Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., is the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 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. She subsequently joined the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa as an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry. After her tenure in academic medicine, Dr. Cavazzoni worked in the pharmaceutical industry for several years and held senior executive positions in clinical development, regulatory affairs, and safety risk management across multiple therapeutic areas, until she joined the FDA in January 2018.