Overview

Clinical pharmacy is a health science discipline in which pharmacists provide patient-centered care that optimizes medication therapy, promotes health and wellness, and prevents disease. Grounded in the philosophy of pharmaceutical care, this specialty integrates in-depth biomedical, clinical, and socio-behavioral knowledge with therapeutic judgment to achieve optimal patient outcomes. Operating across both inpatient and outpatient settings, clinical pharmacists evaluate pharmacotherapy regimens, recommend evidence-based therapeutic strategies, and serve as authoritative resources for safe, appropriate, and cost-effective medication use within multidisciplinary healthcare teams.

History and Evolution

The academic discipline of Clinical Pharmacy (Pharmacotherapy) was introduced in Iran in 1991 (1370 SH), with the first specialized residency program launched at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 1995 (1374 SH). At Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS), the Department of Clinical Pharmacy was officially established as an independent academic unit in 2009 (1388 SH) following its separation from the Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, initially comprising four faculty members. Under the academic leadership of Dr. Amir Hooshang Mohammadpour, the department has grown substantially and maintains an active clinical and educational presence across the School of Pharmacy and two major tertiary teaching hospitals: Ghaem (AJ) Hospital and Imam Reza (AS) Hospital.

Academic & Research Scope

Our academic framework spans both advanced clinical pharmacotherapy practice and translational clinical research:

• Direct Patient Care & Medication Management: Comprehensive patient medication history review, bedside clinical consultations for medical teams, supervision of rational drug prescribing, and monitoring patient compliance.
• Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) & Safety: Clinical pharmacokinetic monitoring of serum drug concentrations to optimize dosing, prevent drug toxicity, and identify and report adverse drug reactions (ADRs).
• Clinical & Translational Research: Design and management of clinical drug trials, pharmacoepidemiological studies, pharmacoeconomic analyses, and investigations aimed at improving clinical recovery rates and reducing hospital stay durations.
• Postgraduate Education & Residency: Clinical training of Pharm.D. candidates and specialized clinical pharmacy residents across diverse hospital wards, intensive care units (ICUs), and outpatient clinics.

Mission and Vision

• Our Mission: To educate competent clinical pharmacists equipped with specialized therapeutic knowledge and clinical empathy; to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered pharmaceutical care across healthcare facilities; and to advance clinical research optimizing pharmacotherapy safety and rational drug use.
• Our Vision: To be a leading center of excellence in clinical pharmacy education, specialty residency training, and therapeutic research in the region, recognized for substantial contributions to patient care quality and clinical outcomes.