Rachel E. Melman

VP, Regulatory Affairs and Compliance, North America

Rachel was appointed to Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Compliance, North America, in August 2026. Rachel originally joined Cytokinetics in 2014 as Senior Manager of Regulatory Affairs and steadily advanced through increasingly senior roles.

Most recently she served as Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs, spearheading the regulatory activities that secured the company’s first marketing approvals for MYQORZO (aficamten) in oHCM in the US and China. Throughout her tenure, she has directed US regulatory strategy, managed health authority interactions and overseen investigational new drug, clinical trial application and new drug application pipelines.

Prior to Cytokinetics, Rachel began her career as a regulatory associate at Kalypsys and subsequently held specialized regulatory roles at Affymax and Exelixis.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Business and Science, with an emphasis in Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, from the Keck Graduate Institute.

Outside of her professional work, Rachel lives in San Francisco with her partner, their son, and their two pets—a Samoyed and a tuxedo cat who often compete for her attention. An avid traveler and puzzle enthusiast who has competed in crossword puzzle tournaments, she is also deeply engaged in her community, having served on the Board of Directors at Congregation Emanu-El, and continuing her active involvement on the Membership Committee.