As General Counsel, Melinda leads all legal and compliance matters across IFPMA.

Melinda began her career in Washington DC where she was in private practice specializing in food and drug regulatory law, specifically non-patent marketing exclusivity, orphan drugs, patient advocacy work, and dietary supplements among other areas.

Melinda expanded her practice to EU and Swiss law, and later to other jurisdictions globally. Her early experience in Europe included a two-year secondment to the EU Trade Association for OTC Medicines, AESGP, and in-depth work on the EU legal framework for biosimilars in the EU, orphan drugs, as well as novel advanced therapeutics.

Subsequently, Melinda gained expertise in the EU Chemical Regulation REACH as well as similar legislation globally, with particular focus on the interplay of chemical legislation in the regulatory framework governing products for human and animal use.

A US qualified lawyer, Melinda holds a Doctor of Law (JD) and Masters of Public Health (MPH) in law, policy, and bioethics from Georgetown University Law Center, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland.