David Agus

David Agus
Agus at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in 2013
Alma materPrinceton University (1987)
University of Pennsylvania
Known forCo-founder of
Author of
  • The End of Illness (2012)
  • A Short Guide to a Long Life (2014)
  • The Lucky Years (2016)
Spouse
Amy Joyce (née Povich)
​
​
(m. 1994)​
Children2
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions

David B. Agus (/ˈeɪgəs/) is an American physician and author[1] specializing in advanced cancer.[2] He serves as professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and Viterbi School of Engineering, as well as the founding director and CEO of the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine.[3] He is also the cofounder of several personalized medicine companies and a contributor to CBS News on health topics.[4]

Agus has developed new cancer treatments with the aid of private foundations, as well as national agencies including the National Cancer Institute.[5] Agus has also served as chair of the Global Agenda Council on Genetics for the World Economic Forum.[6] His book The Book of Animal Secrets: Nature's Lessons for a Long and Happy Life was determined to contain a large number of plagiarized passages for which he apologized.

Early life and education

Agus grew up in Baltimore.[7] His father was a nephrologist,[8] and his grandfather Rabbi Jacob Agus was a theologian and scholar.[9] He graduated cum laude in molecular biology from Princeton University in 1987 and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in 1991.[10] He completed his residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital and completed his oncology fellowship training at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.[2][11] He spent two years at the National Institutes of Health as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute-NIH Research Scholar.[12][13]

Career

Agus was an attending physician in the Department of Medical Oncology and head of the Laboratory of Tumor Biology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He was also Assistant Professor of Medicine at Cornell University Medical Center.[14]

As director of the Spielberg Family Center for Applied Proteomics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, he led multidisciplinary research on the development and use of proteomic technologies to guide individualized medical treatment. The center grew out of earlier clinical projects at Cedars-Sinai, where Agus served as an attending physician in oncology, which observed striking differences between the aggressiveness of prostate cancer in certain patients and their ability to respond to treatment.[15][16]

In 2009, he joined the University of Southern California,[17] where he is professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at the USC Keck School of Medicine and Viterbi School of Engineering.[1][18] That year, he became founding director of the Center for Applied Molecular Medicine at USC.[19]

Agus is the founding director and CEO of the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine, which researches preventive medicine and treatments for cancer.[20] The institute was established in 2016 with a $200 million donation from Larry Ellison.[21] It was renamed the Ellison Institute of Technology in 2023.[22]

Agus's research has focused on the use of technology to model cancer and on new cancer treatments.[23][24] He also maintains an oncology practice to apply his team's research discoveries to the patients under his care.[25]

He has founded and co-founded several companies, including Oncology.com,[26] Navigenics, a personalized medicine company,[24] Applied Proteomics, co-founded with Danny Hillis,[24] Sensei, a wellness and lifestyle company co-founded with Larry Ellison, and Sensei Agriculture.[27]

Writing and plagiarism controversy

Agus has written several books, including The End of Illness (2012),[28] A Short Guide to a Long Life (2014),[29] and The Lucky Years: How to Thrive in the Brave New World of Health (2016).[30]

On March 6, 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported that "at least 95 separate passages" in Agus's book The Book of Animal Secrets: Nature's Lessons for a Long and Happy Life were plagiarized, with the word choice in some instances found to be identical to that in existing sources. The book was initially set to be released the following day by Simon and Schuster, but after the article's publication, it was postponed until the sections in question could be rewritten. Agus issued a public apology.[31]

On March 17, 2023, the Times further reported that Agus's first three books, The End of Illness, A Short Guide to a Long Life, and The Lucky Years: How to Thrive in the Brave New World of Health, contained over 120 instances where passages were identical to other texts from sources including books, articles in scientific journals, science blogs, online articles, and Wikipedia articles. Almost all of the copied paragraphs or passages did not attribute the original authors. Agus stated he was not aware of, nor had any involvement in, the passages that were supposedly plagiarised and noted the specific passages were written by his co-writer Kristin Loberg.[32] Several other works that co-written by Loberg were found to have contained plagiarism, including David Perlmutter's Grain Brain (2013), which plagiarized The End of Illness.[33]

Television show

Agus hosted the Paramount+ television show The Checkup with Dr. David Agus, which was broadcast in December 2022. In the show, Agus discussed different medical issues with celebrity guests who have experience with those health concerns.[34]

His book was adapted into a television special titled The End of Illness with Dr. David B. Agus which aired on PBS in 2012.[35] In 2013, Agus became a contributor to CBS News.[36]

Personal life

Agus is married to actress Amy Joyce Povich, daughter of Maury Povich.[37] They have two children.[38]

References

  1. ^ a b "David B. Agus, MD | Keck School of Medicine of USC". July 31, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "How a Los Angeles doctor got swept up in the White House's Covid-19 response". STAT. April 29, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  3. ^ "Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine". Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. ^ "Dr. David Agus". CBS News. October 9, 2014.
  5. ^ Belvedere, Matthew J. (January 13, 2016). "Top cancer doctor: Do these things to live longer". CNBC. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  6. ^ "WVUToday Archive". wvutoday-archive.wvu.edu. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Seukunian, Matthew (September 23, 2014). "Dr. David Agus: A Rebel With Due Cause". C-Suite Quarterly. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  8. ^ "Beyond the Dome". www.hopkinsmedicine.org. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  9. ^ "WEDDINGS; Amy J. Povich and David B. Agus (Published 1994)". June 5, 1994. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  10. ^ "1990s Donors". Medical Alumni Donors. Penn Medicine Alumni. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  11. ^ USC. "David B. Agus, M.D." Archived November 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  12. ^ "Beyond the Dome". www.hopkinsmedicine.org. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  13. ^ "David Agus, M.D. Profile at UCLA". July 10, 2010. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  14. ^ "Geoffrey Beene | David Agus". Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  15. ^ "David Agus takes helm at USC Westside Cancer Center and Center for Applied Molecular Medicine". Nanowerk. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  16. ^ Entrepreneurs' Organization. "Power Speakers" Archived February 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 6, 2009
  17. ^ Masatani, Melissa (June 13, 2017). "David Agus awarded 2017 Ellis Island Medal of Honor". USC. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  18. ^ "USC - Viterbi School of Engineering - Viterbi Faculty Directory". viterbi.usc.edu.
  19. ^ "Rebels With A Cause - Center for Applied Molecular Medicine". March 16, 2016.
  20. ^ "David Agus, M.D. – Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine". Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  21. ^ "How tech mogul Larry Ellison's friendship with a USC doctor led to $200-million cancer research gift". Los Angeles Times. May 12, 2016.
  22. ^ Newton, Storm (October 12, 2023). "New research campus to solve global problems". The Independent.
  23. ^ "David B. Agus, MD". Keck Medicine.
  24. ^ a b c Belvedere, Matthew J. (January 13, 2016). "Top cancer doctor: Do these things to live longer". CNBC. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  25. ^ "Dr. David B. Agus, MD". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  26. ^ Hsieh, Nathaniel (October 15, 2012). "Prof focuses on cancer prevention". Daily Trojan. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  27. ^ "Ellison-Agus' Sensei separating farm, retreat units". mauinews.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  28. ^ "Game Changers For Astronomy, War Writing And Public Health". NPR. October 22, 2012.
  29. ^ "A Short Guide to a Long Life by David B Agus, David B Agus MD". www.publishersweekly.com.
  30. ^ THE LUCKY YEARS | Kirkus Reviews.
  31. ^ "Dr. David Agus accused of plagiarism, prompting book recall". CBS News. March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  32. ^ "Examination of USC doctor's earlier books finds more troubling instances of plagiarism". Los Angeles Times. March 17, 2023.
  33. ^ Stein, Joel (March 24, 2023). "Giving Up the Ghostwriter". LAmag. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  34. ^ Ted Johnson (November 29, 2022). "Paramount+ To Debut Dr. David Agus Docuseries Featuring Conversations With Ashton Kutcher, Nick Cannon And Other Celebrities About Their Health Struggles". Deadline. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  35. ^ "David B. Agus, MD". Los Angeles Business Journal. July 30, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  36. ^ "Reading Room: David Agus '87".
  37. ^ Daunt, Tina (March 21, 2014). "Paramount's Star-Studded Gala Raises $9 Million for USC Cancer Researcher". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  38. ^ Melton, Mary (February 4, 2016). "Steve Jobs' Former Doctor on Living Longer and Hating Yoga". LAmag. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
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