Larisa Cavallari, Pharm.D., BCPS, FCCP, has been named chair of the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. Her appointment follows two years of service in an interim chair role, during which she gained valuable experience leading the department’s 23 full-time faculty members.
Cavallari joined the UF College of Pharmacy in 2014 and has served as director and co-director of the Center for Pharmacogenomics and Precision Medicine and director of the UF Health Precision Medicine Program. Her research involves the discovery and clinical translation of genetic variants related to drug response, and she has secured more than $10 million in grant funding from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the American Heart Association and more.
As chair, Cavallari will support innovative research initiatives aimed at advancing the individualization of pharmacotherapy and will foster interdisciplinary collaborations across the university and beyond. She will also play a key role in mentoring the next generation of scientists and supporting those who will shape the future of the pharmaceutical sciences. Additionally, she will work in close partnership with college leadership to promote departmental goals and support the college’s overarching mission.
“Dr. Cavallari’s appointment as chair will further elevate the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, which is already nationally recognized for its excellence in precision medicine and translational research,” said Peter W. Swaan, Ph.D., M.Pharm., dean and professor in the UF College of Pharmacy. “She has demonstrated exceptional leadership in her two years as interim chair and earned the respect and confidence of the faculty and staff in her department. Her vision and guidance will continue to shape the department in ways that serve our college, our students and the broader health care community.”
During her two years as interim chair, Cavallari led a strategic reorganization of the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research to align research faculty around shared interests and foster stronger collaboration. The restructuring enabled the department to direct more focused time and resources toward its key areas of excellence, such as its nationally recognized precision medicine program. She also hired new tenure-track and clinical faculty, established an annual department retreat and secured funding from UF Health and the UF Office of the President to expand the precision medicine program.
These accomplishments, along with the relationships she built and the insight she gained into the department’s operations, helped shape Cavallari’s interest in continuing as chair. What began as a temporary leadership role has evolved into a meaningful opportunity to make a lasting impact.
“My time as interim chair has shown me how much I enjoy supporting and mentoring our faculty,” Cavallari said. “I now step into this role with confidence, knowing I can build on the department’s outstanding reputation in precision medicine and translational research and help guide its continued growth.”
Among Cavallari’s top priorities are expanding the department’s overall research footprint and advancing precision medicine initiatives within UF Health. She also intends to recruit several new faculty, bolster graduate student recruitment and raise the department’s profile through faculty awards and leadership opportunities. Cavallari received her Pharm.D. from the University of Georgia in 1997, followed by a one-year residency at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. She then completed a two-year cardiovascular pharmacogenomics research fellowship at UF. In 2001, she joined the University of Illinois at Chicago as an assistant professor, where she remained for 13 years before joining the UF College of Pharmacy in 2014. She was appointed to the Debbie DeSantis Term Professorship in 2021.