Fred Eshelman

Dr. Eshelman is the founder and principal of Eshelman Ventures LLC, investing in a variety of companies, primarily health care. Previously, he was the founding Chairman of Furiex Pharmaceuticals, which was sold to Forest Labs/Actavis in 2014. Dr. Eshelman also founded and served as CEO and Executive Chairman for Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc. until the sale of the company to private equity interests (Carlyle, Hellman & Friedman). His career also included positions as Senior Vice President, Development, and board member at Glaxo, Inc., as well as various management positions at Beecham Laboratories and Boehringer Mannheim Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Eshelman is part of several industry boards and has served on the executive committee of the Medical Foundation of North Carolina and the board of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

Dr. Eshelman is also active in higher education, serving on the Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina (UNC) System (audit committee chair) and as an adjunct professor at the UNC School of Pharmacy, where he chairs the Board of Visitors. One of the top pharmacy programs in the US, the school was named the Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2008, in recognition of his many contributions to the school and profession. Dr. Eshelman has received numerous awards, including the Davie and Outstanding Service awards from UNC, Chapel Hill, and outstanding alumnus awards from UNC and the University of Cincinnati schools of pharmacy. He also received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, North Carolina Entrepreneur Hall of Fame award, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Dr. Eshelman holds a PharmD degree from the University of Cincinnati and completed a hospital residency at Cincinnati General Hospital. He has a Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from UNC at Chapel Hill. In addition, he has completed the Owner/President Management program at Harvard Business School.