Charlotte Owens, M.D., F.A.C.O.G

Charlotte D. Owens, M.D., F.A.C.O.G, is the Vice President and Head of the Research and Development Center for Health Equity and Patient Affairs at Takeda. In her role, Dr. Owens oversees this Center of Excellence that works with a variety of Takeda teams and external partners globally to identify and address health inequities, provide early patient access to Takeda medicines, accelerate the time to diagnosis for children with rare diseases and engage patients throughout the research and development process. The goal of this Center is to enable Takeda to create a more inclusive ecosystem and strengthen trust with communities and patients around the world.
Immediately prior to joining Takeda, she was the Therapeutic Area Lead in U.S. Medical Affairs for Women’s Health at AbbVie, responsible for the therapeutic area’s scientific communications, field medical science liaison team, clinical trials, educational efforts, and publications. Dr. Owens also previously served as a Senior Medical Director in Clinical Development at AbbVie, and oversaw the direction, planning, execution, and interpretation of clinical trials to deliver high-quality clinical data, with a focus on women’s health. In this role, she led the organizations’ uterine fibroid research portfolio, which included the largest uterine fibroid Phase 3 program, successfully enrolling and retaining nearly 800 women – roughly two-thirds of who were African American women – a group that is typically underrepresented in research but disproportionately impacted by this disease. Her landmark research program also resulted in the first oral treatment option specially indicated for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding associated with uterine fibroids.
Dr. Owens has worked in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry for more than 12 years and has practiced Obstetrics and Gynecology for more than 20 years. Prior to her joining AbbVie, she was the Chief Medical Officer for the Office of Translational Technologies, Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Director of the Division of Industry Collaborative Research at Morehouse School of Medicine. Today, Dr. Owens serves as an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Morehouse School of Medicine, where she is active in the training and education of medical students and residents and patient care.
Her work has taken her internationally for clinical trial capacity development and execution, improving and delivering patient care, and as a strategic healthcare management consultant. As a strategic healthcare management consultant, she focused on innovative partnerships for workforce development, sustainable capacity building and the creation and enhancement of centers of higher education in developing countries.
Dr. Owens has also frequently worked to provide health education to the public as a medical expert for television news programs, newspapers and magazine articles, and panel discussions, in additional to her academic contributions that include numerous journal articles, oral and poster presentations at national and international congress meetings. She has been a prolific and passionate presenter to federal, state, and local legislators advocating for the improvement of health, enhanced research and patient-centered infrastructure.
Throughout her career, working in service of supporting others has been the center of her personal goals. When Dr. Owens isn’t working, she loves to travel, cook, support her local art and theater community, volunteer, serve on not-for-profit boards, scientific advisory committees and spend time with family and friends. Dr. Owens is a board-certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist who attended the University of California Davis where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology, the University of Michigan where she obtained her Doctorate in Medicine on a full merit scholarship and the Henry Ford Health System where she completed her internship and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology and was appointed Chief Resident her senior year.