Design Your Career as a Pharmacist

Pharmacy offers a wide range of career paths, and the steps you take today can shape your future opportunities. Our career readiness framework provides a roadmap to help you explore career options, build your professional skills, and prepare for rotations, residencies, fellowships, and careers across the profession.

Follow Our Professional Pharmacy School Roadmap

→ Additionally, check out the School of Pharmacy's Academic, Assessments and Elective schedules for the PharmD program. 

Build a Plan to Move Forward

Doctoral training demands more than clinical excellence, it requires self-awareness, strategic communication, and a professional network built for where you are going. Our coaching team equips Pharmacy students with customized support to navigate all three.  

Review our detailed timeline below to learn how our career counselors can help you clarify your direction, build a strategy, and take action based on where you are in your program.

Student and Alumni Insights

"The CPD Health Team was pivotal in my career development. The career coaches are insightful and offer a fresh perspective when reviewing your application materials, practicing mock interviews, and offering niche professional development pearls... Go chat with the career coaches!" -- Luis, Class of 2026. 

“I wish I knew about the importance of maintaining a database of resources (clinical or professional) in an accessible location. As a student, there are many resources that are shared with us by campus organizations or professors that would be helpful to easily reference or share with future mentees.”  -- Jennifer, Class of 2022.

Meet the Team

Anna Reeves, MS, APCC
Assistant Director, Health Careers

More about Anna >>>

• Anna leads the Health Careers team, where she manages team operations, trains and supervises Health Careers staff and a graduate Career Counseling Intern, and provides career counseling while creating tailored programs and resources that guide students through complex  workplace training concerns and career decision-making.
• She has supported health professional students at UCSF since 2015.  Previously, she counseled pre-health students while working in UC Berkeley's Career Center.

Sarah Tanase, MA
Program Director, Health Careers

More about Sarah >>>

• Sarah designs and facilitates career and professional development programs, creates resources, and counsels students. She also co-supervises the Health Team's Career Outreach Peers.
• Sarah previously worked for Stanford Career Education, similarly developing a career development program curriculum and providing individual counseling to their students and alumni.

Carla Vaccarezza Bass, MA
Health Careers Counselor

More about Carla >>>

• Carla provides counseling to health career professionals at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
• Prior to UCSF, Carla was the Associate Director at Kellogg School of Management. She coached Evening & Weekend MBA and Executive MBA students, managed an innovative career education portfolio, and led strategic initiatives. Carla also coached biomedical students, researchers, and trainees at Stanford School of Medicine. Her counseling experience spans time at UC Berkeley Goldman School and Stanford Career Education where she served as a strategic partner to graduate and undergraduate students.

Kathleen Cassidy, MS, CPCC, BCC
Health Careers Counselor

More about Kathleen >>>

• Kathleen provides career coaching to health professional students and trainees through the UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development.
• Kathleen has more than 25 years of experience in higher education, counseling, coaching, and career development. Prior to her current role, she served as Assistant Director and Associate Director at Stanford Career Education, supporting undergraduate, master's, and PhD students in career exploration, internship and job searches, and professional development. 
• Her previous experience also includes serving as Program Director/Career Counselor for health professional students and alumni at UCSF and as a Career Counselor at UC Berkeley Counseling and Psychological Services, helping students clarify goals, make educational and career decisions, and pursue meaningful opportunities.

Start early. Move with clarity.