Melissa Torres is a seasoned leader in medical device regulation, with over 20 years of expertise in US FDA and international regulatory policy with a proven history of shaping regulatory frameworks and advancing collaboration among global regulatory authorities, industry, and organizations. Ms. Torres is currently the Executive Vice President of Technology & Regulatory Affairs at Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), where she provides strategic direction for US and international regulatory policy, supporting the medical device industry both domestically and abroad.
Previous to her current role, Ms. Torres was at the at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) as the Associate Director for International Affairs where she was responsible for the strategic oversight of CDRH’s engagement in international programs and global harmonization initiatives such as the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) and the Medical Device Single Audit Program (MDSAP) as well as the development of US and international policies and programs for medical devices. In this role she also spearheaded the development of the Quality Management System Regulation (QMSR) for medical devices to align US and international Quality Management System requirements. Over her 21-year career at CDRH, Ms. Torres also worked in a variety of other leadership positions covering premarket and postmarket review of cardiovascular devices as well as regulatory policy and guidance development.
Ms. Torres received a Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and Master of Engineering and Science degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Engineering Management from the Catholic University of America. Ms. Torres is also an ASQ Certified Quality Auditor.