David Agus
David B. Agus is an American medical oncologist, professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at the Keck School of Medicine and Viterbi School of Engineering of the University of Southern California (USC), and author focused on personalized medicine and cancer therapeutics.[1][2]
As founding director and CEO of USC's Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine, Agus oversees research integrating advanced technologies for precision cancer treatments and health decision-making tools.[1][2]
His contributions include co-founding biotech firms such as Applied Proteomics and Navigenics to advance proteomic and genomic applications in healthcare, alongside over 100 peer-reviewed publications on tumor genomics and personalized therapies.[2][1]
Agus has earned awards including the 2009 Geoffrey Beene Foundation Rock Stars of Science Award, the American Cancer Society Physician Research Award, and the 2017 Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his biomedical innovations.[1][2][3]
He authored three New York Times bestselling books—The End of Illness (2012), A Short Guide to a Long Life (2014), and The Lucky Years (2016)—advocating data-driven health maintenance.[1]
Agus served on the medical team treating Apple co-founder Steve Jobs for pancreatic cancer in his final years.[4][5][6]
In 2023, Agus encountered substantial controversy when his co-authored book The Book of Animal Secrets was suspended and recalled by Simon & Schuster following revelations of extensive plagiarism, including unattributed passages from Wikipedia and other sources, with collaborator Kristin Loberg admitting to copying at least 95 sections; Agus subsequently rewrote and re-released a version.[7][8][9]