Erin Whalen

Erin Whalen currently serves as Vice President of Cardiometabolic Discovery Research at Merck, a position held since November 2023. Previously, Erin held the role of Executive Director for Cardiometabolic Disorders Research at Amgen from March 2021 to October 2023. Erin's experience also includes serving as Director of External Evaluation and Diligence at Novo Nordisk from June 2015 to February 2021, where responsibilities focused on assessing external opportunities in obesity and related areas. In prior roles at Novo Nordisk, Erin directed in vitro pharmacology efforts. Erin's career began at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, where as Senior Investigator I, focus was placed on target identification and drug development for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Additional experience includes co-founding Trevena, Inc. as Senior Research Scientist, and serving as Research Assistant Professor at Duke University Medical Center, where novel GPCR biased ligands were characterized. Erin holds a Ph.D. in Cardiovascular Pharmacology & Vascular Biology from the University of Iowa and a BS in Biology with a Chemistry minor from Loras College.