Renowned Breast Cancer Physician-Scientist Dr. Hope S. Rugo to Lead City of Hope’s Women’s Cancers Program

City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, whose Los Angeles comprehensive cancer center is ranked among the nation’s top 5 cancer centers by U.S. News & World Report, today announced that renowned cancer doctor Hope S. Rugo, M.D., has joined City of Hope to lead its Women’s Cancers Program throughout the organization and breast medical oncology division section.

Dr. Rugo serves as City of Hope’s director, Women’s Cancers Program, and new division chief, Breast Medical Oncology, and professor in the Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research.

In this role, she will lead and enhance City of Hope’s women’s cancers research and clinical care across the enterprise, expand clinical trials and translational research, and standardize cancer care to achieve superior patient outcomes and experiences.

“It is hard to imagine anyone in the breast cancer field who has not heard of Dr. Rugo’s extraordinary expertise, deep compassion and commitment to improving patients’ lives,” said Marcel van den Brink, M.D., Ph.D., president, City of Hope Los Angeles and City of Hope National Medical Center, and Deana and Steve Campbell Chief Physician Executive Distinguished Chair in Honor of Alexandra Levine, M.D. “Dr. Rugo is a distinguished oncologist and visionary leader in clinical trial design and execution, integrating targeted therapies with standard treatments to enhance care for both early- and late-stage breast cancer.”

She has contributed to studies that led to new breast cancer treatments, serving on the steering committees for multiple clinical trials leading to approval for PARP inhibitors, CDK4/6 inhibitors, PI3K inhibitors, checkpoint inhibitors and antibody drug conjugates, among others.

Additionally, Dr. Rugo has led several studies aimed at minimizing therapy-related toxicity, leading to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of scalp cooling caps to prevent chemotherapy-induced hair loss and a steroid mouthwash to alleviate targeted agent stomatitis, a side effect that can occur due to some cancer treatments.

As co-chair of the Triple Negative Working Group of the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium, Dr. Rugo has spearheaded and collaborated on groundbreaking, multicenter clinical translational research trials. She served on leadership roles with the Breast Committee for the Alliance and directed a Phase 3 trial, involving three pharmaceutical companies.

Dr. Rugo is also an investigator and chair of the Safety Committee for the multicenter adaptively randomized Phase 2 I-SPY2 trial, which is designed to improve outcomes in high-risk breast cancer patients by testing new therapies that patients receive before their primary treatment, such as surgery. She also contributes her expertise to the Novel Agents Committee, further advancing the field of breast cancer research.

Dr. Rugo's editorial work with American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Education Committee and her co-chairing of recent guidelines for the hormonal treatment of metastatic breast cancer demonstrate her commitment to shaping clinical practice. Her service with the Advanced and Early Breast Cancer Guidelines Consensus Panel through the European Society of Medical Oncology and European Society of Oncology underscores her influence on a global scale.

Dr. Rugo was previously at the University of California San Francisco for 35 years, where she served in various clinical and academic leadership roles.

Beyond her research, Dr. Rugo is a dedicated clinician and educator, focused on providing compassionate care to her patients. She shares her expertise on breast cancer treatment and supportive care at local, national and international conferences. She has published or contributed to more than 500 peer-reviewed journal articles and written more than 100 journal perspectives, editorials and book chapters.

Building on its reputation as a premier breast cancer program, City of Hope is poised for continued growth and excellence under the leadership of Dr. Rugo. Her decades-long expertise and influence in the field will be instrumental in attracting top-tier physicians, nurses and staff, further strengthening the institution's impact on patient care and advancing breakthrough treatments.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Dr. Rugo completed her residency in internal medicine and primary care, followed by a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of California San Francisco. Her postdoctoral fellowship in immunology at Stanford University further enriched her expertise.

She has been celebrated for her excellence in patient care, medical education and clinical research, earning numerous national and international accolades, including the Giants of Oncology in Breast Cancer and Education and the European Society for Medical Oncology’s 2024 ESMO Breast Cancer Award.