Dr. Glenn Yokoyama, Pharm.D

Dr. Glenn Yokoyama, Assistant Clinical professor at the UCSF Department of Clinical Pharmacy since January 2004, serves as a both a leader and pharmacist in multiple areas of practice, including teaching, research, professional development, and community service. He grew up in Torrance, CA, completing his pre-pharmacy coursework at El Camino College in Lawndale, where he earned an Associate of Arts Degree before entering the University of Southern California, where he earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Since earning his PharmD degree, Dr. Yokoyama has worked in various branches of pharmacy, including hospital, managed care, clinical pharmacy, and retail pharmacy. He first got into the field of pharmacy under the recommendation of family members. After spending some time at the National Institute of Health (NIH), he was led to Hospital Pharmacy, where he spent the majority of his pharmacy career; he worked for 9 years at St. Vincent’s Hospital, 23 years at Huntington Memorial, and 2 years at Kaiser Permanente Hospital. Through interactions with Dr. Lloyd Young, Dr. Yokoyama became interested in Academia, the field of pharmacy that he currently works in. His favorite part of being a pharmacist in Academia is being able to work with students—counseling them, encouraging them, and helping them improve and develop skills and experience to practice. The patient care aspects of pharmacy, helping patients improve their health and quality of life, as well as the preventative and therapeutics aspect of health care are a few of the reasons why he enjoys being a pharmacist so much.

With regards to the future of pharmacy, Dr. Yokoyama believes the field of pharmacy is heading towards “personalized therapeutics,” through the pharmacist use of genomics to personalize medication and care according to the genetic makeup of each individual patient, ultimately resulting in more effective treatment with less adverse effects. Dr. Yokoyama believes that the field of pharmacy is headed towards greater utilization of the pharmacist role as the drug expert and pharmacist knowledge of preventative care, such as with vaccinations, smoking cessation, and using diet and exercise to complement the positive aspects of medication therapy. He sees pharmacists being able to refill prescriptions and prescribing in certain therapeutic areas with specific medications that they have experience with and are knowledgeable about. Named 2008 California Pharmacist Association (CPhA) Hall of Fame Honoree, Dr. Yokoyama has been active in both State and National Associations, serving as President for CPhA, the California Society of Health Systems Pharmacists (CSHP), and the California State Board of Pharmacy. As a member of the State Board of Pharmacy, Dr. Yokoyama helped pave the way for advancement of the profession with regards to issues such mandatory patient counseling. He has also participated in radio and television programs promoting the benefits of medication therapy management, using a pharmacist for patient medication therapy questions. He is currently Treasurer of the American Pharmacist Association Foundation. He’s also involved in ASHP, AMCP, AACP, and local pharmacy associations as well. His advice for current pre-pharmacy students is to obtain information and knowledge about health care in general, as well as the pharmacy profession and understand the education required of a pharmacy. He also recommends working in various branches of pharmacy to gain a better idea of what it is like to be in those settings, and being involved in pre-health organizations and attending local, state, or national pharmacy meetings. Volunteering on behalf of individuals in our community that are less well off and having a pharmacy mentor to help gain a better understanding of the field are other methods that Dr. Yokoyama recommends for pre-pharmacy students to learn more about what pharmacy is all about.

Dr. Jennifer Cocohoba, Pharm.D

Dr. Cocohoba, originally from San Diego, attended UCLA for her undergraduate and received a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. She then graduated with her Doctorate of Pharmacy in 2001 from UCSF where she continued her education further and completed two residencies. In 2003, Dr. Cocohoba completed her HIV specialty residency at UCSF and was promptly offered an academic position at the school. Dr. Cocohoba continues to work for UCSF as a Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor while pursuing her interest in HIV pharmacy. Through her 7 years as an HIV pharmacist, she has seen that pharmacists need to balance their role as medication experts with their skills in patient care. She particularly enjoys the variety in academia, from teaching and research, to working with patients to help them better
understand their medication.

Dr. Joel Leu, Pharm.D

Dr. Joel Leu was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Dr. Leu went to the University of Wisconsin, Madison for his undergraduate studies and then continued to also receive his PharmD from the same university. After school, Joel worked in a clinical pharmacy for 4 years until he moved to California. He has a variety of retail experiences, including Rite Aid and Elephant Pharmacy. Dr. Leu currently works for Long’s/CVS. Dr. Leu enjoys retail pharmacy because of the long term relationships with customers and the face-paced environment of the community drugstore. Dr. Leu’s favorite aspect of pharmacy is his ability to improve the quality of life of people, and to help people through effective communication. His advice for current pre-pharmacy students is to gain more experience in the branch of pharmacy that they are interested in.

Dr. Edwyn Lee, Pharm.D

Dr. Edwyn Lee, born and raised in Oakland, attended Oakland Technical High School. Dr. Lee then attended UC Berkeley and received a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science. After graduation, Dr. Lee went on to University of the Pacific and received a Pharm.D. Dr. Lee has worked for MedComm Solutions for the past 9 years but has experience in other pharmacy related fields including clinical and pediatric. He particularly likes the project management aspect of his job, and enjoys interacting with clients.

Dr. Arlene Johnstone, Pharm.D

After growing up in the San Diego area, Dr. Arlene Johnstone attended the University of San Diego for her undergraduate education, before continuing to the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy (RPh). She then went on to attend the University of the Pacific to earn her Pharm.D. Dr. Johnstone began interning at the VA Medical Center in San Diego. Upon completion, she continued her pharmacy education, traveling to UCSF to undergo a specialty residency in critical care/cardiology. Dr. Johnstone has been in hospital pharmacy since 1984 and currently works at Marin General Hospital. She also believes that the field is moving towards a stronger pharmacist role in reducing medication errors through improving patient education, compliance, and understanding their problems, as well as computerization of records.

Dr. Diana Thamrin, Pharm.D

A native of the bay area and raised in San Francisco, Dr. Thamrin has also completed all her pharmacy education locally. She graduated from UOP in 2005, and subsequently completed a one year residency at Alameda County Medical Center in 2006. Her main interests reside in the management of chronic diseases and longterm patient care. For the past three years, Dr. Thamrin has been practicing this on an outpatient basis in an ambulatory care setting through pharmacist-run outpatient clinics in a county facility. Her work has encompassed treatment for anticoagulation, smoking cessation, asthma, heart failure, and hypertension. In addition to her professional work, she enjoys working with both pharmacy and pre-pharmacy students through the Highland Hospital volunteering program. Dr. Thamrin is a member of CSHP, ASHP, and Alameda Country Tobacco Coalition. She is actively involved in projects working toward decreasing the number of smokers in Alameda County as well as providing smoking cessation counseling services to Highland Hospital Patients. Her advice for pre-pharmacy students is to work hard and strive to be well-rounded.

Dr. Danielle Tran, Pharm.D

Dr. Danielle Tran, currently a pharmacy manager at CVS Pharmacy, completed her undergraduate degree at University of the Pacific, ultimately graduating there with a PharmD degree in 1987. She was attracted to the field of pharmacy because she felt that pharmacy allowed her to both have a career and raise a family at the same time. Dr. Tran has worked as a retail pharmacist for over 22 years, and greatly enjoys interacting with the customers as well as mentoring students. She feels that her current field will continue to grow stronger as people are more and more informed about healthy living styles. She also believes that her current field of pharmacy will soon include services such as ambulatory care, immunization clinics, and health information clinics.

Dr. Roger Santos, Pharm.D

Dr. Roger Santos did his undergraduate work at UOP in Stockton, where he completed the accelerated pharmacy program in 6 years. Dr. Santos has worked in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy for two years now because he enjoys the extensive interaction with patients and its educational aspects. He currently works with diabetes, hypertension, and cholesterol management. His job involves extensive patient counseling and education, and he is allowed to adjust certain medications under protocol without having to contact the physician. His favorite aspect of pharmacy is that it doesn’t get boring because there are always new drugs and therapies coming out. He is a member of the Alameda Chapter of CPhA and the Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity. In terms of where the field is headed, Dr. Santos envisions more involvement with a medical team and more automation and utilization of staff, allowing pharmacists to provide more patient education.

Dr. Dale E. Johnson, Pharm.D, Ph.D.

President & Chief Executive Officer
Emiliem, Inc.

Dale Johnson has over 25 years of experience in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and development activities where he has led and managed groups ranging from small units in start-up companies to multi-national units in large corporations. He has participated in the research and development of over 100 compounds of which 15 have become marketed health care medicinal productsin the United States and Europe. He is considered an expert in transitioning research projects into drug candidates. Most recently, he served as Vice President, Drug Assessment & Development at Chiron Corporation and previously as Vice President, Preclinical Development. He received his Ph.D. degree in Toxicology from the University of Michigan where he was awarded an AFPE Fellowship. Prior to his Ph.D. work, he received B.S. and Pharm.D. degrees from the University of Michigan and completed a clinical pharmacy residency at the Medical Center where he was awarded the National Resident of the Year Award. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology and serves as a member of industry as well as government advisory boards. He is co-editor of the journal The Chemistry of Metabolic and Toxicological Processes, Current Opinion in Drug Discovery & Development and is an Adjunct Professor in Molecular Toxicology at University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Christine Cheng, Pharm.D

Originally from San Diego, Dr. Christine Cheng graduated from UC Berkeley in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology/Biochemistry and completed her PharmD degree with UCSF in 2001. After pharmacy school, Dr. Cheng went on to do a residency at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Clara. Once her residency was finished, Dr. Cheng continued to work for Kaiser in the internal medicine unit. In 2004, she accepted an academic position at UCSF, specializing in drug information. She transitioned to the Medication Outcomes Center at UCSF in 2007, where she conducts evidence-based reviews and quality improvement projects. She currently precepts residents on the Health policy rotation
and coordinates a course for first year students on Pharmacy Practice. She enjoys interacting with students and residents as well as research.

Dr. Vinson Lee, Pharm.D

Currently in his second year at Genentech (Genetic Engineering Technology Inc.), Dr. Lee is an associate scientist in the Medical Communications Department. He graduated from the USC School of Pharmacy in 2006, after obtaining a Bachelor’s degree at UC Riverside in 1999 and a Masters degree at the USC School of Medicine in 2001. His current role involves managing different elements of managed care such as health plans and pharmacy benefit management companies. He interacts with these organizations in these domains and provides information on Genentech’s products, updating and developing clinical dossier’s, and responding to institutional questions. Prior to Genentech, Dr. Lee was a Clinical Consultant for Rxperts, Inc. Managed Care Consulting in Irvine, CA. He has also worked in retail pharmacy and continues to be employed as a per diem retail pharmacist. Dr. Lee is currently the Academy of Managed Care (AMCP) Chair of the School of Pharmacy Relations Committee, the AMCP co-Diplomat to the UCSF and USC Schools of Pharmacy, and on the Editorial Review Committee for the California Pharmacists Association journal, The California Pharmacist. He is also a member of the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP), Drug Instruction Association (DIA), Phi Sigma Lambda National Pharmacy Leadership Society, and Alpha lota Pi Professional Pharmacy Fraternity. His advice for current pre-pharmacy students is to explore as many opportunities as they can in the field of pharmacy, and to become involved in activities that will help them stand out, to not only increase their networking opportunities, but also strengthen their leadership skills. He believes that the field is continuing to evolve with an emphasis on the medical team, in which the pharmacist provides the expert opinion on drugs and potential interactions; with regards to retail, this means more time for the pharmacist to provide patient counseling.

Dr. Anne Wardell, R.Ph.

Originally from Blair, Nebraska, Dr. Anne Wardell, attended the Drake University School of Pharmacy, and since then has worked 30 years in various aspects of hospital pharmacy including management. After working briefly at Abbot Laboratories, Dr. Wardell switched to Elephant Pharmacy in 2005, before moving to Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy in 2009. She is also a volunteer at Women’s Cancer Resource Center in Oakland. An early interest in chemistry and biology labs in high school and her personal experience with the use of medication to treat disease led her to explore the field of pharmacy. She particularly enjoys the pharmacist role of being able to help someone improve his/her health and to help him/her make an informed decision about health care options. She sees the field moving towards more automation to enable pharmacists to focus more on patient centered care, drug information, and medication therapy management. Her advice for current pre-pharmacy students is to learn critical thinking and problem solving skills, as well as develop flexibility and communication skills.

Monika Iskander

Monica Iskandar is a third year student at the UCSF School of Pharmacy, who earned a degree in biochemistry from Loyola Marymount University. Since beginning pharmacy school, she has worked as an Advanced Executive Pharmacy Intern at Target Pharmacy. At UCSF, she is involved as the Pharmacy Co-President of the AIDS Action Network, member of Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, and the UCSF Delegate at 2008 Regional and National Meetings for the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA).

Lina Meng

Lina Meng is a fourth year student at the UCSD School of Pharmacy. She has had a vast amount of pharmacy experience, including working as a pharmacy clerk at Longs Drugs, a cancer research intern at UCSF Cancer Research Institute, and a pharmacy intern at Scripps Memorial Hospital. During her time at UCSD, she has served as Operation Immunization Chair and Community Affairs Officer for APhA.

Hilary Campbell

Hillary Campbell is a 2nd year pharmacy student at UCSF School of Pharmacy. After obtaining two Associate of Science degrees in Math/Physical Science and General Science at American River College, she transferred to UC Berkeley and recieved a B.S. in Nutritional Science. During her time at Berkeley, she was actively involved in PILLS, serving as the Webmaster on the 2006-2007 Executive Board. She began Pharmacy school in the fall of 2007, and after graduating in 2011, she hopes to attend law school.

Anna Deng

Raised in Irvine, CA, Anna Deng is a 1st year student at the USC School of Pharmacy, who earned a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley in 2008. At USC, she is involved as a Level I Representative for American Pharmacy Student Alliance, an Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Mentor to pre-pharmacy students, and the USC Delegate at CPhA Outlook. Her favorite part of being in pharmacy school is being actively involved in fairs, conferences, and working with her peers to make a positive impact in the community.

Teresa Dai-Zovi

Teresa Dai-Zovi, a Sacramento native, is in her final year of pharmacy school. She obtained an undergraduate degree from UC Davis, majoring in Managerial Economics. She worked as pharmacy clerk for five years as an undergraduate, and fell in love with pharmacy in the process. At UOP, Teresa is a member of APHA, the Vice President of Professional Affairs of CSHP, and the President of AMCP. Her favorite experiences in pharmacy school have been professional and social networking through conferences and fraternities/sororities.

Kevin Tse

Kevin Tse, a 1st year student at California Northstate College of Pharmacy from Hercules, CA, graduated from UC Berkeley in 2007 with a major in Integrative Biology. His interest in pharmacy was piqued during a Medical Ethnobotany course that he took during his undergraduate education. Besides being the Class Historian, he is also currently involved in APhA, CPhA, and AMCP.

Ellena Mar

Originally from Manteca, CA, Ellena Mar is currently a 4th year student at Touro University. She attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate and majored in Molecular Cell Biology with an emphasis in Biochemical and Molecular Biology, graduating in 2002. Her decision to pursue a career in pharmacy stemmed from an interest in research, academia, as well as clinical and community work. Her previous work experiences include a year-long employment at Pharmacy Ancillary. Currently, she is involved in APhA/ASP, ASHP, ACCP, and AACP, and is the treasurer for her class.

An Chun Kwan

An-Chun Kwan, from San Jose, is a graduating student pharmacist at the UOP Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, who earned a degree in Biological Sciences from UOP in 2005. She is currently interested in focusing on patient care to increase medication adherence and awareness. At UOP, she is involved in Phi Delta Chi Professional Pharmacy Fraternity, NCPA, CSHP, and was the co-chair for the American Lung Association. Her favorite aspect of being in pharmacy school is participating in health fairs to perform screenings and educating the public on health issues to raise awareness.