SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO

The School of Pharmacy of the University of Puerto Rico, originally a Department of Pharmacy, and later known as the College of Pharmacy, was founded on September 22, 1913 at the Río Piedras Campus. It established the first program in a health profession to be offered at a higher education level in Puerto Rico. In 1977, the College was physically transferred to the Medical Sciences Campus and changed its official name to School of Pharmacy in 1989. The School was the sole provider of an entry level degree in pharmacy education in Puerto Rico until 2001.

The School has a Drug Information Center since 1973. It is one of the best in Latin America and the first to be established in Puerto Rico. The School is also a provider of continuing education since 1979. In 1993, a state of the art doping control laboratory, currently known as the Chemical Forensic Laboratory began operations. This laboratory is the first of its kind in Latin America.

In 1999 the School inaugurated the Center for Pharmaceutical Processing Research/University of Puerto Rico (CPPR-UPR). The Center is part of a consortium between the Schools of Pharmacy at the University of Purdue, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Minnesota. It is the only Center of Excellence supported by NSF devoted to the research of pharmaceutical processing.

The School of Pharmacy implemented the Doctor in Pharmacy Program (Pharm.D.) in 2001. The curriculum focuses on the development of general and professional abilities, the integration of theory and practice, as well as active and collaborative learning. The Program has been granted full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). The School also offers a Master of Science in Pharmacy Program with options in Industrial Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (Medicinal Chemistry), providing highly trained individuals for the pharmaceutical industry in the island.

In 2001 a Pharmacy Practice Residency Program was established as a joint effort with VA Caribbean Healthcare Center in San Juan. The residency program is accredited by the American Society for Health System Pharmacists (ASHP).