Professor of Clinical Pharmacy
Associate Dean for Admissions and Outreach
Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Pronouns: She|Her|Hers
Dr. Atayee’s major research focus is in the area of pain and palliative care with a minor research focus in the area of pharmacy education. She has established several collaborations with other clinical researchers.
Education: Completion of pre-pharmacy requirements (1999) UCSD; Pharm.D. (2003) UCSF; ASHP Accredited Acute Care Residency (2004) UC San Diego Medical Center; Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy Specialty (BCPS). (2008, recertification 2015)
Awards and Honors: UC San Diego Palliative Care Values in Action Award (2022). Fellow of the Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (2022). Society of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacists (SPPCP), Renee Holder Literature Award (2020); Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) Oncology Pharmacy Specialty Council (2019-2024); American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Alternative Dean Delegate, (2019-2021); UC San Diego Campus-Wide Distinguished Teaching Award for Academic Senate Members (2018); National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care, National Consensus Project invited stakeholder (2017) American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Alternate Dean Delegate, (2016-2018); President, Society of Palliative Care Pharmacists (SPCP) (2017-2018); Pharmacist representative for the National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care (2018-current) Membership Chair, Society of Palliative Care Pharmacists (SPCP) (2016-2017); President-elect, Society of Palliative Care Pharmacists (SPCP) (2016-2017) Member of Pharmacology Special Interest Group American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), (2014-Current) UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy Teacher of the Year Award (Class of 2017), (2014) American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Teacher of the Year Award, (2013) American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Walmart Scholar Mentor (2013); Member of American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) PRN, (2009-Current) Selected for the National Center for Leadership in Academic Medicine (NCLAM), (2009) Awarded for Marquis Who's Who in America, (2009).
Leadership Experience: First pharmacist at UC San Diego Health to obtain a DEA license for prescribing independently (2007); Served as co-chair of the comprehensive exam committee and a member of the academic oversight committee and committee on educational policy in the UC San Diego Health Sciences Campus; Elected as president-elect and president for the Society of Palliative Care Pharmacists (2015); Appointed as Associate Dean of Admissions and Outreach at UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2016); American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Alternate Dean Delegate, 2016-2018 & Dean Delegate 2019-2021; selected for Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) Oncology Pharmacy Specialty Council (2019-2022). Litigative consultant expert witness for U.S. Department of Justice and served as expert witness for San Diego County District Attorney’s Office 2020-Current.
- Lecturer of Pharmacy Practice (SPPS 201).
- Lecturer for Therapeutics (SPPS 212A) & Advanced Professional Practice (SPPS 213)
- Chair of Pain and Palliative Care elective (SPPS269)
- Established role of palliative care pharmacist.
- Effective use of pain and palliative care medications in hematology and oncology patients.
- Clinical research for the use of medications for pain and symptom management.
- Development and expansion of a pain and palliative care clerkships for pharmacy students.
- Established monitoring and counseling guidelines for pharmacist for oral chemotherapy.
- Advocate for equity, diversity, inclusion and justice through Pharmacy Underrepresented Mentorship Program (PUMP) and various other activities for pre-pharmacy and current pharmacy students.
- Atayee RS et al. (2008). Development of an ambulatory palliative care pharmacist practice. J Palliat Med. 11:1077-82.
- Ma JD et al. (2015) Retrospective analysis of pharmacist interventions in an ambulatory palliative care practice. J Oncol Pharm Pract.
- Atayee RS et al. (2018) Multicentered Study Evaluating Pharmacy Students' Perception of Palliative Care and Clinical Reasoning Using Script Concordance Testing. Am J Hosp Palliat Care 35:1394-1401.
- Atayee RS, Sam AM, Edmonds KP. (2018) Patterns of Palliative Care Pharmacist Interventions and Outcomes as Part of Inpatient Palliative Care Consult Service. J Palliat Med. 21:1761-1767
- Uritsky TJ et al. (2018) Ten Tips Palliative Care Pharmacists Want the Palliative Care Team to Know When Caring for Patients. J Palliat Med 21:1017-1023.
- Atayee RS et al, (2020) A multi-centered case series highlighting the clinical use and dosing of lidocaine and mexiletine for refractory cancer pain. J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother. 24:1-9.
- Edmonds KP et al, (2020) Emerging challenges to the safe and effective use of methadone for cancer-related pain in paediatric and adult patient populations. Drugs. 80(2):115-130.
- Malotte K, Naidu DR, Herndon CM, Atayee RS. (2021). Multicentered Evaluation of Palliative Care Pharmacists' Interventions and Outcomes in California. J Palliat Med. (9):1358-1363
- Wen RY, Atayee RS, Edmonds KP. (2022) A Comparison of Institutional Opioid Equianalgesia Tools: A National Study. J Palliat Med. (11):1686-1691.
- Lockman K,et al. (2022) Development of Entrustable Professional Activities for Specialist Hospice and Palliative Care Pharmacists. J Pain Symptom Manage. 64(1):37-48.
- Pain management
- Safe and Effective Medication Therapy
- Serving communities with health disparities
- Palliative care
- Promoting the roles of advanced practice pharmacists
- Pharmacy education