David Agus
A cancer doctor who argues that medicine must move beyond treating disease to engineering human health as a complex system.
Born 1965 (age 61)·American physician·Birthday: January 29·Generation X
Biography
David Agus didn't just want to treat cancer; he wanted to reframe how we think about health itself. Born in 1965, he trained as an oncologist, but his perspective was forged at the intersection of the clinic and the laboratory. At the University of Southern California, he holds a rare dual appointment in medicine and biomedical engineering, a testament to his belief that technology and biology are inseparable. He co-founded companies like Navigenics to bring personalized genetic insights to the public and leads the Ellison Medical Institute, pushing research into the biology of aging. Agus became a public figure through bestselling books like 'The End of Illness' and regular CBS News appearances, where he translates complex science into actionable advice, often challenging medical orthodoxy with his systems-based approach.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
David was born in 1965, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1965
#1 Movie
The Sound of Music
Best Picture
The Sound of Music
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1965Born
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1970Started school
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1978Became a teenager
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Could drive
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1983Could vote
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Turned 21
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1995Turned 30
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 40
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 50
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 60
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 61 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded and serves as CEO of the Ellison Medical Institute, a major research center focused on aging and chronic disease.
- Co-founded Navigenics, an early pioneer in the direct-to-consumer genetic testing industry.
- Authored the number-one New York Times bestseller 'The End of Illness', which popularized a systems-based view of human health.
- Holds a dual professorship in medicine and biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California.
Did You Know?
He was a treating physician for the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Agus is a regular contributor to CBS News, appearing on programs like 'CBS This Morning'.
He helped develop the 'Prostate Medical Home', a new model for prostate cancer care coordination.
“Health is not the absence of disease. Health is stability. Disease is instability.”
