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 DR.
DAVID MOSKOWITZ
chairman, CEO & chief medical officer, GenoMed
As summertime nears, so does the battle of human versus West Nile
Virus (WNV). Following the advice of public health officials, we
will mosquito-proof our homes and arm ourselves with bottles of
DEET-filled bug sprays. One St. Louisan, however, is fighting a
more sophisticated—and effective—campaign against the virus and
its attendant diseases.
Dr. David Moskowitz is chairman, CEO and chief medical officer of
GenoMed Inc., a disease management company that challenges many
traditional notions about health care. An expert in the field of
genomics (the study of which genes cause disease), Moskowitz started
GenoMed in 2001. His aim is to develop new, more effective drugs,
as well as finding alternative uses for existing drugs. Eventually,
he believes genomics-based medicine will enable doctors to diagnose
diseases before symptoms arise.
Last September, Moskowitz, a Harvard and Oxford-educated physician,
conducted a limited trial of a WNV treatment, achieving an 88 percent
cure rate. The therapy involves “ACE inhibitors,” which, he says,
help patients avoid complications after being infected.
This summer, Moskowitz will be adding WNV to the list of more than
20 diseases—including cancer and multiple sclerosis—for which he
is conducting nationwide clinical trials. “We have a totally novel
way of treating viral diseases,” Moskowitz says. “This is very exciting
from a clinical research point of view.”
The company has applied for a number of patents based on its finding
that the ACE gene is associated with many diseases—including all
of the complications of diabetes and high blood pressure. He estimates
that his treatment can prevent 85 percent of dialysis cases in the
U.S.
Patients enrolled in GenoMed’s $800 a year Clinical Outcomes Improvement
Program obtain a license to use the company’s innovative patent-pending
treatments, and also help pay for the education and participation
of their primary care physicians.
“Once people start to hear that kidney failure from diabetes is
preventable, they will begin to wonder why they cannot get the treatment
that they are hearing about,” Moskowitz says. “For $67 a month,
which is what people already are spending on vitamins, they can
sign up with us.”
Moskowitz moved to St. Louis in 1980 to train at the Washington
University in St. Louis School of Medicine. He later served 11 years
on the faculty of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
Moskowitz’s vision includes making the practice of medicine less
invasive and more proactive. “Disease management companies are the
only players in the health care industry that make a profit by keeping
people out of hospitals,” says Moskowitz. “And we do that at the
same time that we improve patient outcomes.”
Debra Solomon Baker is a St. Louis-based freelance writer.
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE INSIGHTS 
How do you communicate your vision for the organization to your
subordinates?
“Videos, written and electronic newsletters and company publications
are great supplements, but there is no substitute for one-on-one.
I spend a great deal of my day in the midst of the operation, where
employees can see me, chat with me and ask questions about the company
and how we are doing.”
RHONDA HAMM-NIEBRUEGGE,
Managing Director
St. Louis, American Airlines
“At Ameren, we use a variety of media to communicate our vision
and values. We communicate with middle managers and above in regular
face-to-face meetings, discussing Ameren’s vision—performance, leadership
and growth—and our strategies for making that vision a reality.
Those managers then carry the information to all employees. We follow
up with printed and electronic communications to all employees.”
GARY L. RAINWATER,
chairman, president and CEO,
Ameren Corporation
“One way I communicate is through a live question and answer session
that’s broadcast every month on our internal radio system. I also
meet with corporate officers quarterly, publish a monthly newsletter
for management personnel and a quarterly all-employee newsletter.
”
ROBERT L. BAGBY,
president, chairman and CEO,
A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc.
For more information on the Leadership Circle, please contact John
Diefenbach, associate vice president-membership, (314)444-1184 or
jdief@stlrcga.org.
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