2026 Commercialization Award

David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc

Co-Founder & President, Every Cure

David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, is co-Founder & President of Every Cure and one of the youngest faculty members ever to receive tenure at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. A physician-scientist and patient battling a deadly disease, he discovered and repurposed a treatment that saved his own life—a story he chronicled in his national bestselling memoir ‘Chasing My Cure‘, which is being adapted into a film by Forrest Gump producer Wendy Finerman. Dr. Fajgenbaum has since advanced 13 more repurposed treatments for cancers and rare diseases and co-founded Every Cure to unlock more hidden cures from existing medicines. Every Cure has received over $100M from ARPA-H and TED’s Audacious Project. He has been profiled by The New York Times, Good Morning America, TODAY, and Forbes 30 Under 30 and honored with awards including the Atlas Award alongside then VP Joe Biden, Philadelphia Citizen of the Year Award, and named to the 2025 TIME100 Health list of the world’s most influential people in health. Dr. Fajgenbaum earned a BS from Georgetown University, MSc from the University of Oxford, MD from the University of Pennsylvania, and MBA from Wharton.

Commercialization Award

Recognizes outstanding contributions to the commercialization of innovative science and technology. The awardee is a catalyst in the acceleration of technology transfer. By identifying and developing new and creative ways to transition discoveries to the marketplace, the awardee has a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, or the welfare of society.

2026 Commercialization Award sponsors

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