First-year pharmacy students who were scheduled to begin classes at California Health Sciences University next week are looking for other options after the withdrawal of the school’s pre-accreditation status.

“We will NOT be able to admit our incoming College of Pharmacy students for the class of 2024 this fall,” said CHSU President Florence Dunn in a statement posted to the university’s website.

“Our Dean of Pharmacy, Dr. Mark Okamoto, is working diligently with our Admissions team to help these admitted students identify other options for their pharmacy education,” she said.

Currently Enrolled Students Can Continue Their Studies

The action by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education affects 44 incoming freshmen. Students already enrolled in the program can continue their studies at the college, however.

“Our College of Pharmacy will remain busy as our current students in the graduating classes of 2021 to 2023 complete their pharmacy education at CHSU, allowing them to take their licensing exams and become pharmacists,” Dunn’s statement said.

She said the pharmacy school did not sufficiently meet three of 25 standards required for ACPE accreditation.

“ACPE’s action means we must begin the formal accreditation process again and our goal is to work towards admitting new pharmacy students as soon as fall 2022,” Dunn said.

CHSU College of Medicine Not Affected

The CHSU College of Pharmacy opened in 2014 and has graduated three classes of Doctor of Pharmacy students to date. The university’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, which welcomed its first class of students in July, is not affected by the accreditation action.

(Granville Homes President and CEO Darius Assemi is the publisher of GV Wire and a member of CHSU’s Board of Trustees.)