ANN ARBOR—Officials at the Ann Arbor cholesterol drug developer Esperion Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ESPR) announced the appointment of JoAnne Micale Foody, MD, FACC, FAHA as chief medical officer, effective immediately.
She will serve as a member of the executive team and report to Sheldon Koenig, president and CEO. Foody brings more than 20 years of experience in academic and preventive cardiology to Esperion.
“Dr. Foody is a global expert with extensive clinical and medical experience in preventive cardiology, global medical development and medical affairs, which adds greatly to the depth of our management team,” Koenig said. “JoAnne joins Esperion at a critical period for the company,” including crucial clinical trials.
Foody added: “I am honored to take on the role of chief medical officer here at Esperion, a company whose lipid lowering therapies have the potential to improve the lives of millions of patients around the world. I am confident in the future of the company and eager to bring these novel new therapies to patients struggling to manage their LDL-cholesterol.”
Foody previously spent six years at Johnson & Johnson, where she served in roles of increasing responsibility within the company’s Janssen Pharmaceutical Co. division. Since August 2020, she served as vice president and head of data sciences for cardiovascular, metabolism, pulmonary, hypertension and retinal therapeutic areas where she was responsible for Janssen’s data science strategy and execution. Previously, Foody served as vice rpesident and compound development team leader for Janssen’s Xarelto program, working closely across the Janssen-Bayer alliance to execute on this multi-billion-dollar innovative medicine. Prior to that, Foody led cardiovascular medical affairs for Janssen.
Foody began her corporate career at Merck Research Labs, where she served as global director of scientific affairs of both the cardiovascular and metabolism therapeutic areas, formulating external engagement, franchise strategy and leading compound candidate selection through proof of concept to clinical practice. During this time, she led multiple project teams including not only supporting Ezetimibe and Januvia, but also provided leadership and strategic direction on small molecules targeting atherosclerosis, heart failure, hypertension, diabetes and pulmonary hypertension.
Prior to joining the industry, Foody spent more than two decades in academic cardiology and is an expert in preventive cardiology, having held professorships at both Yale and Harvard medical schools. She has published extensively, with over 200 peer reviewed articles. She has authored multiple international guidelines, chapters and two authoritative textbooks in preventive cardiology. Foody is a board-certified cardiologist, a Fellow of the American Heart Association, and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. She received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and a medical degree from the Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago. Foody completed her medical training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and fellowships in general cardiology and preventive cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland.