Former FDA director Patrizia Cavazzoni rejoins Pfizer

Dr. Cavazzoni was most recently Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where she ensured the availability of safe and effective medicines and led the regulatory and policy decisions on prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Under Dr. Cavazzoni’s leadership at CDER, there was significant innovation in drug evaluation and research, with a focus on advancing public health initiatives.

Before joining CDER, Dr. Cavazzoni held several senior executive positions in the pharmaceutical industry for nearly two decades, including at Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi. During her prior tenure at Pfizer, Dr Cavazzoni led clinical sciences and development operations for the company across multiple senior roles.

Dr. Cavazzoni received her medical degree from McGill University and completed a residency in psychiatry and a fellowship in mood disorders at the University of Ottawa, where she also received a full-time appointment to the Faculty of Medicine. While at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Cavazzoni joined the Mood Disorders Program at the Royal Ottawa Hospital with both patient and student-facing roles, and advanced research on genetic predictors of bipolar disorder. Dr. Cavazzoni is an author in numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications.