Dr Kalpana Merchant

Kalpana Merchant is a translational neuroscientist with over 30 years of experience in drug development for neurological disorders. She retired from Eli Lilly as Chief Scientific Officer for Tailored Therapeutics–Neuroscience. Prior to Lilly, she spent a decade in neuroscience research at Upjohn/Pharmacia. Kalpana has co-founded biopharma companies, served as Chief Executive/Chief Scientific Officer. Currently, she serves on Boards of Directors, Scientific Advisory Boards and as a consultant in the biopharma sector. She is an Adjunct Professor of Neurology at Northwestern University and an advisor to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. She has been appointed to the Oregon Innovation Council, a trustee of the Portland Community College Foundation and has served on advisory boards/council at the National Institutes of Health. She earned her PhD from the University of Utah and held faculty roles at the University of Washington.