Graduate Programs in Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy
School of Pharmacy
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
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University of Southern California - Graduate Programs in Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy - Overview
Modern Facilities on Huge Health Sciences Campus Makes USC the Leading Pharmacy School in Southern California
The USC School of Pharmacy is the leading pharmacy school in Southern California and one of the most prestigious in the world. The School of Pharmacy is located in state-of-the-art, modern facilities on the USC Health Sciences Campus in Los Angeles. It is next-door to the Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center, for years among the largest teaching hospitals in the world and the site of clinical training for the school's students.
In addition, the USC Health Sciences Campus is close to the USC University Hospital, the Doheny Ambulatory Care Center, and USC/Norris Cancer Center. The school partners with many hospitals, home health care agencies, clinics, skilled nursing facilities, pharmaceutical firms, and pharmacies in the Southern California region to provide students valuable clinical and experiential curricula.
Of course, USC is not merely the finest pharmacy school in Southern California, as it has been repeatedly recognized as among the most innovative schools of pharmacy anywhere. In fact, its curricula, state-of-the-art Health Sciences Campus, and high-tech, modern facilities have made the USC School of Pharmacy a model for pharmacy schools throughout the world.
Along with being the first university to create the six-year program for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree (the field's first professional degree), USC also founded the first clinical pharmacy program in the nation in 1968. Maintaining its leadership role, the school also inaugurated the first pharmaceutical economics and policy program, now a staple at all fine institutions, in 1990. This tradition of progressive leadership guarantees USC School of Pharmacy students the finest possible education in this challenging field.
Degrees in Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Share Common Curriculum and Research
The school's Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences has both master- and doctorate-level graduate programs specifically focused on the preeminent specialties in the field. The programs lead to a degree that will reference either molecular pharmacology and toxicology or pharmaceutical sciences. Regardless of which degree is chosen, a student's curriculum and research focus would be identical, covering all the requisite subjects and subspecialties that the working professional will encounter.
The Regulatory Science Program is designed for both full- and part-time students who desire to work in the areas of quality systems, regulatory affairs, and/or clinical research. The program's goal is to provide leaders in the field of regulatory science who will bring their expertise and vision to teaching institutions, industry, and government service. "Limited" students can also select just the courses in which they are interested and develop experience and expertise in those certain topics (assuming there is classroom space).
The Titus Family Department's Pharmaceutical Economics & Policy Program was initially developed to meet the particular demands of government, insurers, the pharmaceutical industry, and various provider agencies. The program conducts research on the financing and delivery of both pharmaceuticals and pharmacy services, focusing on economics and "outcomes assessments" of pharmaceutical products, technology, and services.
Graduates conduct important research and offer training and expertise in this area to health care organizations. This way, decisions regarding costs and benefits of alternative therapeutic approaches can be made with accurate data and clear priorities, which is the mission and promise of the Pharmaceutical Economics & Policy Program.
Renowned Faculty, Progressive Research, and Leading-Edge Research Facilities Keep USC School of Pharmacy at the Top
If it were restricted to just its own state-of-the-art research facilities, the USC School of Pharmacy would still rank as a leading research institution. However, graduate students and faculty alike have the great benefit of access to the rest of the USC schools and departments, plus the many other institutions the pharmacy school is affiliated with, so cutting-edge computer systems and emerging medical technologies are also available to the pharmacy programs. In fact, the USC School of Pharmacy has attained international standing for its cutting-edge research and top-flight faculty.
As the top private pharmacy school for NIH grant funding in the nation, the school has made important research contributions in numerous fields via the broad range of work done in its many and varied research facilities. The combination of award-winning, internationally renowned faculty members with state-of-the-art research facilities makes the pharmacy school at USC a dream come true for motivated graduate students.
Students and faculty in the Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Economics & Policy contribute to current research efforts involving drug use and response, in addition to the school's core studies concerning cost-effectiveness, outcomes research, and the various policy issues percolating in the pharmaceutical marketplace.
The Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences has a broad research mission, including topics such as signal transduction, gene regulation, and neuropharmacology. The Regulatory Science Program is tightly focused on research into medical products, including their development and regulation, while various researchers in the pharmacy school's departments continue their studies of the molecular basis of drug design and the cellular approach to drug targeting.