Joana Goncalves, MBChB
Chief Medical OfficerDr Goncalves is our Chief Medical Officer.
She is a seasoned leader with more than 20 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Oruka, Dr Goncalves served as the Chief Medical Officer at Cara Therapeutics from 2018 to 2024, where she led the development of oral difelikefalin in dermatological diseases associated with chronic itch and helped bring IV KORSUVA™ through a regulatory review and FDA approval. She has experience building and leading multi-functional, high-performing teams that have gotten new therapies approved and successfully launched. She was part of the core team at Celgene that developed and launched OTEZLA® (apremilast), the first oral drug for psoriasis. Earlier in her career, she held roles in clinical development, safety, and medical affairs at LEO Pharma and Novartis.
She trained as a physician at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where she received her MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery).