MEDICINE: Chasing Cures for Rare Diseases and COVID-19 | David Fajgenbaum, MD

COVID-19: Commonsense Conversations on the Coronavirus Pandemic

Recorded June 5, 2020.

Your host is Dr. Ted O’Connell, family physician, educator, and author of numerous textbooks and peer-reviewed articles. He holds academic appointments at UCSF, UC Davis, and Drexel University's medical schools and also founded the Kaiser Permanente Napa-Solano Community Medicine and Global Health Fellowship, the first program in the U.S. to formally combine both community medicine and global health. Follow Ted on Instagram (@tedoconnellmd) and Twitter (@tedoconnell)!

Dr. David Fajgenbaum, a groundbreaking physician-scientist, disease hunter, speaker, and bestselling author of the acclaimed memoir, "Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race to Turn Hope Into Action." Best known as the ‘doctor who cured himself,’ Dr. Fajgenbaum went from being a college quarterback to receiving his last rites while in medical school and nearly dying four more times battling Castleman disease, a deadly cytokine storm disorder. To try to save his own life, he spearheaded an innovative approach to research through the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network and discovered a treatment that has put him into his longest remission ever. This approach is saving his life and other patients' lives too. Now, he is spreading this approach to other diseases like COVID-19 and sharing lessons he learned about living from nearly dying through "Chasing My Cure," which has been translated into five languages and named one of the “Best Non-Fiction Books of 2019” by Next Big Ideas Club. One of the youngest individuals ever appointed to the faculty at Penn Medicine and the top one-percent youngest grant awardees of a leading NIH R01 grant, Dr. Fajgenbaum has been recognized on the Forbes '30 Under 30' list, as a top healthcare leader by Becker's Hospital Review, the Global Genes RARE Champion of Hope: Science awardee, and one of three recipients—including Vice President Joe Biden—of a 2016 Atlas Award from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. He has published scientific papers in high-impact journals such as Blood, Lancet Haematology, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation, including one that was selected by STAT News in 2020 as one of the best innovations in science and medicine. Before co-founding the CDCN, Dr. Fajgenbaum co-founded and led the Actively Moving Forward Support Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting grieving college students. Dr. Fajgenbaum has been profiled in a cover story by The New York Times as well as by Good Morning America, CNN, and the Today Show, among others.

We can each do our part to ensure that scientifically accurate information about the pandemic spreads faster than rumors or fears. Remember to be vigilant, but remain calm. For the most trusted and real time information on COVID-19 and the coronavirus pandemic, both the CDC and WHO have dedicated web pages to keep the public informed. The information presented in this podcast is intended for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Producers: Madison Linden and Christopher Breitigan. Executive Producer: Patrick C. Beeman, MD

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