Ernesto Chanona

At Johns Hopkins, Ernesto Chanona serves as a lecturer in the MS in Regulatory Science program, drawing on a career that bridges science, government, and business development. Born in Mexico City and raised across Singapore and Dubai, Chanona brings a global perspective and a deep appreciation for cultural nuance to his teaching and professional work.

He earned his PhD in Pharmacology and spent a decade in drug development including his tenure at the National Cancer Institute. His career later expanded into public service, where he led life sciences initiatives at the Maryland Department of Commerce, working to grow the local biotech ecosystem and attract international companies to the state. He then went on to build and scale the business development operations of a regulatory consultancy.

Chanona is the founder and CEO of American Business Development, a consultancy that helps professional services in the defense, life science, IT, and financial sectors expand into the U.S. market and abroad. At ABD, his focus is on building business development strategies, teams, and processes that enable companies to thrive independently.

Teaching has remained a consistent passion throughout his career. Chanona began as a high school biology and chemistry teacher, later mentoring as a postdoctoral fellow, and today continues as he guides the next generation of business leaders through his role at Johns Hopkins.