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David A. Flockhart
David A. Flockhart
BornJuly 22, 1952
Edinburgh, Scotland
DiedNovember 26, 2015
Indianapolis, United States
NationalityScotland
Alma mater
Awards
  • Leon I. Goldberg Memorial Lecture Series Award (2015)
  • William B. Abrams Lecture Series Award (2014)
  • Rawls-Palmer Award for Progress in Medicine (2011)
  • Nathaniel T. Kwit Memorial Distinguished Service Award (2009)
Scientific career
FieldsPharmacogenetics Personalized Medicine
Institutions

David A. Flockhart[edit]

David A. Flockhart (1952–2015) was a Scottish medical researcher and physician who was a leader in the fields of personalized medicine and pharmacogenetics[1]. He was especially known for his research on factors affecting the use of tamoxifen to treat breast cancer such as variability in the level of the CYP2D6 enzyme[2][3].

Early Life[edit]

Dr. Flockhart, the eldest of five children, was born on July 22, 1952 in Edinburgh, Scotland to Pamela Ellison Flockhart and Reverend D. Ross Flockhart[4]. He had 2 brothers and 2 sisters, Andrew, Patrick, Carola, and Fiona, who passed away in 1970[5]. His parents, originally from Australia, moved to Scotland for his father to study divinity[4]. He was tutored by a governess as a child before attending a junior school in Aberdeen[5]. The majority of his secondary school education was completed at George Watson's College in Edinburgh[4]. 

Education[edit]

He completed his Honours Biochemistry degree at Bristol University in England, but his passion for patient care led him away from his initial career path as a pure laboratory scientist and prompted his return to school[5]. Flockhart obtained his Ph.D. from the Welsh National School of Medicine in the United Kingdom and subsequently moved to the United States in the 1970s, where he was hired as an assistant professor of Physiology at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine[6]. He earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Miami School of Medicine in 1987[6]. 

Flockhart then completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Georgetown University Medical Center, where he was first drawn to pharmacology and personalized medicine[6]. After a year working as Chief Medical Resident, he completed a Clinical Pharmacology fellowship in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at the Georgetown University Medical Center and served as the Director of the Pharmacogenetics Core laboratory at Georgetown University[6]. 

Scientific Career[edit]

Dr. Flockhart became one of the world’s leading authorities in the field of pharmacogenetics, which studies the relationship between genomic variability and differences in individual drug response. He was also a primary advocate for the adoption of personalized treatments and safer, more effective medication strategies[7]. 

During his time at Vanderbilt University, Flockhart was instrumental in forming the local chapter of Amnesty International[5]. He led letter-writing campaigns, organized public forums, attended vigils, and supported human rights as a public speaker. He worked with Amnesty International for many years, serving on national boards and attending national conferences[5]. 

As a resident at Georgetown University, Dr. Flockhart opened a clinic that catered to the city’s refugee population, who were largely denied access to quality care[4]. He treated several HIV and AIDS patients, who during the 1980s and 1990s, were often subject to discrimination and denied treatment[4]. 

After completing his residency and fellowship at Georgetown University, Dr. Flockhart joined the faculty and ultimately led the division before being recruited to Indiana University in 2001 by Dr. D. Craig Brater, who was the chair of the department at the time[6]. He served as the Chief of the medical school's Division of Clinical Pharmacology and as the Harry and Edith Gladstein Professor of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics[6].

In 2010, Flockhart served as the founding director of the Indiana Institute for Personalized Medicine at Indiana University[6]. He was involved in developing new pharmacogenetic tests using ChIP, array, and other biotechnologies[8]. His work focused on evaluating and communicating the value of pharmacogenetic tests to clinical pharmacists and physicians[8].

Dr. Flockhart is best known for his work with tamoxifen, a common breast cancer drug taken to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence in women[4]. His laboratory made a critical discovery about the CYP2D6 enzyme, which plays a role in converting tamoxfien into endoxifen, a metabolite involved in preventing the return of breast cancer[4]. His laboratory found that CYP2D6 gene variants naturally observed in some women disrupt the conversion of tamoxifen to endoxifen, reducing the effectiveness of the drug[4]. He also discovered that the CYP2D6 pathway is blocked by certain antidepressant drugs, altering the metabolization and effectiveness of tamoxifen[4]. 

Dr. Flockhart was also widely recognized for his work regarding fluoroquinolone toxicity[9]. He spoke out to the media about the disabling and potentially serious adverse effects of fluoroquinolones and developed personalized treatment protocols for patients prescribed this class of antibacterial drugs[10]. 

Dr. David A. Flockhart has published more than 250 articles, reviews, and book chapters and was a member of many prestigious professional organizations[5]. He served on the editorial boards of:

  • Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics[8]
  • Pharmacogenomics Journal and Pharmacological Reviews[8]
  • British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology[8]
  • Coriell Pharmacogenomics Advisory Group (PAG)[11]
  • Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative (CPMC)[11]

Later Life and Legacy[edit]

In 2014, Dr. Flockhart was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, an advanced type of brain cancer[5]. As a lifelong educator, he shared his personal experiences through public forums, radio interviews, and other avenues, addressing important issues pertaining to the disease, such as the inefficiencies of the healthcare system and access to care [5]. His diagnosis offered a new perspective on the patient experience and current technologies available for treating brain tumours[4]. Throughout his career and especially during his battle with cancer, he continuously demonstrated and reminded people that simply caring for each patient was just as important as the complex medical science underlying their treatment[12]. 

Dr. David Flockhart became a citizen of the United States weeks before he died on November 26, 2015 in his Indianapolis home at the age of 63. He is survived by his wife and 3 children, Andrew Flockhart, Julia Seeley, and Peter Flockhart[7]. 

Awards and Honours[edit]

Award Year
Leon I. Goldberg Memorial Lecture Series Award from the University of Chicago[13] 2015
William B. Abrams Lecture Series Award from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT) & US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)[14] 2014
Rawls-Palmer Award for Progress in Medicine from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT)[15] 2011
Nathaniel T. Kwit Memorial Distinguished Service Award from the American College of Clinical Pharmacology (ACCP)[16] 2009

References[edit]

  1. ^ "In death, there is life". The Economist. 26 March 2016. p. 84.
  2. ^ "David Flockhart : Obituary". Edinburgh Evening News. 3 December 2015.
  3. ^ "In Memoriam, David A. Flockhart PhD, MD". Indiana University. Indiana University Department of Medicine. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "In Memoriam, David A. Flockhart PhD, MD". Indiana University. Indiana University Department of Medicine. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Indiana University School of Medicine (30 November 2015). "Remembering David Flockhart, M.D." Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "David Flockhart, M.D., Ph.D. - Indiana University Center for Bioethics". bioethics.medicine.iu.edu. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  7. ^ a b "David Flockhart : Obituary". Edinburgh Evening News and Scotsman Publications. December 3, 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Dr. David Flockhart". HSTalks. Henry Stewart Talks Ltd. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  9. ^ "The Ignored Risks of Fluoroquinolones". www.counterpunch.org. 12 January 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  10. ^ Research, Center for Drug Evaluation and. "Drug Safety and Availability - FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA advises restricting fluoroquinolone antibiotic use for certain uncomplicated infections; warns about disabling side effects that can occur together". www.fda.gov. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  11. ^ a b "In Memory: Dr. David Flockhart". Coriell Institute for Medical Research. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  12. ^ Lewis, Barbara. "A Pioneering Medical Researcher Kept Learning Even Through His Own Fight With Cancer". Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  13. ^ "Leon I. Golberg Memorial Lecture Series | Committee on Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics | The University of Chicago". University of Chicago. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  14. ^ "ASCPT & FDA William B. Abrams Award Lecture". American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Rawls-Palmer Award". American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  16. ^ Inc., Advanced Solutions International,. "Prior Award Winners". American College of Clinical Pharmacology. Retrieved 19 November 2016. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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