Ronald J. Christopher, Ph.D., D.A.B.T.

Senior Director, Development

Dr. Christopher is the Senior Director of Development at Takeda San Diego and is responsible for preclinical/clinical development activities and regulatory affairs. Prior to joining Takeda San Diego, Dr. Christopher served as Director of Drug Safety & Disposition at Ligand Pharmaceuticals. Before joining Ligand, Dr. Christopher served in various management roles within pharmaceutical research and development, to include Merck (formerly SIBIA Neurosciences), Johnson & Johnson, Schering-Plough and Bayer Corporation. He has over 18 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry with a successful track record supporting drug discovery and development activities involving small molecules and proteins.

Dr. Christopher has authored or co-authored over 30 scientific publications in the area of drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics and toxicology, supporting discovery and development efforts in areas of oncology, inflammation, diabetes, CNS and cardiovascular research.

Dr. Christopher holds a B.S. in Pathobiology from the University of Connecticut and a Ph.D. in Toxicology from Texas A&M University. Dr. Christopher is certified by the American Board of Toxicology.