Welcome to the Department of Pharmacology in the UC Davis School of Medicine. The Department comprises a dynamic group of faculty, researchers and students from diverse backgrounds undertaking investigations to reveal biological mechanisms that will ultimately lead to discovery of novel understanding of physiological and pathological mechanisms, identification of potential therapeutic targets and development of new strategies for a variety of human diseases.

The Department is led by Chair Donald Bers, Ph.D. and the Executive Advisory Group that includes Johannes W. Hell, Ph.D. (Vice-Chair for Academic Development), Crystal M. Ripplinger, Ph.D., (Vice-Chair for Research and Administration) and Heike Wulff, Ph.D. (Vice-Chair for Education). The Pharmacology Department is part of the basic biomedical sciences in the School of Medicine. The Department and its Faculty have strong connections with multiple UC Davis Graduate Groups, other Departments (in multiple colleges) and Research Centers constituting a powerful interactive high-quality research team. The faculty are also committed to excellence in teaching and service (both at UC Davis and beyond). UC Davis Pharmacology is one of the nation's top ranked pharmacology departments in federal research funding and hosts a diverse group of postdoctoral trainees and graduate students from different Graduate Groups.

Two of the strongest research areas within the department are Cardiovascular and Neuroscience at multiple levels, and in a highly collaborative environment of considerable international reputation. Along with other research areas, our work is unified by a common goal - to understand mechanistically the critical building blocks of biological systems from molecules to cells and organ systems, in health and disease, and to identify components that can be modified through pharmacology or other therapeutic strategies to cure disease. Please visit our Research Overview page and Faculty Research pages for details of ongoing work in the individual departmental laboratories.

Spotlight on Our Pharmacology Team

Elva Diaz receives the 2024 ADVANCE Award!

Elva Diaz, Ph.D.Elva Diaz, Ph.D.

We are proud to announce that Dr. Elva Diaz is the co-recipient of the 2024 ADVANCE Award. The ADVANCE Award Symposium (Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 12:30-4:30 p.m.) celebrates the contributions made by the ADVANCE awardees and is an opportunity for the UC Davis community to join together around the awardees’ research and commitment to mentoring, social impact, and public outreach.

The ADVANCE Award for mid-career and senior UC Davis faculty who advance diverse perspectives and gender equity in STEMM through their teaching, research and service. Dr. Diaz was recognized for her project on “How to Change Your Mind: Broadening Access to Neuroscience by Understanding Mechanisms of Brain Function in Learning and Memory”. Congratulations Elva, and THANK YOU for your service to our community!!!


Jessica Caldwell receives prestigious Sustainability Champion Award

Jessica Caldwell receives prestigious Sustainability Champion Award

Proud to announce that Dr. Jessica Caldwell received the prestigious Sustainability Champion Award at the UC Davis annual Sustainability Summit. Dr. Caldwell was recognized for implementing lab plastic recycling and glove composting programs, spearheading the freezer challenge, and providing educational resources for creating more sustainable labs. She also collaborated with the other School of Medicine departments to implement the many innovative programs she developed across campus. We are thankful for her leadership in this area and very proud of her commitment to creating a more sustainable campus.

Read more about the award ceremony here » (Internal Link)


8th Cardiovascular Symposium Receives Inaugural School of Medicine Impact Symposia Award

Donald M. Bers, Ph.D.Donald M. Bers, Ph.D.

Eleonora Grandi, Ph.D.Eleonora Grandi, Ph.D.

Manuel Navedo, Ph.D.Manuel Navedo, Ph.D.

Congratulations to Drs. Don Bers, Ele Grandi and Manuel Navedo for receiving School of Medicine’s Inaugural Impact Symposia Award for support towards the 2025 UC Davis Cardiovascular Symposium! This School of Medicine funding initiative was implemented to help departments within the School of Medicine to host high quality symposia that advance its research mission and bring thought leaders to campus and raise awareness of its research excellence. To this purpose, the team was awarded $15,000 in funds which will help to enhance the 2025 symposium. Drs. Bers, Grandi and Navedo are also preparing to submit an NIH-R13 proposal which, if funded, will further ensure this to be a successful event.

The 8th UC Davis Cardiovascular Symposium will be held February 20 and 21, 2025 at the UC Davis Conference Center and will feature local and international experts and trainees. More details can be found HERE.