About
Dr. Tabuteau is the principal scientist, founder, and CEO of Axsome Therapeutics, a New York City based biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing new medicines for people living with brain disorders.
Dr. Tabuteau is the inventor on more than 200 patents, including potential new medicines for depression, behavioral disturbances in Alzheimer’s disease, and narcolepsy. His main research interests are in neuropsychiatry, and clinical research methodologies to improve the drug development process. His original concepts have resulted in investigational medicines that have received three Breakthrough Therapy designations from the U.S. FDA.
Dr. Tabuteau founded Axsome in 2012 with the goal of developing treatments that could be life-changing for the millions of patients living with brain disorders. Despite the high unmet medical needs in this disease area, many large pharmaceutical companies exited the space because of the challenges in developing drugs for brain disorders. Dr. Tabuteau is fortunate to be joined by talented colleagues who are passionate about filling this void.
Prior to founding Axsome, Dr. Tabuteau spent several years in healthcare finance. After obtaining his MD degree, he joined the healthcare investment banking group at Goldman Sachs, and was subsequently a senior healthcare research analyst at Banc of America Securities. Dr. Tabuteau was a founding member, senior analyst, and partner at Healthco/S.A.C. Capital, a large healthcare hedge fund, where he was responsible for the biotechnology, genomics, and instrumentation portfolios.
Dr. Tabuteau grew up in Manhattan’s upper east side neighborhood, exactly one city block from Rockefeller University where his parents worked, three blocks from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, one and a half blocks from the Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital, and five blocks from Cornell University School of Medicine. The proximity to these world class institutions fueled his early interest in science in general, and medicine in particular.
Dr. Tabuteau earned his MD degree from Yale University School of Medicine and his Bachelor of Arts in molecular biology and biochemistry from Wesleyan University.
He attended Xavier High School, a Catholic, Jesuit high school in Manhattan’s Union Square neighborhood. He attended elementary school initially at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and subsequently at Saint Stephens of Hungary, both on Manhattan’s upper east side. He is forever grateful to New York City’s Catholic school system which made it possible for many of the city’s children to have access to affordable, high-quality education in a safe environment.
Dr. Tabuteau credits his work ethic to his father who is from Haiti, and his historical perspective and love of Motown to his mother who was born and raised in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood and who was involved in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s. He credits his love of art and literature to both of them. Dr. Tabuteau was born in Haiti.
Dr. Tabuteau is a dedicated father to two wonderful children, boy girl twins. On the weekends he can be found in New York City’s parks doing outdoors science experiments with them.
His favorite charities include Success Academy, a network of free public charter schools in New York City, and City Meals which delivers free meals to homebound elderly New Yorkers.