Gayatri R. Rao is the Director for the Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) at FDA. The Office’s mission is to advance the development of promising drugs, biologics, devices, and medical foods for rare diseases. Dr. Rao oversees several programs that promote product development for rare diseases. She is FDA’s lead for coordinating cross-Agency efforts on rare disease issues and engages in numerous collaborations and outreach efforts to patients, sponsors, and other stakeholders.