Ray Sanchez is a senior advisor at Norwest, providing counsel to Norwest’s healthcare portfolio companies in the biotech space. He is a psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience in academic, medical, and pharmaceutical sectors, specializing in CNS, sleep/circadian rhythms, analgesia, and digital health. He was Chief Medical Officer at Cerevel Therapeutics, leading global development of innovative CNS treatments until its acquisition by AbbVie in 2024.

Ray has a strong track record in global asset development, securing multiple regulatory approvals for compounds like Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Rexulti, and the first FDA-approved small molecule/digital combination therapy, Abilify MyCite. He has led transformative executive medical leadership across various therapeutic areas, including CNS, pain management, hyponatremia, and polycystic kidney disease. He has also overseen regulatory interactions with agencies such as the FDA, EMA, Health Canada, PMDA, and TGA.

In 2019, Ray helped build Cerevel Therapeutics, driving medical organization development, capital formation, and infrastructure, leading to an IPO in 2020. He was inducted into the Neuroscience Forum of the Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and was recognized by PharmaVoice 100 in 2023 for his contributions to Life Sciences. He has held leadership roles with the American Psychiatric Association, the Betty Ford Center in addiction psychiatry, and served as Executive Chairman of the International Society for CNS Drug Development (ISCDD).

Ray serves on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Mental Health Center Foundation, the Sphinx Organization, and Tenacia in Shanghai.

He holds an A.B. in Psychology from Northwestern University and trained in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, where he was Chief Resident and Instructor before transitioning to the life sciences industry.