Pharmaceutical Phenom

For Ann Robbins, women’s 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’s health at all stages of life for over a decade.

“My goal is to help women access affordable, safe, and long-acting medications that aid them throughout pregnancy, menopause and their daily lives,” said Robbins, who earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in psychobiology, a track that eventually became the Program in Neuroscience, from Florida State University’s Department of Psychology in 1981 and 1985, respectively.

Robbins, who’s 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’s health, her main interest, to the market.

“I’ve made significant contributions to women’s reproductive health products, including long-acting contraception, infertility and menopausal patient products,” Robbins said. “Growing up, I noticed how the mistreatment of women’s health affected women’s confidence and livelihood. Contraception and reproductive freedom have always been important to myself and my work.”

Before coming to FSU, Robbins earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1979 from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2004, Robbins earned the Distinguished Graduate Award from FSU’s neuroscience program for her career achievements and was invited to speak at the program’s annual colloquium.

“I was introduced by two former FSU mentors — a great reminder of how fortunate I’ve been to have FSU as a foundation,” Robbins said. “Having 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.”

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.

“As a woman in science, I’m grateful to have had so many women mentors and colleagues who saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Over the years, I’ve tried to do the same for others. It’s important to recognize the support you’ve received and pay it forward.”

— 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.

“Focusing on clinical research was a pivotal career transition,” Robbins said. “I 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.”

Robbins also served as section head at Procter & Gamble, leading initiatives on women’s 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.

“The 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’s health and neuroscience products,” Robbins said. “I wanted to use my communication and data analysis skills for those projects specifically — this led me to start my own pharmaceutical consulting company.”

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’s health and neurology to the FDA.

“Ann’s passion is unstoppable, as she’s shown through her contribution to developing medicines to help women and people with neurodegenerative conditions,” 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.

“She 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.”

While Robbins continues to lead her consultancy as a one-woman show, she’s determined to use her experiences to help the next generation of scientists as they begin their own journeys.

“As a woman in science, I’m grateful to have had so many women mentors and colleagues who saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” Robbins said. “Over the years, I’ve tried to do the same for others. It’s important to recognize the support you’ve received and pay it forward.”

Bella Bozied is an FSU alumna who earned a bachelor’s degree in information, communication and technology with a dual major in editing, writing and media in 2024. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in integrated marketing management communication with a certification in project management and is set to graduate in May 2026.