The UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences (BTS) congratulates Mark Dresser, PhD on his election as president of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (ASCPT).

Dresser earned his PhD in UCSF’s former Pharmaceutical Chemistry graduate program, working with BTS faculty member Kathy Giacomini, PhD. “She has been instrumental in my life in so many ways,” he said, crediting her for being a principal influence over the course of his career. Dresser is following in her footsteps, as Giacomini served as ASCPT president 10 years ago.

Dresser, the first openly-LGBTQ+ president of ASCPT in its 122-year history, said that he is especially excited about expanding the organization’s efforts in emerging areas of translational science, including model-informed precision dosing and translational informatics; increasing ASCPT’s partnerships with patient groups; and promoting diversity and inclusion in science.

Dresser is currently senior vice president, biomarker sciences and clinical pharmacology, at Gilead Sciences in Foster City, CA. He is also an adjunct professor at UCSF. We look forward to Dresser’s service year at the helm of ASCPT.