Dr. Sharon Youmans | University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy | United States
Dr. Sharon Lynn Youmans is a distinguished leader in pharmacy education, health literacy, and diversity advancement within academic health sciences. With a Doctor of Pharmacy and a Master’s in Public Health, she has built an influential career integrating clinical pharmacy practice, education, and leadership. Over the past three decades, she has held progressive academic and administrative positions at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy, where she currently serves as Executive Vice Dean and Professor of Clinical Pharmacy. Her leadership extends to the UCSF School of Dentistry as Associate Dean for Community Engagement, demonstrating her broad impact on interprofessional collaboration and community health outreach. Her scholarly and service contributions focus on health communication, health disparities, diversity, equity, inclusion, and global health. Dr. Youmans has played an instrumental role in shaping pharmacy education through curriculum transformation, experiential learning innovations, and national leadership in accreditation and professional organizations such as AACP, ACPE, and ASHP. She has served as an evaluator and consultant on pharmacy education programs worldwide, contributing to global standards in health science education. An accomplished educator, she has been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple UCSF Apple Awards for Teaching, the UCSF Chancellor’s Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award, and induction into the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators. Her leadership in promoting diversity and addressing health disparities has earned national recognition from professional pharmacy associations. Through her extensive invited lectures and scholarly activities, Dr. Youmans has advanced dialogue on cultural competence, health equity, curriculum reform, and workforce development in pharmacy. Her ongoing work continues to inspire innovation in pharmacy education, advocate for equitable healthcare delivery, and strengthen academic excellence and community impact across the health professions.
Profiles: Google Scholar | LinkedIn
Featured Publications
Schillinger, D., Hammer, H., Wang, F., Palacios, J., McLean, I., Tang, A., & Youmans, S. L. (2008). Seeing in 3-D: Examining the reach of diabetes self-management support strategies in a public health care system. Health Education & Behavior, 35(5), 664–682. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198107303316
Youmans, S. L., & Schillinger, D. (2003). Functional health literacy and medication use: The pharmacist’s role. Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 37(11), 1726–1729. https://doi.org/10.1345/aph.1D166
Robles, J. R., Youmans, S. L., Byrd, D. C., & Polk, R. E. (2009). Perceived barriers to scholarship and research among pharmacy practice faculty: Survey report from the AACP Scholarship/Research Faculty Development Task Force. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 73(1), Article 17. https://doi.org/10.5688/aj730117
Nkansah, N. T., Youmans, S. L., Agness, C. F., & Assemi, M. (2009). Fostering and managing diversity in schools of pharmacy. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 73(8), Article 152. https://doi.org/10.5688/aj7308152
Mandap, M., Carrillo, S., & Youmans, S. L. (2014). An evaluation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health education in pharmacy school curricula. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 6(6), 752–758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2014.06.011
Bautista, C. A., Huang, I., Stebbins, M., Floren, L. C., Wamsley, M., Youmans, S. L., & others. (2020). Development of an interprofessional rotation for pharmacy and medical students to perform telehealth outreach to vulnerable patients in the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 34(5), 694–697. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2020.1810253