Robert Figlin, M.D., will join City of Hope this fall as chair of the Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research, the Arthur and Rosalie Kaplan Professor of Medical Oncology and associate director for clinical research. A national leader in genitourinary and thoracic oncology most recently at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Figlin will help direct the clinical research activities of City of Hope’s National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. He begins his appointment September 1.
“Robert Figlin brings an exceptional breadth of cancer research, treatment and education expertise to City of Hope. He is highly regarded by patients, colleagues and students as a gifted scientist, compassionate physician and an outstanding educator,” said Theodore G. Krontiris, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president for medical and scientific affairs and director of the cancer center. “Dr. Figlin’s appointment reflects City of Hope’s commitment to assembling the brightest minds in cancer research and care for our patients. We look forward to his leadership.”
Figlin is currently the Henry Alvin and Carrie L. Meinhardt Chair in Urologic Oncology and professor of medicine and urology in the Departments of Medicine and Urology, Divisions of Hematology/Oncology and Urologic Oncology, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He also is co-principal investigator of the UCLA Lung Cancer Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) and is director of the SPORE’s clinical trials core. His research interests include cell, immune, genetic and targeted therapies in solid tumor oncology, with emphasis in renal cell carcinoma and thoracic oncology research.
“City of Hope has a well-deserved reputation for combining exemplary patient care and leading-edge research that advances the level of cancer treatment,” said Figlin. “I look forward to continuing to build upon City of Hope’s strengths in translational research and bringing our research in cancer genetics and immunology directly into clinical practice to enhance our therapies.”
Figlin serves as chair of the UCLA Medical Institutional Review Board and as a member of the UCLA Human Research Policy Board. He is board-certified in medical oncology and internal medicine, a fellow in the American College of Physicians and a member of many professional societies, including the American Urological Association and American Society of Clinical Oncology. An author of numerous studies published in journals such as JAMA, Journal of Clinical Oncology and Annals of Internal Medicine, Figlin also serves as editor for the peer-reviewed journals, Kidney Cancer Journal and Bladder Cancer Journal and is on the editorial board of Cancer Therapeutics and Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals, among others.
Figlin received his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, completed his residency in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He joined the faculty of UCLA in 1982 as assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and was appointed co-director of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center’s oncology program in 1993. He also held the post of medical director of the Thoracic and Genitourinary Oncology Program in the Departments of Medicine, Surgery and Urology, and served as program director of Solid Tumor Development Therapeutics within Jonsson.
