Efficient method to go from a table view or feature layer to a Pandas DataFrame

I am just starting to use Pandas. I have exported a few geodatabase tables to csv files to load into Pandas DataFrames. I know there has to be a more direct or efficient way to load data from a geodatabase table or feature layer into a Pandas DataFrame. Can any Panda users suggest a better method of getting geodatabase data into Pandas?

Thanks,

Mel