Ep 157. David Fajgenbaum: Turning Hope Into Action

David Fajgenbaum is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Translational Medicine & Human Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of a memoir called Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race to Turn Hope Into Action. David is the co-founder and executive director of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) and an NIH-funded physician-scientist.  Diagnosed with Castleman’s disease while in medical school, David  has dedicated his life to discovering new treatments and cures for deadly disorders like Castleman disease. For this inspirational work he’s been recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 healthcare list, as a top healthcare leader by Becker's Hospital Review, and one of the youngest people ever elected as a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the nation's oldest medical society. He was one of three recipients—including Vice President Joe Biden—of a 2016 Atlas Award from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. David earned a BS from Georgetown University magna cum laude with honors and distinction, MSc from the University of Oxford, MD from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and MBA from The Wharton School. He is also a former Division I college quarterback, state-champion weight-lifter, and co-founder of a national grief support network.

In this episode, Stew and David discuss the harrowing and inspiring story of him as a young doctor who decided to find his own cure for the rare disease that nearly killed him.  They talk about how David used crowdsourcing to investigate the most promising treatment options — something the medical community is starting to adopt -- and how, years after first being diagnosed, he’s in remission, married to his college sweetheart, and a new father. They explore what it takes to successfully confront the trials we each face in life with hope, perseverance, and the critical importance of social support.

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