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Brian Erstad, PharmD.

Professor, College of Pharmacy
Headshot of Brian Erstad
erstad@arizona.edu

Brian L. Erstad, PharmD, MCCM, FCCP, FASHP, BCPS, is a tenured professor and the immediate past chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy. Dedicated to preparing the next generation of health researchers, he also co-directs the Arizona Clinical and Translational Research Graduate Certificate Program.

Dr. Erstad’s journey in pharmacy began at South Dakota State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy. After gaining eight years of hands-on experience as a pharmacist in community hospitals, he returned to school to earn his Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree at the University of Arizona. He loved the UArizona community so much that he stayed, serving as a dedicated faculty member for more than 35 years.

Throughout his career, Dr. Erstad has been passionate about mentorship. He has personally guided and trained 25 critical care residents and fellows at the Arizona Health Sciences Center.

Dr. Erstad’s research focuses on critical care medicine, with a strong emphasis on improving patient safety and healthcare outcomes. A significant portion of his work addresses pain management and safe opioid use.

His extensive contributions to medical literature include:

  • Authoring more than 350 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and research papers.
  • Serving as the sole editor of the textbook Critical Care Pharmacotherapy.
  • Co-editing the textbook Basic Skills in Interpreting Laboratory Data.

A respected national voice in healthcare safety, Dr. Erstad served on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee from 2011 to 2015, and he continues to assist the committee on an ad hoc basis.

He is a past president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and has served on the board of directors for the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Dr. Erstad regularly lends his expertise to other leading scientific organizations, including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM).