Innovation Forum
Jeffrey Leiden, M.D., Ph.D.
Chairman, President & CEO, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
In a conversation with Terry McGuire, Founding Partner, Polaris Partners
“The Massachusetts Innovation Ecosystem: From Biotech to Digital Healthcare”

Dr. Leiden is the Chairman, President, and CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He has served as a member of Vertex’s Board of Directors since 2009. Dr. Leiden has more than 20 years of scientific, commercial, and financial experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as well as clinical and scientific experience in academia as a practicing cardiologist and molecular biologist. Prior to joining Vertex, Dr. Leiden was a Managing Director for Clarus Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm he joined in 2006. From 2000 to 2006, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Scientific Officer, at Abbott Laboratories where he ran the organization’s global pharmaceuticals business.

Terry McGuire is a Founding Partner of Polaris Partners and brings more than 25 years of successful early stage investing experience to the healthcare industry. As a venture capitalist, he has invested in more than 48 companies, co-founding three: Microchips Biotech, Inspire Pharmaceuticals, and Advanced Inhalation Research.