Academic history
David C. Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, FCPP, completed his bachelor’s in human sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, in 2007, followed by his master’s in public health from the University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. Dr Fajgenbaum obtained his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, in 2013, followed by his MBA in health care management from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, Philadelphia, PA, in 2015.
Dr Fajgenbaum is currently Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Translational Medicine & Human Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) and Associate Director of the Patient Impact of the University of Pennsylvania’s Orphan Disease Center, Philadelphia, PA.
Dr Fajgenbaum’s research has been recognized by the likes of New York Times, Science, Reader’s Digest, and the University of Colorado, earning him multiple awards, namely the 2016 RareVoice Federal Advocacy Award from Rare Disease Legislative Advocates and the 2013 Distinguished Service Award by the University of Colorado.
Speaking on novel therapeutics in Castleman disease
Dr Fajgenbaum has been a pioneer in the field of Castleman disease, known for his discovery of increased mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling in idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD). His team are currently leading clinical trials to investigate treatment with mTOR inhibitors. One such trial Dr Fajgenbaum is the Principal Investigator for is the Phase II study of the mTOR inhibitor sirolimus in previously treated iMCD (NCT03933904).
