Jeff Chodakewitz is an R&D leader whose 30 year career spans across pharma and biotech. He has broad experience with the complex path of turning a molecule into a medicine across many therapeutic areas and treatment modalities. Chodakewitz has driven the development of medically important products as well as established and evolved effective organizations. Jeff currently serves as a Board of Director member for multiple public biotech companies (Adicet Bio - allogeneic T-cell therapeutics, Freeline Therapeutics - gene therapy, Praxis Precision Medicines - neuroscience, Schrodinger - model-based drug discovery/development). He also serves as advisor for Kallyope and as a senior advisory for Ascent Capital, an emerging VC focused on late preclinical/early clinical drug candidates. Jeff served previously as a senior/executive advisor for Blackstone Life Sciences. 

Before leaving full time roles in 2019, Chodakewitz was Chief Medical Officer and EVP of global development at Vertex where he oversaw development/approval of a portfolio of new medicines to treat cystic fibrosis as well as a range of early novel programs. Before Vertex, Chodakewitz spent 23 years at Merck & Co. first leading infectious disease and vaccines during development of CRIXIVAN (indinavir), ISENTRESS (raltegravir), CANCIDAS (caspofungin), GARDASIL, ZOSTAVAX and ROTATEQ, then as VP of Early Development and SVP Late Development across the Merck portfolio, and later as SVP Scientific Strategy for Respiratory, Immunology and ID. Chodakewitz has a long Yale connection as an undergraduate, medical student and fellow.