Nermeen Varawalla, MD, PhD, joined the Relief team in December 2021 as Chief Medical Officer. She brings more than 30 years of international experience in clinical development, regulatory matters and medical affairs within the pharmaceutical sector, including the rare disease arena. Prior to joining Relief, Dr. Varawalla was Chief Medical Officer and Head of Clinical Development for Atlantic Healthcare plc, a specialist pharmaceutical company with late-stage clinical assets for inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal dysmotility in rare diseases. Before that, she was Managing Director of Clinstrat Ltd, a life science and healthcare business consultancy, where, among other projects, she worked with private equity firms to develop the investment thesis and business plan for the buy-out of BTG plc’s specialty pharmaceutical business unit, valued at approximately $1 billion. Earlier in her career, Dr. Varawalla was Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development at BTG International plc, Chief Medical Officer at Accord Healthcare and Executive Vice President of Lambda Therapeutic Research, both divisions of Intas Pharmaceuticals.

She began her career as a physician in obstetrics and gynecology at KEM Group of University Hospitals, Mumbai. Dr. Varawalla received both her MBBS, Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, and MD degree from the University of Mumbai; her PhD and the designation as a Rhodes Research Fellow from the University of Oxford and her MBA from INSEAD.