Dr. Hope S. Rugo is a medical hematologist-oncologist who cares for patients with breast cancer. She has been part of UCSF for several decades. Before joining the breast care team in 1999, she cared for patients with blood cancers and those needing bone marrow transplantation. Drawing on her understanding of cancer biology, she entered the field of breast cancer with the goal of incorporating novel therapies into current treatments and improving the quality of care.

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Rugo directs UCSF's clinical trials program in breast oncology. In her own research, she is interested in developing immunotherapies and targeted therapies to overcome treatment resistance in breast cancer. She is a principal investigator for multiple clinical trials focusing on improving care for both early- and late-stage breast cancer by combining new and standard treatments. She has also conducted studies on reducing toxic side effects of treatment, which led to the Food and Drug Administration's approval of both scalp-cooling caps that reduce hair loss from chemotherapy and a mouthwash that can lessen mouth inflammation from targeted therapies. She is an active member of the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium, Alliance Breast Committee and American Society of Clinical Oncology, and serves in leadership roles in various research groups and committees.

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Rugo earned her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. At UCSF, she completed a residency in internal medicine, followed by a fellowship in hematology and oncology. She also completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in immunology at Stanford University.

 

Rugo has been recognized for excellence in patient care, education (as a teacher of medical students and doctors in training) and research. Among her honors are an award from the A.P. Giannini Foundation, which supports innovative research; a cancer investigator research award from UCSF; and recognition of her work in breast cancer research by UCSF Breast Care Center. She lectures locally, nationally and internationally on treatment and supportive care for breast cancer. She also runs the UCSF Bay Area Breast Cancer Forum, a bimonthly educational session open to breast cancer patients and their families and friends.

 

Dr Rugo was an important part of the fight for Debbie Scott during her battle with cancer.  This is why WR charitable foundation has decided to donate to her invaluable research efforts in order to find a cure for triple negative breast cancer.