Alexandra Newton, PhD is featured in "Just in Time for the New Year: How to Live Longer (if You’re a Cancer Cell)."

December 2018
Jack Dixon, PhD is featured in "JUST THE FAQS: Enzyme Fam20C’s Role in Heart Disease."


Tannishtha Reya, PhD is featured in "Stand Up To Cancer Grant Funds UC San Diego Health Research in Pancreatic Cancer."

Jerold Chun, MD, PhD is featured in "HIV drugs may help people with Alzheimer's and Down syndrome, says new hypothesis on Alzheimer's origins."

​All News

Events

​February 2019
Nobel Laureate Dr. Robert J. Lefkowitz (Duke) presents the 46th MilliporeSigma Lectureship Series at UC San Diego.
Dinner with Dr. Lefkowitz
Pictured are (L-R) Drs. J. Zhang, E. Dennis, T. Handel, P. Taylor, P. Insel, A. Newton, J. Trejo, S. Taylor, L. Brunton, J.H. Brown, R. Lefkowitz, J-P. Changeux and R. Sunahara.

​April 2018

Congratulations to all our poster and presentation award winners at the 2018 Experimental Biology Meeting in San Diego!  Pictured below are Pharmacological Sciences Training Grant award winners Amy Chin, Aleena Arakaki, Tim Baffi and An-Angela Van.  Not pictured are Pharmacology postdoctoral winners Cameron Brand, Eric Greenwald and Takeshi Suetomi.We also had an excellent turnout at the Pharmacology Alumni Mixer.  A great time was had by All!