“Pharmacoepidemiology is vital to understanding the safety and effectiveness of medication use in real-world populations — especially in addressing adverse drug events, drug-drug interactions, and the growing challenges of polypharmacy. By applying rigorous population-based methods, we can inform prescribing (and de-prescribing), safer dispensing practices, and improve the safe and effective use of medicines. This graduate certificate program provides students, researchers, and professionals across public health, pharmacy, medicine, and the pharmaceutical industry with the tools to evaluate drug safety, generate actionable evidence, and contribute to more informed medication use policies.”
With the growing availability of large medical and pharmacy databases and real-world evidence, pharmacoepidemiology – a scientific discipline that uses epidemiological methods to evaluate the use, benefits and risks of medicines and medical products and interventions in large populations – has become crucial to public health, clinical and regulatory decision-making.
New in the 2025-26 academic year, the 13-unit Graduate Certificate in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety is designed to provide specialized training in identifying, measuring, and addressing critical issues related to drug safety and effectiveness. The program equips learners to improve health outcomes and advance health equity for both patients and populations.
With a distinguished faculty and access to cutting-edge resources, this program offers robust academic training emphasizing real-world applications. Graduates will emerge prepared to lead in diverse environments, from academic and regulatory settings to industry and healthcare practice. Join us to be part of the future of healthcare innovation, where your expertise will contribute to shaping medication safety and efficacy, ultimately driving health equity globally.
Educational Objectives
Upon successful completion of the core courses required for the Graduate Certificate in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety program, students will be able to:
- Identify the processes of drug development and FDA approval in the U.S.
- Explain key requirements in drug regulation, including strategies to mitigate risk, and their rationale
- Participate in study design and analyses to assess the effectiveness and safety of drugs, including monitoring adverse drug events
- Employ techniques to investigate patterns and determinants of drug utilization in large populations.
- To understand how to evaluate the impact of pharmaceutical policies and regulations on access and safe use of essential medicines in the U.S.
- Understand barriers to equitable access and safe use of essential medicines in the U.S. and globally
Courses
The following four courses are required for completion of the certificate program:
- CXPT 500 Critical Perspectives on Medicines, Health and Society (3 units)
- RSCI 511 Introduction to Medical Product Regulation (3 units)
- PHRD 550 Pharmacoepidemiology (3 units)
- CXPT 650 Advanced Pharmacoepidemiology Methods (4 units)
Admissions Requirements
The graduate certificate program is open to graduate and undergraduate students enrolled at USC, including the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Keck School of Medicine of USC. It is also available to working professionals who wish to expand their knowledge of pharmacoepidemiology to inform their work in academic, regulatory, industry or healthcare settings.
Accordion Content
- GPA 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale)
- Two letters of recommendation
- A personal statement, describing research and professional experience, career objectives and research interests
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field, including public health, economics, sociology, pharmacy and regulatory sciences
- Two years of professional experience in a pharmaceutical or health-related field
- GPA 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale)
- Two letters of recommendation
- A personal statement, describing research and professional experience, career objectives and research interests
