David P.L. Sachs, MD
David P.L. Sachs, MD
Dr. Sachs is an internationally recognized physician, clinician, and research scientist in the field of pulmonary medicine and tobacco dependence. For the past 25 years, he has conducted pioneering research seeking new and improved treatment methodologies for tobacco dependence. In 2003, the United States Patent Office awarded Dr. Sachs a patent on a method to optimize the nicotine patch dose, improving treatment effectiveness for tobacco dependence by four-fold.
After receiving his undergraduate degree from Carleton College in Minnesota, Dr. Sachs received his MD from Stanford University in 1972, and completed internship and medical residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland and pulmonary medicine fellowship training at Stanford University Medical Center. He has served as an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine and has also served as one of the developers of the innovative Stanford Faculty Development Program. Since 2006 he has served as Chair of the American College of Chest Physicians Committee that created a new, completely revised, 3rd Edition of ACCP Tobacco-Dependence Treatment Tool, released June 2010 (This physician- and nurse-friendly tool kit is available at no cost to College members and may purchased for a modest price directly from the College. See http://tobaccodependence.chestnet.org for a preview or to order.). Since 2008 he has served as member of the American Thoracic Society’s Tobacco Control Committee and in 2007 was also instrumental in helping the American Thoracic Society create and fund a permanent new research fund: The Tobacco-Dependence Research Fund.
Since 1985, Dr. Sachs has also been Director of the non-profit Palo Alto Center for Pulmonary Disease Prevention in Palo Alto, California. Research at the Center has been funded primarily by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, The American Heart Association, The American Lung Association, a number of pharmaceutical companies, and certain private grants. His results have been pivotal in gaining FDA approval for new drugs, and he regularly serves as a consultant to both government agencies and commercial companies.
In addition to publishing over 100 scientific articles and abstracts, Dr. Sachs has served as a Regular and Special Review Committee Member of National Institutes of Health (NIH) Study Sections for many years. He has served as a consultant to David Kessler, former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Sachs has received many honors and awards over the years. Most recently, in 2008, he received the Excellence In Teaching Award from the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Alfred Soffer Research Award for Outstanding Original Scientific Research from the American College of Chest Physicians. Dr. Sachs is an avid French horn player, recently having participated in chamber music workshops in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Oxford, England. He also enjoys jogging (almost every day) and keeping physically fit. He and his wife of 35 years, Bonnie, enjoy attending live performances, and are regular subscribers to the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Symphony, and the San Jose Repertory Theater.
Lucy Huang, RN, BSN
Ms. Huang has worked with Dr. Sachs since 1995. Ms. Huang received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Texas, Austin, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of San Francisco. She sees private pulmonary and tobacco-dependent patients along with Dr. Sachs. She serves as Project Manager on all of Dr. Sachs’s clinical research trials and has been a key research associate on several large-scale bupropion SR (Zyban) studies and other cutting-edge trials. She is fluent in Mandarin, and enjoys gardening in her free time.
Bonnie L. Sachs, RN, MS
Ms. Sachs received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from San Francisco State University and Master of Science in Nursing from the University of California, San Francisco. She also has a Master of Arts degree in Sociology, with a focus on family systems, from Case Western Reserve University. She has extensive clinical experience, both inpatient and outpatient. She taught in the Master’s Program in nursing at Case Western Reserve University. For the past two decades she has worked with Dr. Sachs in the research and development of effective strategies to treat tobacco dependence. Currently she serves as the Associate Director of the Palo Alto Center for Pulmonary Disease Prevention. Bonnie enjoys walking in nature, reading, and creative, healthy cooking.
Adina S. Kletter
Ms. Kletter has worked for the non-profit Palo Alto Center for Pulmonary Disease Prevention, with Dr. Sachs, as a Project Manager, Research Assistant, and Editor since 2006. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Cognitive Science, with a concentration in Computer Science, from Wellesley College. Her projects in the tobacco-dependence field include research, medical writing, and copy editing of journal articles, textbook chapters (in Pulmonary Rehabilitation: Guidelines to Success, 4th Edition), and the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Tool Kit for Treating Tobacco Dependence (3rd Edition). Previously, Adina worked as a Literary Assistant and Dramaturg for the San Jose Repertory Theatre, Opera San Jose, and TheatreWorks; as a freelance writer of theatre and book reviews for local papers, including the ANG newspapers and J., the Jewish News Weekly of Northern California; and as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer for Sun Microsystems, Inc. and NetDynamics, Inc. Adina enjoys swimming, biking, hiking, reading, theatre, and travel.
Ben Seligman
Mr. Seligman is a second-year medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine and is a Research Assistant at the non-profit Palo Alto Center for Pulmonary Disease Prevention working on multiple scientific and research projects with Dr. Sachs. These projects include improving the effectiveness of treatment for tobacco dependence, improving the basic science education in neurobiology, neuropathology, neurogenetics, and neuropharmacology that medical students receive in their first two years of medical school, and developing clinical training programs for third and fourth year medical students so that they can learn the art, science, and clinical skills they need to effectively diagnose and treat tobacco dependence. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Sciences in 2007 from Cornell University. Among his achievements are receiving a Fulbright Fellowship in 2007 and conducting a 1 year study of HIV-treatment and prevention in at Osaka University in Japan. He cares passionately about expanding access to health care and disease prevention, not only in the United States, but globally.
