Richardae “Chardae” Araojo, PharmD, MS

Senior Advisor to EQBMED PMO; Retired Rear Admiral (RDML); Retired Assistant Surgeon General
Araojo Advisory Group, LLC; Former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Former U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS)

Dr. Richardae “Chardae” Araojo, PharmD, MS, is the President and Founder of Araojo Advisory Group, LLC, where she provides regulatory consulting and strategic advisory services to help clients achieve their goals. Dr. Araojo previously served more than 20 years at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and with the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS). During that time, she held a variety of positions at the FDA including Associate Commissioner for Minority Health and Director of the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity in the Office of the Commissioner, and Director of the Office of Medical Policy Initiatives in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. While at the FDA, she led a variety of broad-based medical and clinical policy initiatives to improve the science and efficiency of clinical trials and provided leadership and direction on health disparity and health equity matters for the Agency. She also fostered collaborations and partnerships with federal agencies, academic institutions, industry, and patient and community organizations. In addition to the roles she held at FDA, she led various USPHS activities, including serving as Executive Chair of the Commissioned Corps Women’s Issues Advisory Board. Dr. Araojo retired from the USPHS in 2024 as a Rear Admiral (RDML) and Assistant Surgeon General.  She received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and Master’s Degree in Pharmacy Regulation and Policy from the University of Florida.

 

The Learning Phase includes:

  • Connecting Clinical Trial Sponsors: Bringing sponsors and local EQBMED-selected sites together to work as partners.
  • Sharing Key Learnings: Sharing important lessons learned from these partnerships.
  • Building Robust Infrastructure: Creating a strong support system that continues to support the growth and aspirations of local sites.