Investing in innovation to fortify the future of mental health care

Elissa Cote joined Vistagen as Chief Corporate Development Officer in 2025, bringing with her seasoned leadership and broad experience across small to large-cap public biopharmaceutical companies, with a strong track record in strategic, transactional, and operational roles. Her therapeutic expertise spans neuropsychiatry, central nervous system disorders, immunology, infectious diseases, and more.

Since 2022 and prior to joining Vistagen, Ms. Cote served as fractional Chief Business Officer and strategic advisor to several biopharmaceutical clients. Prior to 2022, Ms. Cote served in multiple senior-level roles at Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, including Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, where she led business development, licensing transactions, and strategic divestitures aligned with the global enterprise strategy. Ms. Cote has also held leadership positions and roles of increasing responsibility at Sucampo Pharmaceuticals and MedImmune Inc., the global biologics division of AstraZeneca PLC. Earlier in her career, Ms. Cote was a management consultant with Accenture plc. Ms. Cote holds a Bachelor of Arts from Union College and a Corporate M&A certification from Columbia Business School.