Robert Barrow is a veteran pharmaceutical executive and the Chief Development Officer (CDO) of MindMed. He holds a Master’s degree in Pharmacology from Ohio State University and a Bachelors degree in Finance from Wake Forest University.
Barrow’s entry into psychedelic pharmaceuticals began in 2019 when he served as the Director of Drug Discovery and Development at the Usona Institute until 2020. At Usona, Barrow oversaw the launch of the nonprofit’s Phase 2 clinical trials investigating psilocybin as a treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. Under his leadership, the program was granted a Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration.
Barrow’s hire as MindMed’ss CDO in January 2021 may indicate the company’s potential pursuit of a psilocybin medication after years of research and development mainly focused on LSD and MDMA. In a press release announcing his hire, he stated, “Psychedelic therapies offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revolutionize the delivery of mental healthcare. In joining MindMed, I look forward to delivering on this potential and working to further build and progress MindMed’s pipeline of clinical development programs, offering hope to millions of people suffering from addiction and mental health disorders.”
In addition to his role at MindMed, Barrow has continued as a Principal at Jasper Biopharmaceutical Advisors, which he founded in December 2018.
Prior to his work with Usona, Barrow spent nearly a decade in executive roles at Olatec Therapeutics, a company that develops drugs to address a variety of inflammatory diseases.
He has also designed and run preclinical research programs for drugs targeting central nervous system disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.