Phyllis Barkman Ferrell, DrPH, MBA

Biography

Phyllis Ferrell is an innovator, investor, and incubator for brain health and longevity. After three decades as a life sciences executive at Eli Lilly & Company, Phyllis retired from the pharmaceutical business and is now working as an independent advisor for multiple non-profit and private sector clients and is a Nonresident Scholar and the Managing Director of the Clinical Trial Recruiting Laboratory (CTRL) at the USC Schaeffer Institute. Additionally, she is on the Board of Overseers for the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), is a contributor on brain health for the Forbes Business Council, and is the Chief Impact Officer for the StartUp Health Alzheimer’s Moonshot, a global initiative that aims to break down silos and foster meaningful collaboration and entrepreneurial support between mission-aligned founders and champions.

At Lilly, Phyllis held many leadership roles throughout the organization. In 2011, Phyllis took on the leadership role for the late-stage Alzheimer’s therapeutic and diagnosis assets in Lilly’s pipeline. Since that moment she has been a relentless advocate for the patients living with the disease and those that love them.

In 2020, Phyllis was placed as an executive-on-loan to the World Economic Forum-commissioned Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC), where she has served as the visionary and founder of the Healthcare System Preparedness program, and remains a strategic advisor. DAC is a global multi-stakeholder partnership of organizations aimed at mobilizing the world against Alzheimer’s disease, with the specific focus of ensuring that health systems are prepared to embrace innovation and better care for our global aging population.

Phyllis has a BA in Economics from DePauw University, an MBA from Stanford University, and a doctorate in Global Public Health Leadership from Indiana University. Phyllis is a current member of the World Dementia Council and serves on many boards and advisory committees in the field. Phyllis is passionate about Alzheimer’s advocacy and brain health so that other boys don’t have to grow up without their grandfathers’ presence as her sons did.