Pharmaceutical Phenom
Neuroscience alumna Ann Robbins uses consultancy firm to advance medications to aid women鈥檚 and neurological health
For Ann Robbins, women鈥檚 health is more than a personal topic. As president of her own pharmaceutical regulatory consulting company, Robbins has had a hand in the development, analysis, and implementation of medicines enhancing women鈥檚 health at all stages of life for over a decade.
鈥淢y goal is to help women access affordable, safe, and long-acting medications that aid them throughout pregnancy, menopause and their daily lives,鈥 said Robbins, who earned her master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in psychobiology, a track that eventually became the , from 糖心vlog鈥檚 in 1981 and 1985, respectively.
Robbins, who鈥檚 from Indianapolis, Indiana, founded Ann Robbins, LLC in 2010 to have a direct hand in preparing clinical protocols, analyzing clinical trial data, and leading interactions on pharmaceutical drug development with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to bring medicines targeting neurological disorders and issues in women鈥檚 health, her main interest, to the market.
鈥淚鈥檝e made significant contributions to women鈥檚 reproductive health products, including long-acting contraception, infertility and menopausal patient products,鈥 Robbins said. 鈥淕rowing up, I noticed how the mistreatment of women鈥檚 health affected women鈥檚 confidence and livelihood. Contraception and reproductive freedom have always been important to myself and my work.鈥
Before coming to FSU, Robbins earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology in 1979 from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2004, Robbins earned the Distinguished Graduate Award from FSU鈥檚 neuroscience program for her career achievements and was invited to speak at the program鈥檚 annual colloquium.
鈥淚 was introduced by two former FSU mentors 鈥 a great reminder of how fortunate I鈥檝e been to have FSU as a foundation,鈥 Robbins said. 鈥淗aving that support during a pivotal time facilitated research opportunities, like working in an electrophysiological lab in Japan, and helped me gain confidence in my problem-solving skills, which pointed me toward pharmaceutical drug development.鈥
After earning her Ph.D., Robbins transitioned to clinical research as a scientist at Population Council, an international nonprofit organization focused on biomedicine and public health research.
鈥As a woman in science, I鈥檓 grateful to have had so many women mentors and colleagues who saw something in me that I didn鈥檛 see in myself. Over the years, I鈥檝e tried to do the same for others. It鈥檚 important to recognize the support you鈥檝e received and pay it forward.鈥
鈥 Ann Robbins
She then served as vice president of clinical development and regulatory affairs for a pharmaceutical oncology startup before going on to work as an associate director for pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company where she headed FDA approvals for medications like Cymbalta, which treats major depressive and general anxiety disorders.
鈥淔ocusing on clinical research was a pivotal career transition,鈥 Robbins said. 鈥淚 worked on a range of products targeting neurological issues and infertility, and my work at Population Council built the foundation of the work I do today.鈥
Robbins also served as section head at Procter & Gamble, leading initiatives on women鈥檚 prescription health and preventative overactive bladder medications such as Enablex. When Warner Chilcott purchased Procter & Gamble in 2009, Robbins became director of regulatory affairs where she helped develop and market Asacol, a medicine treating inflammatory bowel disease, and Actonel, which treats osteoporosis, a condition in which bones become weak and prone to fracturing.
鈥淭he drug approvals I spearheaded over the years were all important, but I had the most expertise and impact with the divisions of FDA that approve women鈥檚 health and neuroscience products,鈥 Robbins said. 鈥淚 wanted to use my communication and data analysis skills for those projects specifically 鈥 this led me to start my own pharmaceutical consulting company.鈥
As president and founder of her company, Robbins now works with clients to compile data to present pharmaceutical benefits of new treatments targeting issues in women鈥檚 health and neurology to the FDA.
鈥淎nn鈥檚 passion is unstoppable, as she鈥檚 shown through her contribution to developing medicines to help women and people with neurodegenerative conditions,鈥 said Martha A. Brumfield, former CEO and present senior adviser of the nonprofit Critical Path Institute, a public-private partnership, who regularly worked alongside Robbins in biopharmaceutical regulatory affairs and brought Robbins on to consult at C-Path.
鈥淪he worked on a multidisciplinary team of an internationally based company to achieve FDA approval for the first over-the-counter birth control, Opill, in 2023, which for decades before was only approved for prescription use," Brumfield said. "This is just one of the safe and effective products Ann made more accessible.鈥
While Robbins continues to lead her consultancy as a one-woman show, she鈥檚 determined to use her experiences to help the next generation of scientists as they begin their own journeys.
鈥淎s a woman in science, I鈥檓 grateful to have had so many women mentors and colleagues who saw something in me that I didn鈥檛 see in myself,鈥 Robbins said. 鈥淥ver the years, I鈥檝e tried to do the same for others. It鈥檚 important to recognize the support you鈥檝e received and pay it forward.鈥
Bella Bozied is an FSU alumna who earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in information, communication and technology with a dual major in editing, writing and media in 2024. She is currently pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in integrated marketing management communication with a certification in project management and is set to graduate in May 2026.