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Donald P. Tashkin, MD, is Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine, at UCLA in Los Angeles, California, and an attending physician at the UCLA Medical Center.

Dr. Tashkin earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He then completed a rotating internship at Albert Einstein Medical Center and a residency in internal medicine at Veterans Administration Hospital, both also located in Philadelphia. He subsequently served in the military as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), in which he served at the USPHS Hospital in Staten Island, New York. He later completed a PHS academic fellowship in chest disease and pulmonary physiology at UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

Dr. Tashkin's research interests include the pulmonary effects of smoked substance abuse and community air pollution, the pathophysiology, prevention and treatment of COPD, and the pathophysiology and clinical pharmacology of asthma. A prolific author and presenter, Dr. Tashkin has authored over 375 journal articles as well as numerous book chapters, abstracts, editorials, and multimedia educational materials on various topics, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, airway disease management, lung cancer, and the health effects of cannabis and ‘crack' cocaine. Dr. Tashkin has presented numerous times in various settings, including annual association and society meetings, national and international conferences and symposia, and pulmonary grand rounds. Among his many professional activities, he is a member of the Editorial Board of Chest and Guest Editor for numerous leading scholarly medical journals. He is Chair of the External Advisory Committee for the American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Centers. He is a member and serves as Chair of several other committees at UCLA.

Among his many honors and distinctions, Dr. Tashkin is the recipient of the 1999 American Lung Association Trudeau Award for many years of outstanding and dedicated service promoting pulmonary medicine and the American Lung Association of California's 2003 California Medal for meritorious service in the campaign against lung disease.