Today we’d like to introduce you to Rabia Atayee.
Hi Rabia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Afghanistan in 1978, two months after the Soviet invasion. My family fled under harsh circumstances when I was a toddler and my parents had to escape separately. My mother, a biology professor, traveled with strangers with my newborn sister and me across the border into Pakistan. We eventually came to the U.S. as refugees, settling in New Jersey before moving to San Diego. Growing up, I experienced firsthand the challenges of being a Muslim, Afghan-American immigrant navigating a world that often didn’t understand or accept me.
Education was everything to my parents, and they made countless sacrifices to ensure my sisters and I had opportunities. That drive led me to earn my pharmacy doctorate. Over time, I found my calling in palliative care, a field that requires not just clinical knowledge but deep compassion and cultural humility. I developed the pharmacist’s role on the palliative care team at UC San Diego Health, became the first pharmacist in Southern California with a DEA license to prescribe controlled substances for this population, and eventually took on leadership roles in both academia and national pharmacy organizations.
In addition, I’m honored to serve as Associate Dean for Admissions and Recruitment and Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, which impressively was only founded in 2002, but is already ranked #12 best pharmacy school in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and counting. I am honored to be part of the Skaggs community which involves incredible staff, faculty, students and alumni who motivate me to work at the top of my profession and make a positive impact. In my dual roles I get to help shape the future of pharmacy by identifying the leaders of the future, provide care for patients and mentor students, always guided by the values that have shaped my life and journey.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road, but one full of growth. The trauma of displacement, the challenges of learning a new language and culture, and the ongoing discrimination I faced, as a Muslim woman of color living in a low socioeconomic household, all shaped my resilience. But over time, I realized that true belonging means creating space for others, too. That’s been central to my philosophy as a clinician and educator.
Professionally, building the pharmacist’s role in palliative care came with its own set of challenges in health systems. Nationally, pharmacists need to come together to highlight to these systems that programs work best whey they are designed to include pharmacists as part of the decision-making process.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a palliative care pharmacist and professor who also serves as the Associate Dean of Admissions and Recruitment. My clinical work focuses on providing compassionate medication management for patients with serious illness at UC San Diego Health. I specialize in pain and symptom management. With an amazing interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers and chaplains, we create space for difficult conversations; conversations about pain and symptom management, hope, and goals of care.
I’m proud to have built the palliative care pharmacy practice at UC San Diego Health from the ground up. I was among the first in California to be credentialed to prescribe controlled substances under a collaborative practice agreement. I’ve published over 80 peer-reviewed articles related to pain management, palliative care, pharmacy education and pre-pharmacy mentors. I have also co-led national efforts in pain and palliative care pharmacy and continue to work on incorporating compassionate communication into pharmacy education.
What sets me apart is that I bring my whole self, which includes my lived experiences, my cultural lens, my failures and my growth to my work. I lead with humility, remain unassuming about people’s stories, and am always committed to personal and professional growth.
As a mentor and in my role as the Associate Dean of Admissions, I am committed to mentoring prospective applicants and discussing the profession of pharmacy and my career path with students and their families.
What does success mean to you?
Success, to me, is showing up as my authentic self and doing something meaningful and impactful. A simple example is creating a safe space for others, whether it’s a patient in crisis, a student who doubts their worth, or a colleague trying to grow. It’s seeing the impact of your values reflected in others and knowing that what you have learned in your growth and journey is helping guide others.
Success to me is also modeling this for my 13 and 15-year-olds. If they can walk through the world with compassion, courage, and pride in who they are, without having to have my lived experiences of hardship, then I know I’ve done something right.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pharmacy.ucsd.edu/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ucsd_pharmacy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UCSanDiegoSchoolofPharmacy
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ucsdpharmacy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCSDPharmacy/shorts
Image Credits
For personal photos, credit Rabia Atayee. For professional headshot, credit UC San Diego Health Sciences
