David M. Eddy
Encyclopedia
David M. Eddy M.D., Ph.D., is the founder and medical director of Archimedes, a healthcare modeling company located in San Francisco
, California. He is regarded as an expert on medical decision-making and the use of computer models to predict the effectiveness of treatment.
in 1964. He went on to receive his medical degree from the University of Virginia in 1968, and then in 1978 received a Ph.D. from Stanford University, in Engineering-Economic Systems (Applied Mathematics).
In 1981, Eddy moved to Duke University
, where he was a Professor of Health Policy and Management until 1995. During this time, he was named Special White House Employee for Hillary Rodham Clinton
’s Health Care Task Force.
In 1991, he joined the not-for-profit managed-care organization Kaiser Permanente
of Southern California as the Senior Advisor for Health Policy and Management. He became interested in developing computer models to predict the effects of various treatment regimens on patient outcomes. One validation of his system was published in October 2009 in The American Journal of Managed Care; in it, the model's preferred regimen of a simple treatment for patients with diabetes or heart disease proved to be more effective than the then-standard treatment with an expensive drug.
In January 2006, Eddy, along with Leonard Schlessinger, PhD moved from Kaiser Permanente to form the privately owned company Archimedes, Inc.
The Archimedes Model is now being used by health plans, pharmaceutical companies, governmental agencies and others to address issues relating to new tests and treatments, guidelines, performance, incentives, and financing. It is also being applied to guide individual patient care.
Archimedes’ clients include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the American Board of Internal Medicine
, the American Heart Association
, the American Cancer Society
, Humana
, Kaiser Permanente, Eli Lilly and Company
, Myriad Genetics
and GlaxoSmithKline
.
The model uses object-oriented programming and runs on a distributed computing
network. At its core are hundreds of ordinary and differential equations that represent human physiology and the effects of diseases.
Archimedes validates the model by running simulations of actual clinical trials and then comparing the results of the simulation with those of the real-world trial. To date, more than 50 clinical trials have been used to validate the model.
According to Richard Kahn, then-chief scientific and medical officer at the American Diabetes Association, the Archimedes Model, "...is at least ten times better than the model we use now, which is called thinking.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California. He is regarded as an expert on medical decision-making and the use of computer models to predict the effectiveness of treatment.
Education
David Eddy received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1964. He went on to receive his medical degree from the University of Virginia in 1968, and then in 1978 received a Ph.D. from Stanford University, in Engineering-Economic Systems (Applied Mathematics).
Career
Eddy started out as an General Surgery intern at Stanford University Medical Center in 1968. He then became a Resident and Postdoctoral Research Fellow of Cardiovascular Surgery from 1969 to 1971. He spent 2 years as chief of the US Army Medical Research and Development Command's (USAMRDC) Bioengineering Research Branch. After completing his PHD, he briefly returned to Stanford University as a Professor in the Department of Engineering-Economic Systems in 1980.In 1981, Eddy moved to Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, where he was a Professor of Health Policy and Management until 1995. During this time, he was named Special White House Employee for Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
’s Health Care Task Force.
In 1991, he joined the not-for-profit managed-care organization Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium, based in Oakland, California, United States, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield...
of Southern California as the Senior Advisor for Health Policy and Management. He became interested in developing computer models to predict the effects of various treatment regimens on patient outcomes. One validation of his system was published in October 2009 in The American Journal of Managed Care; in it, the model's preferred regimen of a simple treatment for patients with diabetes or heart disease proved to be more effective than the then-standard treatment with an expensive drug.
In January 2006, Eddy, along with Leonard Schlessinger, PhD moved from Kaiser Permanente to form the privately owned company Archimedes, Inc.
Archimedes, Inc
Archimedes' main business involves using their proprietary software, the Archimedes Model, for medical testing instead of patient trials. The model enables clients to simulate clinical trials and compare clinical and economic benefits between drugs and standard treatments in various patient populations. The company's staff includes scientists, physicians and software engineers.The Archimedes Model is now being used by health plans, pharmaceutical companies, governmental agencies and others to address issues relating to new tests and treatments, guidelines, performance, incentives, and financing. It is also being applied to guide individual patient care.
Archimedes’ clients include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
(CDC), the American Board of Internal Medicine
American Board of Internal Medicine
The American Board of Internal Medicine is a non-profit, independent physician evaluation organization committed to continuously improving the profession for the public good by certifying physicians who practice internal medicine and its sub-specialties...
, the American Heart Association
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
, the American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
, Humana
Humana
Humana Inc. , founded in 1961 in Louisville, Kentucky, is a Fortune 100 company that markets and administers health insurance. With a customer base of over 11.5 million in the United States, the company is the largest Fortune 100 company headquartered in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and has a...
, Kaiser Permanente, Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
, Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics, Inc. is a molecular diagnostic company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Myriad employs a number of proprietary technologies that permit doctors and patients to understand the genetic basis of human disease and the role that genes play in the onset, progression and treatment of disease...
and GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
.
The model uses object-oriented programming and runs on a distributed computing
Distributed computing
Distributed computing is a field of computer science that studies distributed systems. A distributed system consists of multiple autonomous computers that communicate through a computer network. The computers interact with each other in order to achieve a common goal...
network. At its core are hundreds of ordinary and differential equations that represent human physiology and the effects of diseases.
Archimedes validates the model by running simulations of actual clinical trials and then comparing the results of the simulation with those of the real-world trial. To date, more than 50 clinical trials have been used to validate the model.
According to Richard Kahn, then-chief scientific and medical officer at the American Diabetes Association, the Archimedes Model, "...is at least ten times better than the model we use now, which is called thinking.
Awards
- 1980 Frederick W. Lanchester PrizeFrederick W. Lanchester PrizeThe Frederick W. Lanchester Prize is an Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences prize given for the best contribution to operations research and the management sciences published in English. It is named after Frederick W. Lanchester.-Past winners:* 1954 Leslie C. Edie* 1955...
for Screening for Cancer: Theory, Analysis and Design
- 1984 Conley Award—Runner-up, awarded by the American College of Hospital Administrators for the best article published during the year
- 1991 FHP Prize Given for the development of FAST*PRO and the Confidence Profile Method for synthesizing evidence.