David Fajgenbaum and CDCN: Investing in Cures and Support for Castleman Disease Patients

Dr. David Fajgenbaum is the Executive Director and cofounder of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network, whose mission is to accelerate research, treatment and patient care through global collaboration, strategic investments in research and support for patients and their loved ones. Castleman disease is a rare disorder involving proliferation of cells in the body’s lymphatic, or immune, system. David and CDCN have taken an innovative approach to overcome many hurdles.

David Fajgenbaum has been battling Castleman disease since 2010. He received a BS in Human Sciences with Distinction from Georgetown University. As an undergraduate, he was awarded USA Today’s 2007 Academic All-American First-team honors. He studied for a Masters in Public Health from the University of Oxford as the 2007 Joseph L. Allbritton Scholar. David earned his MD from the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and his MBA from the Wharton School. At Wharton, he was the Irwin D. Mandel Fellow and recipient of the William Kissick Scholarship, Joseph Wharton Award and Eilers Health Care Management Award. Before CDCN, David cofounded the National Students of AMF Support Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting college students grieving the illness or death of a loved one.