Dr. Watanabe is a Professor in and the Chair of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and the Jere E. Goyan Presidential Chair for the Advancement of Pharmacy at the UCSF. He is a board-certified geriatrics pharmacist, health policy investigator, and outcomes researcher with a passion to utilize real-world data to develop policy solutions to improve patient care, bolster population health, and enhance access that reduces medical costs. Dr. Watanabe currently serves as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Forum on Drug, Discovery, Development, and Translation also serves as an appointed member of the Board of Directors of the California Geriatrics Society of the American Geriatrics Society. Recent appointments include serving as Chair of the NASEM “Innovations in Pharmacy Training and Practice To Advance Patient Care Committee” and appointment to the "Processes to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Drugs for Rare Diseases or Conditions in the United States and the European Union" sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Watanabe has contributed to the NASEM report "Making Medicines Affordable: A National Imperative", provided briefings to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, United States Senate Finance, Appropriations, House Ways and Means, Senate HELP, House Energy and Commerce Committee, and briefings to the United States House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Staff on the implications of discarded medications and steps to take to reduce wasted medications. Dr. Watanabe served on the Advisory Group on Pain Assessment and Management in Long-Term Care Settings for the Joint Commissions and has been involved in national quality metrics development on long-term care and care transitions with prior service on the Pharmacy Quality Alliance. Additionally, Dr. Watanabe served on the American Academy of Neurology Neurotherapies Workgroup on Pharmacoeconomics.

Dr. Watanabe received his BS from the University of Washington, his PharmD from the University of Southern California, and his MS and Ph.D. from the University of Washington Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy, and Economics (CHOICE) Institute.