From Pharma To Psychedelics, Robert Barrow, CEO Of MindMed: Meet Our Speakers

With over ten years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Robert Barrow, CEO of Mind Medicine Inc. MNMD is someone who certainly knows the ins and outs of the business.

Barrow joined MindMed in January 2021 as Chief Development Officer (CDO) but was later appointed as CEO and member of the Board of Directors.

Previously, he served as Director of Drug Discovery and Development at the Usona Institute. There, Barrow was responsible for launching the phase 2 clinical program for psilocybin in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and for obtaining breakthrough therapy designation for the program from the FDA. This helped him cement his position as a leader in the booming psychedelics industry.

Prior to his work at Usona, Barrow was COO at Olatech Therapeutics, a clinical-stage drug development company. “My focus was on clinical development programs, as well as running trials and regulatory engagements,” he told Benzinga in an exclusive interview. He oversaw the execution of numerous early and late-stage clinical trials in the fields of analgesics, rheumatology, immunology, and cardiovascular disease.

In mid-2020, he was working in an FDA-facing consulting role for several psychedelics companies.

When joining MindMed, he shared his vision of the company with the previous CEO and co-founder, J.R. Rahn: “If we are going to dream and build big, we need to think about this as a CNS-focused pharma company, not just a psychedelics company”, Barrow said showing a particular perspective in the psychedelics industry.

Barrow holds an M.S. in Pharmacology from Ohio State University and a B.S. from Wake Forest University, where he graduated summa cum laude. 

This year, at the upcoming Benzinga Psychedelics Capital Conference, to be held on April 19 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel in Florida, Barrow will share his vision and valuable insights about the burgeoning sector.

April's Psychedelics Capital Conference (April 19) is bringing together the biggest publicly-traded psychedelics companies in North America with investors eager about the space. Check out the full impressive list of speakers.