William Z. Potter, M.D., Ph.D. is Vice President, Franchise Integrator Neuroscience at Merck Research Laboratories. Prior to joining Merck he served as the Executive Director and Lilly Clinical Research Fellow of the Neuroscience Therapeutic Area at Lilly Research Laboratories. He developed a Lilly/IU fellowship early in 1996 and was named Professor of Psychiatry at IUMC. Before being associated with Lilly Research Laboratories, he held the position of Chief, Section on Clinical Pharmacology, Intramural Research Program at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He had been with the Public Health Service and the National Institutes of Health since 1971.

He has authored more than 200 publications in the field of pre-clinical and clinical pharmacology, mostly focused on drugs used in affective illnesses and methods for evaluating drug effects in humans.  He has received many honors during his career. Some of those include the 1975-1977 Falk Fellow, American Psychiatric Association, 1986 Meritorious Service Medal, United States Public Health Service and in 1990, St. Elizabeth’s Residency Program Alumnus of the Year Award.