Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO

Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, is a medical oncologist and hematologist specializing in breast cancer research and treatment. A professor of medical oncology and therapeutics research, she has recently taken on the role of director of the Women’s Cancers Program and division chief of breast medical oncology at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, across their national network (including academic and affiliate sites).

Dr Rugo graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (currently known as the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania) in 1983. She completed a residency in internal medicine and primary care followed by a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). In addition, she was a postdoctoral fellow in immunology participating in laboratory research at Stanford University from 1988 to 1990.

In 1990, Dr Rugo joined the faculty at UCSF in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. She served as director of breast oncology and clinical trials education at UCSF, where she worked in the oncology field for 35 years. She entered the breast cancer field after 9 years of work in hematologic malignancies and bone marrow transplantation to incorporate novel therapies based on an understanding of cancer biology and excellent quality of care into the treatment of women with breast cancer. She joined City of Hope in 2025.

Dr Rugo has been principal investigator for multiple clinical trials focusing on combining novel targeted therapeutics with standard treatment to improve the treatment of both early- and late-stage breast cancer and has published widely in this area. Her research interests include immunotherapy, endocrine therapy, and combinations of targeted agents to overcome resistance in the treatment of breast cancer. In addition, Dr Rugo has conducted a number of studies focusing on reducing toxicity from therapy, resulting in the approval of scalp cooling to reduce chemotherapy-induced hair loss and a steroid mouthwash to reduce targeted agent stomatitis. She is an investigator and chair of the multicenter, adaptively randomized, phase 2 I-SPY2 trial Safety Committee, and she also serves on the Novel Agents Committee.

Moreover, Dr Rugo is an active member of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and is cochair of its Emerging Toxicities Study Group. Before her transition to City of Hope, she served as cochair of the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC) Triple Negative Working Group, was an active member of the TBCRC, and was principal investigator for several TBCRC trials, including a multicenter immunotherapy trial funded by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. She is a member of the Alliance (formerly Cancer and Leukemia Group B) Breast Committee, is a fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and, after serving as an associate editor for several years, was recently appointed editor in chief of the ASCO Education Book.

In addition to her research, Dr Rugo is an active clinician and is committed to education, regularly lecturing locally, nationally, and internationally on subjects relating to the treatment of and supportive care for breast cancer. Dr Rugo runs a Breast Cancer Forum, a regular open evening educational session for patients with breast cancer, their families, and their friends.

Dr Rugo has been recognized for her excellence both in patient care and in the teaching of medical students and training physicians. She has received several awards and honors, including the Bank of America Giannini Foundation Award and a UCSF Clinical Cancer Center Investigator Research Program Intramural Award. In 2006, she was honored for her work in breast cancer research by the Friends of the Breast Care Center. In addition, Dr Rugo was the recipient of the 2019 Practical Recommendations in Immuno and Molecular Oncology Women in Oncology Award, was a 2020 Class of Giants of Cancer Care for Education and Outreach inductee, and was the recipient of the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology Breast Cancer Award.