Laykea Tafesse

Laykea Tafesse is currently a Senior Director in Global Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Safety at Merck. Previously, from 2018 to 2023, they worked in Global Regulatory Affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim, where they developed and implemented regulatory strategies and provided leadership for drug development projects. From 2016 to 2018, Laykea served as Director of Regulatory Affairs at Purdue Pharma L.P., guiding the strategy for investigational and marketed drug products. They have also held roles as Head of Medicinal Chemistry and Director of R&D, demonstrating a strong background in chemistry and project leadership. Laykea continues to pursue advanced education, holding a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Howard University, as well as degrees in Medicinal Chemistry and Regulatory Affairs.