Dr. Trudy Vanhove is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive, board leader, and physician-scientist with nearly three decades of experience shaping the development and commercialization of life-changing therapies. With a career that spans early-stage biotech to publicly traded companies and venture capital, she has been instrumental in bringing novel therapeutics from bench to bedside while building high-performing teams and scaling organizations in a competitive global landscape.
Currently serving as a Venture Partner at Longitude Capital, Dr. Vanhove provides clinical, regulatory, and strategic insight into biotech investments, contributing to portfolio decisions and guiding companies toward successful inflection points. She is an active board member of Ziphius Therapeutics, a self-replicating RNA vaccine company, and board observer for Allin Bio, Orso Bio, and Epirium, supporting their development and growth strategies. Previously, she was a board director for Insys Therapeutics and an advisor to Pappas Capital and Arrivo Bioventures.
Prior to her investment role, Dr. Vanhove served as Chief Medical Officer at Surrozen (NASDAQ: SRZN), where she led the development of a new class of Wnt-modulating bispecific antibodies for regenerative medicine. She oversaw the strategic transition from preclinical to clinical development, initiated multiple programs, and built a development team from the ground up while driving financing efforts that resulted in a $50M Series B, a SPAC merger, and a $120M PIPE. Her leadership extended to organizational governance, establishing portfolio prioritization, candidate nomination processes, and internal R&D structures.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Vanhove spent seven years at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, where she held leadership roles in both Search & Evaluation and Medical Affairs. As Vice President of Search & Evaluation, she expanded the scope of M&A and licensing reviews by over 400%, resulting in multiple strategic transactions including the acquisitions of Celator and Cavion, and partnerships with Codiak, ImmunoGen, and Redx Pharma. As VP of Medical Affairs, she led support for up to 12 marketed products across oncology, neurology, and rare diseases, and was pivotal in the FDA approvals and launches of ERWINAZE IV and DEFITELIO in the U.S.
Her earlier contributions include the U.S. and EU approvals and launches of Qutenza at NeurogesX and Gralise at Depomed. Dr. Vanhove has held clinical development roles at XOMA and Abbott Laboratories, and was an investment manager at the Evergreen Fund of GIMV, Belgium’s leading venture capital firm, further deepening her expertise in translational science and company building.
Trained as both a physician and pharmacologist, Dr. Vanhove holds an MD and PhD from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, both earned with the highest honors. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in clinical pharmacology at Stanford University and earned an Executive MBA with honors from St. Mary’s College. She also completed specialized programs at MIT Sloan and Stanford SPARK, enhancing her skills in artificial intelligence in biotech and translational innovation.
With over 40 peer-reviewed publications, several patents, and numerous early-career speaking engagements, Dr. Vanhove has made meaningful contributions to the fields of pharmacology, pain management, and regenerative science. She is multilingual—fluent in English, Dutch, and French, and proficient in German and Spanish—and brings a global perspective to all her work, rooted in her European background and cross-continental experience.
In her personal time, she enjoys travel, golf, sailing, padel, hiking, and spending time in the outdoors—activities that reflect her strategic mindset, curiosity, and appreciation for global connection. A U.S. citizen based in Menlo Park, California, Dr. Vanhove is actively seeking board opportunities where she can leverage her unparalleled drug development expertise, vast industry network, and investor perspective to help biotech companies bring transformative therapies to patients worldwide.
Character: Dr. Vanhove is a dedicated and visionary leader committed to advancing patient care through innovative drug development and ethical corporate governance.
Knowledge: She possesses deep scientific and clinical expertise, combined with extensive experience in global regulatory strategy, drug development, and venture investing.
Strategic: Dr. Vanhove excels at driving corporate growth through strategic portfolio prioritization, deal-making, and building high-performance teams that deliver successful product launches.
Communication: She is an effective communicator who builds strong cross-functional relationships, influences stakeholders, and presents complex scientific and business concepts clearly to diverse audiences.
