Our School
We are committed to excellence and innovation in professional, graduate and post-graduate education; scholarship and research; patient-centered care; public health advocacy; and societal leadership and engagement.
Together, our innovation, discoveries and engagement with our communities improve the health and well-being of society.
In fulfilling our mission, the faculty, staff, and students of the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences are committed to the following values as an institution and in our actions as individuals:
- Accountability
- Collaboration
- Diversity & Inclusiveness
- Entrepreneurism
- Integrity
- Professionalism
- Respect
- Leadership
- Discovery & innovation
- Social responsibility
At the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, we're proud of our programs. We are a top tier school (ranked #20 out of 143 pharmacy schools in the country). Our faculty are invited to write the textbook that all students learn from, our students consistently outperform other schools by winning national competitions and surpassing national licensing pass rates and faculty are lauded nationally with education and clinical awards.
See below for nationwide school rankings, licensing pass rates, employment and residency outcomes, and on-time graduation rates.
- CU Pharmacy was ranked in the top 10% of pharmacy schools in the country.
- 91% of graduates from the class of 2023 were employed within the profession of pharmacy in full-time or part-time employment positions, within residency and fellowship training, or post-graduation education, within one-year of graduation.
- The School was recognized as a top 10% NIH-funded research school.
- 92% on time graduation rate.
- 83% first-time NAPLEX pass rate.
- Kristina Brooks, PharmD and Jennifer Kiser, PharmD, PhD,helped confirm the dosing, safety and effectiveness of a drug formulation designed for treating children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
- CU Pharmacy hired its first ever Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Erika Freitas, PhD
- Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse and Prevention contributed to Colorado’s award from John’s Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for Excellence in the Application of the Opioid Litigation Principles to the State of Colorado.
- CU Pharmacy teamed with CU Denver to launch the first ever Pharmacy Pathway Program and continues to work with undergraduate institutions to create more pathways to pharmacy school.
- CU Pharmacy researchers, led by Krishna Mallela, PhD made the cover of Biophysical Journal for their work on the evolution of coronaviruses.
- Kavita Nair, PhD was accepted into the 2023 Colorado Immersion Training (CIT) in Community Engagement Program. CIT is a unique community-campus educational initiative that aims to introduce an expanded pool of researchers to community-based participatory research (CBPR) and community engagement.
- Hilda Bi Ndikum, PharmD along with clinical instructor and alumni board member Harold Okocha, PharmD organized CU Pharmacy's participation in the first annual Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit.
- Lucus Orth, PharmD, was named one of the lead investigators in a new 5-year drug trial project.
- Melanie Joy, PharmD, PhD,was the winner of this year's Women in STEM Ally Award. The Outstanding WiSTEM Ally Award recognizes a person on CU Anschutz campus that has promoted diversity and inclusion in their community by proactive behaviors.
- Vinh Thai recent PharmD graduate, received the Spirit of Anschutz Award for the School of Pharmacy; the award is given to students who demonstrate exceptional professionalism and advocacy for their profession and serve as outstanding ambassadors for the Anschutz Medical Campus.
- Connie Valdez, PharmD, was awarded the Bowl of Hygeia Community Service Award from the Colorado Pharmacists Society. This award is given in recognition of an individual association member who has made considerable contributions in terms of community service which may include involvement in governmental activities separate from, or in addition to, his or her job.
- Joe Saseen, PharmD received the Master of the NLA (MNLA) Award from the National Lipid Association, which recognizes recipients for having the highest ethical standards and distinguishing themselves through research, education, health care initiatives, volunteerism, patient care, and service to the community at a regional, national, and international level in the field of Clinical Lipidology.
- The CU Pharmacy student team placed fourth at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Clinical Research Challenge. The team was comprised of PharmD students Annagabriela Figueroa, Kyla Jantz, and Pia Moreno.
- Jared Brown, PhD was invited by the National Institute of Health's Director to serve as a Member of the Environmental Health Sciences Review Committee (EHS). Brown was nominated because of his demonstrated competence and achievement in scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements, and honors.
- Dan LaBarbera, PhD,saw his work featured by the United States Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Programs. His entire lab was highlighted for their work with novel targets for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.
- New outcomes research from Kelly Anderson, PhD and Michael DiStefano, PhD indicates Medicare could save $1 billion by considering added benefit of expensive Part B drugs.
- Toxicology PhD student Daniel Foster was chosen to represent the National TL1 grant program offered by the Clinical Translation Centers.
- Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, Chapla Agarwal, PhD and Neha Mishra, PhD received a grant funded by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). The project will focus on determining the acute and chronic injury biomarkers of ocular exposure to chemical warfare agents as determined through clinical and multi-omics analysis.
- Brian Hemstreet, PharmD, began his tenure as President of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).
- CU Pharmacy was ranked in the top 15 percent of pharmacy schools in the country.
- The School was recognized as a top 10% NIH-funded research school.
- 96% first-time NAPLEX pass rate.
- 84% on time graduation rate.
- 94% of graduates from the class of 2022 were employed within the profession of pharmacy in full-time or part-time employment positions, within residency and fellowship training, or post-graduation education, within one-year of graduation.
- The Distance Degrees office was awarded the Global Education SIG 2022 Outstanding Program Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) for its International Trained PharmD pathway (ITPD).
- Robert Page, PharmD, was awarded the American College of Cardiology Colorado Chapter, Educator of the Year Award at the 2022 ACC Heart Failure Conference.
- Jed Lampe, PhD, was appointed to the NIH Xenobiotic and Nutrient Disposition and Action (XNDA) Study Section in the National Institutes of Health’s Center for Scientific Review.
- Joe Saseen and Ty Kiser, PharmDs, were selected to receive this year’s Chancellor’s Teaching Recognition Award and President’s Excellence in Teaching Award, respectively.
- Kristina Brooks, PharmD, joined the Health and Human Services Panel on Treatment of HIV During Pregnancy and Prevention of Perinatal Transmission in the US, which develops national guidelines focused on treating HIV during pregnancy.
- PhD students Hector Esquer and Kris Oreschak are the recipients of the annual Harold C. Heim Award for Excellence in Research and Graduate Education.
- Brittany Sjulstad, P3, was awarded the American Society of Health Pharmacists, (ASHP), Student Leadership Award.
- Paul Reynolds, PharmD, accepted the Critical Care Practice and Research Network (PRN) Educator Award from the American Colleges of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)
- Manisha Patel, PhD, began her term as president of the American Epilepsy Society (AES). She was also selected for a CU Anschutz campus research award and awarded the Javits Award from the National Institutes of Health for her lifelong work in neuroscience.
- Brian Hemstreet, PharmD, was elected President of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).
- Carlos Catalano, PhD, advisor to the CU Anschutz chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science, saw the club named Chapter of the Year at the National Diversity in STEM Conference.
- Molly Huntsman, PhD, saw her work go viral when she published a new study suggesting that therapeutic interventions to treat neurodevelopmental disorders may be more effective if done during the early stages of brain development.
- Professor Emeritus Joseph Gal, PhD, received the 2022 Franklin-Lavoisier Prize. The prize, presented by the Science History Institute of Philadelphia and the Foundation de la Maison de la Chimie in Paris, recognizes meritorious efforts in the preservation or promotion of the entwined scientific heritage of France and the U.S.
- Daniel LaBarbera, PhD, saw his lab develop a drug which shows promise against a novel oncogene that supports cancer progression.
- Dmitri Simberg, PhD, published significant research findings that show great promise in guiding the development of indocarbocyanine lipid nanoparticles (ICLs) that can deliver anti-cancer therapies to tumors in humans. This work was done in collaboration with Irina Balyasnikova, PhD, of Northwestern University.
- R. Brett McQueen, PhD, along with his colleagues at the University of Exeter, UK, were awarded a two-year, $600K grant from JDRF to develop a comprehensive web-based tool to inform global public health adoption and therapeutic investment decisions on the costs and benefits of identifying people at risk of type-1 diabetes (T1D) world-wide.
- The first remote PharmD cohort completed its first year of pharmacy school. The cohort is part of the class of 2025, and includes students from all over the United States.
- CU Pharmacy was ranked in the top 15 percent of pharmacy schools in the country.
- The School was recognized as a top 10% NIH-funded research school.
- 90% first-time NAPLEX pass rate.
- 95% of graduates from the class of 2021 were employed within the profession of pharmacy in full-time or part-time employment positions, within residency and fellowship training, or post-graduation education, within one-year of graduation.
- 84%on-time graduation rate for the most recent graduating class in the single degree pathway, i.e., the percentage of a class cohort completing the curriculum in the specified timeframe (3 calendar or 4 academic years).
- Professor Cindy O’Bryant, PharmD, was named the deputy chair of the University of Colorado Cancer Center Protocol Review Monitoring System (PRMS).
- Associate Professor Toby Trujillo, PharmD, was chosen as this year’s recipient of the Cardiology Practice and Research Network (PRN) Service Award from the Cardiology PRN, part of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)
- Alumnus Jace Archer, PharmD, (class of 2020) was recognized with the United States Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award
- Assistant Professor Ashley Glode, PharmD, was named a 2020 Advocacy Champion by the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) during the Association’s 2021 Advocacy Summit in April.
- Associate Professor Scott Mueller, PharmD, was elected as an American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Fellow.
- PGY1 Marissa Powell, PharmD, was recognized with the American Society for Health System Pharmacists Student Research Award
- CU Anschutz Medical Campus recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institute
- CU Pharmacy is ranked in the top 15 percent of pharmacy schools in the country.
- CU Pharmacy is recognized as a #13 NIH-funded research school.
- 91.5% of recent graduates from our program who took the NAPLEX for the first time passed; the national pass rate was 88.4%
- 93% of students in the class of 2020 completed the curriculum within four years.
- The January 2020 issue of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences was dedicated to Professor John Carpenter, PhD, and his collaborator CU Boulder Professor Ted Randolph, PhD. The dedication marked a rare honor in pharmaceutical sciences.
- Associate Professor Sarah Anderson, PharmD, was named a Fellow of the Association of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), joining an elite group of 957 other pharmacists across the U.S.
- Dean Ralph Altiere, PhD, was named the Chair of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Education Initiative.
- Professor Joe Saseen, PharmD, was named president of the National Lipid Association.
He was the recipient of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Daniel B. Smith Practice Excellence Award. - Assistant Professor Sara Wettergreen, PharmD, received the Distinguished New Practitioner Award from APhA.
- Alumnus Robert Willis, PharmD, (class of 2007) was awarded the Community Pharmacy Residency Excellence in Precepting Award from APhA.
- Professor Sunny Linnebur, PharmD, was named Pharmacist of the Year by the Colorado Pharmacists Society.
- Alumna Debra Devereaux, PharmD, (class of 1976) received the Colorado Pharmacists Society Bowl of Hygeia Community Service Award.
- Graduate Kelli Rourke, PharmD, (class of 2020) was named the Student Pharmacist of the Year by the Colorado Pharmacists Society.
- HB20-1061, approved in July and backed by CU Pharmacy, pushes open the door to highly effective HIV prevention drugs
- CU Pharmacy was ranked in the top 15 percent of pharmacy schools in the country
- 92.7% of recent graduates from our program who took the NAPLEX for the first time passed; the national pass rate was 88.3%
- 93% of students in the class of 2019 completed the curriculum within four years; 98% graduated in five years.
- 87% of the class of 2019 were employed in a full-time or part-time pharmacy position, or in a residency/fellowship program after graduation
- Graduates from the class of 2019 who applied and participated in the PGY1 2019 Residency match matched at a 70% success rate for combined Phase I and Phase II; National match rate was 67%)
- CU Pharmacy was recognized as a #11 NIH-funded research school.
- Professor Sunny Linnebur, PharmD, became the first female pharmacist to be the president of the American Geriatrics Society
- CU Pharmacy continued to help people with breakthrough technology. Tom Anchordoquy, PhD, was part of a groundbreaking clinical trial to treat patients with a debilitating form of epilepsy.
- Assistant Dean for Clinical and Professional Affairs, Gina Moore, PharmD, became president of the Colorado Pharmacists Society, continuing a legacy of CU Pharmacy’s commitment to the organization.
- The International-Trained PharmD program graduated its largest class to date.
- Dean Ralph Altiere, PhD, was awarded the George Spratto American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Biological Sciences Section Distinguished Service Award.
- Alumna Sandra Leal, PharmD, was named president-elect of the American Pharmacists Association.
- Associate Professor Sarah Anderson, PharmD, was named Pharmacist of the Year by the Colorado Pharmacists Society.
- Assistant Professor Morgan Payne, PharmD, won the Distinguished Young Pharmacist of 2019 Award from the Colorado Pharmacists Society.
- CU Pharmacy students earned leadership positions with the American Society of Health System Pharmacists.
- The Ambulatory Care Residency was recognized as the best in the U.S. The program, led by Professor Joe Saseen, PharmD, was awarded the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) overall program award. Additional Associate Professor Joel Marrs, PharmD, was presented with the Preceptor Award.
- Associate Professor Sarah Anderson, PharmD, Assistant Professor Rhianna Fink, PharmD, and fourth-year student Nashel Patel were each honored at the national level with Next-Generation Pharmacists Awards. Anderson won the Health-System Pharmacist 2019 Award. Fink and Patel were honored as award finalists.
- Three fourth-year students, Kyle Coronato, Armen Fstkchian and Mary Reilly won the American College of Clinical Pharmacy’s Clinical Pharmacy Challenge, after challenging pharmacy schools from across the nation.
- 96.6% of graduates from our program who took the NAPLEX for the first time passed; the national pass rate was 89.5%
- 94% of students in the class of 2018 completed the curriculum within four years; 96% graduated in five years.
- 96% of the class of 2018 were employed in a full-time or part-time pharmacy position, or in a residency/fellowship program after graduation
- CU Pharmacy received the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Award for Excellence in Assessment
- Faculty member Dr. Joel Marrs was recognized by the Colorado Pharmacists Society (CPS) as Pharmacist of the Year
- Faculty member Dr. Cathy Jarvis received the Colorado Pharmacists Society Bowl of Hygeia Award
- Alum Dr. Jeremy Vandiver was recognized by the Colorado Pharmacists Society (CPS) with the Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award
- Alum Dr. Michelle Anderson was recognized by the Colorado Pharmacists Society (CPS) and the National Community Pharmacists Association with the Leadership Award and McKesson Leadership Award
- 90.1% of graduates from our program who took the NAPLEX for the first time passed; the national pass rate was 88.0%
- 95% of students in the class of 2017 completed the curriculum within four years; 97% graduated in five years.
- 95% of the class of 2017 were employed in a full-time or part-time pharmacy position, or in a residency/fellowship program after graduation.
- CU Pharmacy was ranked 6th in the nation for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding among pharmacy schools
- CU Pharmacy received the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (AACP) Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award for commitment to our community through innovative programs that go above and beyond the traditional role of academic pharmacy
- Faculty member and Department of Clinical Pharmacy Department Chair, Doug Fish, PharmD, was recognized by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) with the Education Award
- The CU Pharmacy Applied Biological Chemistry course was selected as one of the best in the nation among all schools of dentistry, medicine and pharmacy by the Association of Biochemistry Educators
- Faculty member James Roede, PhD, was selected by NIEHS (National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences) as an Outstanding Environmental Health Science "ONES" award recipient
- Reuters named the University of Colorado among world's top 100 innovative institutions. The University of Colorado system ranked 29th, up from 45th in 2016
- CU Pharmacy was ranked 22nd on U.S. News & World Report's most recent list of best pharmacy schools in the country (moving up 2 spots in the rankings)
- 85.2% of graduates from our program who took the NAPLEX for the first time passed the exam; the national pass rate was 85.0%
- 92% of students in the class of 2016 completed the curriculum within four years; 96% graduated in five years
- 96% of the class of 2016 were employed in a full-time or part-time pharmacy position, or in a residency/fellowship program after graduation
- CU Pharmacy was ranked 5th in the nation for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding among pharmacy schools
- Competing against teams from more than 130 schools of pharmacy, fourth-year students Jillian Bishop and Chelsea Mitchell took home first place in the 2016 American Society of Health System Pharmacist (ASHP) Clinical Skills Competition
- Students placed third in the Clinical Skills Competition during the SNPhA national conference in Atlanta where they competed against 64 pairs of participants from pharmacy schools throughout the country
- Eight students were awarded with Kent M. Nelson Scholarships from Kaiser Permanente Colorado (KPCO). Congratulations Jillian Bishop, Lindsay Case, Michelle Gaynor, Aubrey Jones, Chelsea Mitchell, Kyle Troksa, Rachel Visage and Anna Zhou. The scholarship is awarded annually to deserving pharmacy students from Regis University and the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy
- 94.8% of our graduates who took the NAPLEX for the first time passed; the national pass rate was 92.6%
- 92% of students in the class of 2015 completed the curriculum within four years; 95% graduated in five years.
- According to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, our school ranked 4th in the nation for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding of all U.S. pharmacy schools
- Fourth-year students Jillian Dann and Kailynn DeRonde received silver in the 2015 American Society of Health System Pharmacist (ASHP) Clinical Skills Competition
- A team of students won the national Student Compounding Competition in 2014, followed by a second place finish in 2015
- 100% of the students from the class of 2015 passed the Clinical Capstone
- 96.1% of our graduates who took the NAPLEX for the first time passed; the national pass rate was 95.3%
- 90% of the students from the class of 2014 completed the curriculum within 4 years; 97% graduated in 5 years
- CU Pharmacy was ranked 4th in the nation for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding among pharmacy schools
- Faculty member Dr. Joseph Saseen was recognized by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) as the Educator of the Year (Dec. 2014)
- Ranked 24th on U.S. News & World Report's most recent list of best pharmacy schools in the country
- Over the past three years, an average of 70% of students who applied for PGY1 residency matched
- 100% of the students from the class of 2014 passed the Comprehensive Patient Care capstone
- Fourth-year students Joselyn Benabe and Ashley Huntsberry captured the 2014 American Society of Health System Pharmacist (ASHP) Clinical Skills Award
To achieve its vision and mission, the school is committed to:
- Recruiting, developing and retaining innovative and productive faculty and staff members who contribute to the advancement of pharmacy education, research, scholarship and practice.
- Providing expanded and innovative educational opportunities that develop outstanding entry-level pharmacy practitioners who are motivated to advance pharmacy practice and the profession and to prepare scientists who are motivated to contribute to health and well-being through scientific research and scholarly pursuits.
- Advancing the practice of pharmacy through development of innovations in pharmacy practice and delivery of superior patient care, including serving as active members of collaborative healthcare care teams committed to patient care and well-being.
- Improving health through research and scholarship by being the innovators and leaders in research that promotes basic discovery, translation to clinical practice, medication evaluation and optimization of medication use. Through communication of research findings, foster enhanced knowledge in professional, graduate and post-graduate learners.
- Providing leadership and service to our communities by actively engaging with its many communities and local, national and global communities that would derive substantial benefit from the school’s collective knowledge and expertise.
- Achieving excellence through continuous quality improvement.
- Develop innovative strategies to identify and exploit opportunities that allow the school to make major advances in its mission areas.
The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences was fully re-accredited in 2016 for eight years by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the national agency for the accreditation of professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education.
What is Accreditation?
Accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental process of external quality review used by higher education to inspect colleges, universities and higher education programs for quality assurance and improvement.
Aside from the promise of overall quality educational opportunities, an institution’s accreditation status provides students with the ability to qualify for federal funding and financial aid and to transfer credits to other programs that are also accredited. Accreditation can be required for professional licensure and is extremely appealing to employers.
Like all schools of pharmacy in the U.S., the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), a national agency for the accreditation of professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education. ACPE was established in 1932 for the accreditation of pre-service education, and in 1975 its scope of activity was broadened to include accreditation of providers of continuing pharmacy education.
Once accredited, a school or college undergoes periodic renewal reviews. Our school recently underwent a renewal review, spearheaded by Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor David Thompson, PhD, and received a full eight year accreditation by ACPE – the maximum level that a school can attain.
Obtaining Accreditation
The process of accreditation is quite involved requiring the school to complete several steps in the accreditation process including:
- Preparation and self-examination
- Written self-study report of accomplishments
- Site visit by a team comprised of peer reviewers, and a representative from the accrediting body
- Judgment by the accrediting body
- Continuous review
By accepting accreditation status, a school agrees to uphold the quality standards set by the accreditation organization and agrees to periodically submit to accreditation renewal review.
More about ACPE
ACPE is an autonomous and independent agency whose board of directors is derived through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American Pharmacists Association, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (three appointments each), and the American Council on Education (one appointment).
Read an abbreviated short version of our accreditation self-study report. To learn more about our school's accreditation status or about the accreditation process, contact ACPE.
Assessment is the systematic collection, review, and use of information about educational programs undertaken for the purpose of improving student learning and development. (Palomba and Banta 1999)
Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences assessment activities emphasize the collection and reporting of data to support decision making and continuous quality improvement.
Assessment activities support
- tracking and reporting achievement of the School’s strategic plan
- assessment and reporting on student learning, curricular effectiveness, and program outcomes
- evaluation of institutional effectiveness
- providing data to support compliance with accreditation standards
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