Regent-designate Brian Komoto

Brian K. Komoto, Pharm.D., graduated from the University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy in 1981. After graduation, he and his wife Mary purchased a small pharmacy in Delano with a focus on meeting the needs of the medically underserved population in the San Joaquin Valley of California, where he grew up. The pharmacy became a place to not only get prescriptions, but also to seek medical assistance.  

Komoto Pharmacy grew from the small corner pharmacy of five staff to a healthcare company of six outpatient operations and over 150 dedicated employees. The company grew with a staff believing in the mission of exceeding customer expectations and finding win-win solutions with other healthcare providers in addressing community healthcare needs. In 2014, the Komoto Family created the Komoto Family Foundation and started the Affordable Meds Program to help patients cover the high cost of medications and copays. The program has saved over $5 Million of patient out-of-pocket costs. 

Focusing on addressing his patient’s health care challenges, he became more involved in the community and with medical leaders. He was appointed to the inaugural board of Kern County’s Medicaid Managed Care program, Kern Health Systems and eventually becoming Chairman of the Board. The Managed Care program is now the largest health plan in the county. He also recently served on the Adventist Health Kern County Board, a healthcare system with four hospitals and over 20 clinics and was the Chairman of the Clinical Committee and the Finance Committee.    

As President of UCSF's Alumni Association, Dr. Komoto initiated a mission to bring more practitioners and providers to the San Joaquin Valley. He has also been President of the California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) and is the current Chairman of American Pharmacists Association’s (APhA) Government Affairs Committee, which is focused on advancing the role and practice of the pharmacy profession. He was very active in opening the pathway for pharmacists to order and administer the COVID vaccine at both the federal and state level.

Dr. Komoto is the recipient of many honors and awards in recognition of his efforts to improve healthcare in the Central Valley, California, and in the Nation. They include the UCSF School of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumnus Award, the APhA Daniel B. Smith Practice Excellence Award, the premier practice award to recognize a pharmacy practitioner who has distinguished the profession by outstanding performance; the California Pharmacy Hall of Fame; the CPhA Pharmacist of the Year; and many more.

He is currently the Secretary of the Alumni Associations of the University of California (AAUC) and will serve as an Alumni Regent-designate for one year commencing July 1, 2024, and an Alumni Regent for one year commencing July 1, 2025.