William H. Carson, M.D., was most recently the President and CEO of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC), leading the development and regulatory approvals of Otsuka’s global compounds including Abilify Maintena®, Rexulti®, Samsca® and Jynarque®. He also oversaw the approval of Abilify MyCite®, the first FDA-approved digital medicine. Dr. Carson joined Otsuka as Vice President of the Princeton Aripiprazole Unit in 2002, establishing the company’s presence there. Before joining Otsuka, he rose through the ranks in the CNS Research and Development department at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Carson, a board-certified psychiatrist, was an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Dr. Carson currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of OPDC, and is also the Chairman of the Board of the Sozosei Foundation, a newly established Otsuka charitable organization with a main focus on decriminalization of mental illness. He is a Board Member of Excision Biotherapeutics and Trustee of the non-profit Internet2. He is Board Chair Emeritus of the Sphinx Organization, which advocates for parity and inclusion in the arts.
Dr. Carson holds an A.B. degree from Harvard College and a M.D. degree from Case Western Reserve University. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, the National Medical Association and the Executive Leadership Council. Dr. Carson was named to Savoy Magazine’s 2018 list of the Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America.