Freda C. Lewis-Hall, MD, DFAPA, MFPM
Global Biopharma Executive
A pioneer in medicine and leadership, Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall has been on the frontlines of health care for more than 40 years as an executive leader in the biopharmaceuticals and life sciences industries, clinician, educator, researcher, and media personality. A passionate advocate for health equity and improved outcomes for all patients, Dr. Lewis-Hall served in multiple leadership positions in the bio-pharmaceutical industry. She is widely regarded for expanding outreach to patients, reshaping the focus on patient engagement and inclusion, improving health information and education, and improving the bottom line by amplifying the voice of the patient within corporate culture and decision-making.
Dr. Lewis-Hall currently serves as Managing Director of INTELMED LLC, leading efforts to effectuate improvements in discovery, development, and delivery of medicine to patients with unmet medical needs. She facilitates the establishment and development of companies focused on repurposing industry assets and discovering and bringing new medicines to patients. Her focus is developing and driving effective leadership especially within the healthcare, biopharmaceutical, and biotechnology sectors.
At Pfizer, Inc., Dr. Lewis-Hall served for more than a decade on the Executive Leadership Team as Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and later Chief Patient Officer. Her tenure was devoted to ensuring the safe, effective and appropriate use of medicines and vaccines.
Prior to Pfizer, Dr. Lewis-Hall held various senior leadership roles within the industry including Executive Vice President, Medicines Development and Chief Medical Officer at Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Senior Vice President, US Pharmaceuticals at Bristol Myers Squib; Vice President, Research and Development, Product Development at Pharmacia Corporation; and, Product Team Leader and Director of the Lilly Center for Women’s Health at Eli Lilly and Company.
Dr. Lewis-Hall currently serves as board chair of CDT Equity, as well as on the board of directors of Pyxis Oncology. Dr. Lewis-Hall has previously served on the boards of directors of SpringWorks Therapeutics, Exact Sciences, 1Life Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, and Milliken and Company. She also served on the Bioethics Advisory Board for Illumina, Inc.
Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall currently serves on the boards of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. In addition she serves on the boards of the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, Faster Cures, Every Cure, and the Milken Institute.
Dr. Lewis-Hall formerly served on the boards of the American Heart Association Health Equity Advisory Board, the Novel and Exceptional Technology and Research Advisory Board of the National Institutes of Health, the NY Presbyterian Dalio Center for Health Justice, Save The Children, and Society for Women’s Health Research. She also served as the Chair of the Inaugural Board of the Cures Acceleration Network of the National Centers for Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Lewis-Hall completed a ten year term with distinction on the Board of Governors for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. She has also served on the Board of Fellows of The Harvard Medical School and the Board of Advisors of the Dell Medical School.
Dr. Lewis-Hall is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom. She has been recognized for her leadership, having been named Woman of the Year by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. She has received multiple recognitions by Crain’s, Forbes, Black Enterprise, Association of Women in Science, NY Academy of Medicine, the U.S. Congress and others.
Dr. Lewis-Hall is a nationally recognized speaker on issues such as corporate leadership, executive management, patient engagement, improving patient safety and health outcomes, reducing stigma and healthcare disparities, women’s health, public health, and diversity. She has presented at national and international forums such as TEDMED and Oxford Union.
Dr. Lewis Hall is an accomplished developer of consumer education and medical outreach programs. She produced and hosted “The Urban Health Report,” a nationally syndicated program on the Public Broadcast System. She appeared on national television and radio shows such as Dr. Phil, The Doctors, THE REAL, Rachel Ray, and multiple on-line sites. She has established and/or participated in multiple national and global health and disease awareness campaigns.
Prior to joining industry, Dr. Lewis-Hall served as Vice Chairperson and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine and was an advisor to the National Institute of Mental Health. She earned a B.A. in Natural Sciences from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.D. from Howard University College of Medicine. Dr. Lewis-Hall launched her medical career as a practicing physician and then focused her academic research on the effects of health care disparities and the impact of mental illness on families and communities.