Update from the Dean - January 2002

Dear UCSF School of Pharmacy Family and Friends:

Greetings to you all. Little did I expect when I wrote to you last that our world would now be so changed. In response to September 11, the School has chosen to move forward with increased zeal. In fact, a Schoolwide retreat scheduled for September 15 proceeded as planned, although the underlying mood was somber. At the retreat, I delivered my first State of the School Address. I share with you the entire speech as the focus of this update letter. It is long, but I hope you find the information important.

In preparing the Address I was struck repeatedly by the accomplishments of individuals. This is a School in which our citizens make marvelous things happen in the classroom, in the lab, and in practice settings-often without a lot of fanfare or resources.

I end this note with a story of one such person who has touched the lives of people thousands of miles away. Her name is Nilofar Shah, a first-year Doctor of Pharmacy student who was herself an Afghani refugee from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. She just completed a relief project that resulted in the collection of more than 120 blankets for Afghani refugees in Pakistan who face a harsh and cold winter. She organized the logistics of advertising and solicitation; received the sponsorship of the Students for International Pharmaceutical Awareness (SIPA), a registered campus organization that was formed to encourage student involvement in global issues of drugs and leadership; rallied the students, staff, and faculty to donate; and arranged for the blankets to be shipped. Her thank you e-mail to the School reads:

So, this little project has come to an end! The sum of the total blankets donated and those that were purchased from the money donated by friends, family and UCSF students, faculty and staff is about 120. I want to offer my great appreciation for all the help from everyone who extended a hand. More than just the warmth from the blankets, you have extended warmth from your hearts that will keep many grateful victims a little cozier this winter. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and God bless.

Kind regards,
Nilofar Shah, PharmD candidate 2005

It is Nilo and the many students of her ilk who we thank. They, like you, make the UCSF family a very special one.

Yours sincerely,

Mary Anne Koda-Kimble, PharmD
Professor and Dean
Thomas J. Long Chair in Community Pharmacy Practice

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School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, PharmD Degree Program, CCB, PSPG, Bioinformatics, Biophysics, BMI

About the School: The UCSF School of Pharmacy aims to solve the most pressing health care problems and strives to ensure that each patient receives the safest, most effective treatments. Our discoveries seed the development of novel therapies, and our researchers consistently lead the nation in NIH funding. The School’s doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree program, with its unique emphasis on scientific thinking, prepares students to be critical thinkers and leaders in their field.