David B. Roth: Director of New Penn Center for Precision Medicine |
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David B. Roth, Simon Flexner Professor and chair of pathology & laboratory medicine, has been appointed director of the new Penn Center for Precision Medicine, a greatly expanded effort for Penn Medicine in this burgeoning field. In his new role, he will lead efforts to accelerate the implementation of precision medicine into clinical care. Dr. Roth is an internationally recognized expert in DNA repair and mechanisms of programmed gene rearrangements during immune cell maturation.
Dr. Roth, who will remain chair of the department, will work with senior leaders at Penn Medicine to develop a strategic plan to better integrate academic research with clinical operation in this field. “By leveraging our many strengths in biomedical research and developing synergies with our clinical programs, a primary goal of the new center is to create and implement precision medicine-based clinical care pathways embedded in systems of care,” Dr. Roth said.
“In the era of precision medicine, innovative, multidisciplinary approaches will transform Penn Medicine’s clinical care, shortening the pathway from initial accurate diagnosis to highly individualized therapy,” said J. Larry Jameson, dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System.
For example, recent advances in genomic medicine revealed that adenocarcinoma of the lung, once regarded as a single entity based on its appearance under the microscope, is actually a group of distinct disorders, each with characteristic molecular drivers. This knowledge allows oncologists to use more tailored therapies to treat people. “In addition to cancer, we’re using precision medicine approaches to diagnose and treat a wide variety of disorders, ranging from preterm birth to cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Roth said.
Under his leadership, the new center will implement demonstration projects to bring precision medicine into routine health system operations and measure their impact. A dedicated analytics team will capture data on both medical and economic outcomes. The center will also play an important role as a technical resource and coordinator for external grant applications on precision medicine.
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