Objectives  To highlight areas of pharmacogenetics in which pharmacists may play a role and to describe those roles in the context of specific examples from a major academic medical center.

Data sources  Literature search (PubMed) and personal interviews for the University of California at San Francisco case examples.

Data synthesis  The field of pharmacogenetics presents a wide range of opportunities for pharmacists. Specific roles for pharmacists are likely to fall within three major domains: developing research methodologies and setting research directions, establishing the value of pharmacogenetic testing in clinical practice, and participating in education and infrastructure development that moves pharmacogenetic technologies toward implementation.

Conclusion  As drug therapy experts, pharmacists are in a unique position to push the frontiers of pharmacogenetics in both the research and clinical practice environments.