Dr. Debra Barker

Dr. Debra Barker is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with more than 25 years of experience in drug development and commercialization from Novartis, Roche, SmithKline Beecham, and Knall in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Dr. Barker currently serves as a nonexecutive director for 2 additional public companies, including BerGenBio ASA, a Norwegian oncology company, and Destiny Pharma PLC, a late-stage British anti-infective company.

Previously, Dr. Barker led as Chief Medical and Development Officer at Polyphor LTD for 2 years. From 2006 to 2017, she held various leadership positions at Novartis, where she most recently served as Vice President, Medical Affairs Franchise Head for Ophthalmology, as well as Interim Franchise Head for Neuroscience. In addition, Dr. Barker held the role of Regional Medical Director, Asia Pacific, for Novartis, where she led teams to develop and execute medical communications, clinical trial, and opinion leader development activities across the franchises.

Dr. Barker holds a degree in pharmaceutical medicine and received a master’s degree in immunology from King’s College in London and a medical degree from Queens’ College, Cambridge, UK.