Jonathan Tobert MD, PhD

Jonathan A. Tobert, MD, Ph.D., has joined CFI as the organization’s newest director. Schroeder stated that “Jonathan Tobert is a strong addition to our current board, bringing practical knowledge about the use of science in the service of humanity, one of the underpinnings of the philosophy of the Center and our affiliated organizations.”

Jonathan Tobert was born in the United Kingdom. He decided to be a scientist at the age of 14 and has been a nonbeliever since the age of 15. He has a medical degree from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. in pharmacology from London University. He moved to the United States in 1975 and worked for 27 years in the research laboratories of the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. Inc. in New Jersey, where he continues to live. Dr. Tobert led the team that developed lovastatin, the first member of the statin class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, and was responsible for later large-scale clinical trials to prove that statins reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. He retired from Merck in 2004 and started Tobert Medical Consulting LLC. He also served on the FDA’s Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee from 2004 to 2007. Dr. Tobert is an honorary member of Oxford University, England, and spends a third of the year in Oxford. He is a member of the steering committees of several clinical trials conducted by the university to evaluate the potential cardiovascular benefits of various therapies for cholesterol disorders. He is married and has two daughters. Dr. Tobert has been a supporter of CFI and its predecessor organizations for 30 years.