Today, "Michael Clayman, MD" prefers simply the moniker of "Mike". By all rights of respect, given the dedication to his education and career accomplishments we would agree at least the inclusion of "Dr." would be appropriate. Not so with this humble and soft spoken classmate of ours. Allow me to share some of his bio to date: Mike is the co-founder of Flexion Therapeutics and has served as their President and CEO, since their inception in 2007. Previously, Mike had a lengthy career at Eli Lilly and Company, where he was Vice President, Lilly Research Laboratories, and General Manager of Chorus, Lilly’s early-phase development accelerator. During his career at Lilly, he also led its Global Regulatory Affairs division; the Cardiovascular Discovery Research and Clinical Investigation, Research and Development at Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, a medical device subsidiary of Lilly; the Internal Medicine Division; the Lilly Clinic, Lilly’s dedicated Phase 1 unit; and served as Chair of Lilly’s Bioethics Committee. Prior to his tenure at Lilly, Mike was an Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where his research centered on the immunopathogenesis of renal disease. Mike is the recipient of the Physician Scientist Award from the National Institutes of Health. He earned a BA, cum laude, from Yale University and an MD from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Following an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco Moffitt Hospitals, our fellow WHS classmate completed clinical and research fellowships in Nephrology at the University of Pennsylvania.
With all that said, in speaking with Mike he downplayed his accomplishments and was sincerely interested in learning more about us...his former classmates. Mike was raised in Woodbridge, the son of a dermatologist. He is one of three boys, brothers Rob and Ralph, both with extremely noteworthy careers themselves in law and medicine respectively. He considers himself very fortunate to have had a family that invested the importance of a good education. One WHS biology instructor in particular, Wayne Jordan, inspired Mike. It was Mr. Jordan that jump started Mike's interest in biology and the medical field. That passion for learning began in WHS and has shadowed Mike to this day. His interest in continued learning has led him to center his research efforts on the "bench experience" rather than the "bedside".
his polite gentleman enjoyed his Woodbridge Senior High experience, especially his time involved in the sports programs. With all of his career accomplishments Mike is both quick and proud to mention he was a member of the 1970 undefeated football team (played center). "Rich, although I recognize the importance of the education we were taught in the WHS classrooms, the additional education I gained from those coaches went far beyond simple x & o's on the clipboards. They taught me a balance of integrity and commitment to the effort, applied to football then and beyond WHS. I have tried my entire life to practice what those fine men taught us back then."
When asked about any particular memories of our senior year he recalled how incredibly loud the Brooklyn Bridge was during the senior prom. Although he hasn't kept up with former classmates as well as he wished, with us reaching out to him for this feature he hopes to set aside time to reconnect with others.
As mentioned earlier, Mike is the co-founder of Flexion Therapeutics, located in Burlington, MA. The company is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel non-opioid pain therapies. If you would like to learn more about his company please visit: www.flexiontherapeutics.com
Mike and his beautiful wife of thirty years, Patti, now call Gloucester, MA home. They were blessed with four sons. Sadly, they lost their youngest, Max, six years ago. We spoke of life, our blessings and our challenges along the way. Mike pointed out to me, as other alumni have in the past, how fortunate we are to have grown up when we did. "Rich, the world changes and we all adapt the best we can but I consider myself so fortunate to have experienced my youth, and that includes our shared school experience, when I did."
When free time presents itself Mike and Patti escape to San Francisco. It is the city where they first met and a place they hold dear. This summer they look forward to some quiet time bicycling through Tuscany. When it comes to sports you would expect this Massachusetts resident to be a diehard fan of the Patriots, Celtics, etc.. No, his favorites are Peyton Manning, the Colts and Pacers. However, this classmate of ours uses quiet discretion about his sports loyalties when in the company of Bostonians.
In closing I have to share how impressed I was having had the opportunity to speak with Mike and learn of the Michael Clayman of 2015. In many ways he is still very much the same polite and shy classmate we remember. What impressed me was his humility and dedication to the effort he spoke of learning, not in the universities and graduate schools he attended, but those WHS football coaches and his family. He continues to be passionate about improving the welfare of his fellow man and I believe it's safe to say we all are very proud of this classmate of ours.
Thank you for your time "Dr. Mike."
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