President and Founder

Dr. Susan Learned, M.D., Pharm.D., Ph.D., is the President and Founder of Learned Consulting Group, LLC, which largely provides overall R&D, clinical pharmacology and medicines development strategic and execution support to pharmaceutical companies. She currently is Chief Scientific Officer and Head of R&D for 2 biotechs and provides overarching clinical pharmacology strategic guidance for a third. She supports other clients as a Scientific Advisory Board member, Data Safety and Monitoring Board member or as a Scientific Advisor to the Board of Directors or managing equity organization(s). From 2015 - 2021, she served as Senior Vice President of Global Medicines Development at Indivior, a global pharmaceutical company based in Richmond, VA focused on developing medicines for patients with addictions and comorbid disorders. In that role, she was accountable for all drug discovery through post Phase IV drug development activities, including post-approval REMS programs and led all associated clinical and nonclinical disciplines. Susan’s 25+ years of expertise in the pharmaceutical industry spans all phases of drug discovery and development. She has managed large, global multidisciplinary drug discovery and development organizations, leading the design of innovative clinical trials to make efficient business decisions, implementing biomarkers and translational medicine tools across therapeutic areas, leading business development strategies and operations, developing high performing teams, and providing mentorship for globally diverse team members in leadership roles. Prior to joining Indivior, Susan was the VP, Medicines Development Lead and Franchise Lead for Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis at Stiefel, GSK’s Dermatology company. In that role, she led medicines development, including strategic and operational teams accountable for all areas of R&D and Commercial strategy for all assets from preclinical development through life cycle management, as well as all support functions. Susan was previously VP of Discovery Medicine for GSK in China where she set up the early development neuroscience organization for GSK in Shanghai by leading all clinical development activities for the global neurology pipeline including translational medicine, experimental medicine, medical governance, data management and discovery biometrics, clinical operations, epidemiology and clinical pharmacokinetics, modeling and simulation. Previous roles included being the Head of Neurosciences Discovery Scientific Licensing for GSK’S Worldwide Business Development organization, Head of GSK’S Neurosciences Discovery Medicine, and Head of Clinical Pharmacology and Discovery Medicine for GSK’S Psychiatry Center for Excellence in Drug Discovery, where she developed and implemented strategic clinical development plans for all compounds within GSK’s neurosciences pipeline. Susan’s key contributions have included several worldwide regulatory approvals, including WELLBUTRIN for major depressive disorder, ZYBAN for smoking cessation, NAVELBINE for non-small-cell lung cancer, NAVELBINE for breast cancer, REQUIP for restless leg syndrome, LAMICTAL for the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder, POTIGA for partial onset seizures, SORILUX for body psoriasis, SORILUX for scalp psoriasis, SUBLOCADE for opioid use disorder, SUBOXONE Film and SUBOXONE SL tablet for opioid use disorder, and PERSERIS for schizophrenia (not inclusive list). Susan obtained her BS Pharmacy and MD degrees at Union University’s Albany College of Pharmacy and Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, her internal medicine residency training at Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo, NY, and her PharmD and PhD (neurobehavioral clinical pharmacology) degrees at the Medical College of Virginia / Virginia Commonwealth University. She has served on numerous boards, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Medications Development Advisory Board, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ Board of Trustees, the Medical College of Virginia/ VCU’s School of Pharmacy Graduate Advisory Board and the School of Pharmacy and School of Medicine’s National Advisory Council. She has also been a Visiting Professor in the FDA’s Neurosciences division on the use of neuroimaging in drug development and her work with the SFDA/CFDA in China has helped to influence change in that Agency and encourage adoption of Western regulatory guidances.