Robert R. Ruffolo, Jr., PhD, FCPP

Dr. Robert Ruffolo, managing director of Ruffolo Consulting LLC, is the retired president of research and development of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and the retired senior vice president of Wyeth Corporation. In his roles at Wyeth, he managed an R&D organization of 9,000 scientists with an annual budget of over $3 billion, while serving on the management committee that ran the company’s vast global businesses.

Previously, Dr. Ruffolo worked for 17 years at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals (now GlaxoSmithKline), serving as senior vice president and worldwide director of biological sciences. Before joining SmithKline Beecham, Dr. Ruffolo was a senior pharmacologist for six years at Eli Lilly and Company.

Dr. Ruffolo has played a significant role in the discovery and development of many successful products. They include Coreg/Kredex/Dilatrend (carvedilol) for the treatment of congestive heart failure, for which he holds a patent and received the Discoverers Award from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Dr. Ruffolo has published over 500 full-length scientific papers, edited 16 books, served as editor-in-chief of four international pharmacology journals, and served on 29 editorial boards of international scientific journals. In addition, he serves as a director of six life science companies.

He earned a doctorate in pharmacology and a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy, summa cum laude, both from The Ohio State University. He also holds honorary doctorates in science and engineering.