Social and Administrative Pharmacy Ph.D.

Social and administrative pharmacy (SAPH) is the application of behavior-oriented interdisciplinary theories to pharmacy problem solving and pharmacy system development. This includes the study of the social, psycho-social, political, legal, public policy, historic, and economic factors that impinge upon the use, non-use, and abuse of drugs.

Students in the Social and Administrative Pharmacy Program are prepared for research and related activities of investigating relationships between biological and physical factors in social settings that involve the drug use process. This flexible interdisciplinary program uses the resources of the many health and social science departments at the University, and may include courses and offerings from public health, geriatrics, management, sociology, psychology, and public affairs.

The program focuses on the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge to foster appropriate use of drugs to improve patient outcomes at the individual and societal level. Students are educated and mentored to become professional scientists. Those who complete the program will understand the process of conducting high-quality research and problem solving through the application of disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge, theory, and research methodology.