Kathryn Nattier McFarland, Ph.D.
Director, GPRD Project Management
Kathy McFarland, Ph.D. joined Abbott in 1980 and has held a variety of positions. During her tenure in Chemical Development she led the development, manufacturing, scale-up, and regulatory filings for more than 30 drugs and was named Divisional Vice President in 1999. She headed the TriCor (a lipid lowering drug) global project team leading to the successful launch of the next generation product in November 2004. As Program Head for Synthroid, she spearheaded a successful strategy integrating technical and commercial elements and culminating in the approval of New Drug Application in 2002 keeping this key drug available to patients. She became Divisional Vice President of Life Cycle Management in Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development in 2002. In 2007, she moved to a role leading a strategic initiative in the Pharmaceuticals Products Group for improving the investment rate of return on Drug Development. In 2008 she joined Drug Development Project Management in a part time role to allow more time for her volunteer efforts and leads improvement initiatives for the Global Project Team Model. She is a member of the Executive Committee for the Abbott women’s leadership initiative “Women Leaders in Action.” She is a member of the Arts and Science Development Board of the University of Missouri-Columbia, a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Christian Industrial League (CCIL), and president of trustees for First Presbyterian Church Waukegan, IL. Dr. McFarland received her Ph.D. in Physical Organic Chemistry from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
