David had just completed officer selection for Special Operations in the U.S. Military and was a graduate student at Harvard when he was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC)—an ultra-rare, untreatable head and neck cancer. He was 27. David’s form of cancer, like so many, does not respond to chemotherapy and has no approved targeted therapies—a reality he refused to accept. Instead, he founded SHEPHERD for the millions of Americans battling rare cancer. 

 

David is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and former Spotlight Health Scholar at the Aspen Institute. He holds a B.A. in Economics, Philosophy and French Literature from Transylvania University, a M.A.L.A. in Intellectual History from St. John’s College, a M.Div from Harvard University in Religion, Ethics & Politics, and is currently completing his Executive MBA through the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School.