Nationally Acclaimed Oncologist, Victoria Seewaldt, Joins City of Hope

Specialist in high-risk breast and ovarian cancer will head
Department of Population Sciences

DUARTE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nationally renowned breast cancer and ovarian cancer specialist Victoria
L. Seewaldt, M.D., has joined City
of Hope as the Ruth Ziegler Chair in Population Sciences. An expert
in cancer prediction and prevention, Seewaldt will advance the
institution’s efforts to ensure its research reflects and represents the
diversity within City of Hope’s community.

A specialist in developing risk models for aggressive cancers,
particularly in women of color, Seewaldt will also serve as the
associate director of the comprehensive cancer center. Seewaldt comes to
City of Hope from Duke University, where she was a professor of medicine
and leader of the Comprehensive Cancer Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Program. She also founded the institution’s community outreach program
for underserved women.

“City of Hope is extremely fortunate to welcome a physician and
researcher with Dr. Seewaldt’s deep understanding of high-risk cancers
and how that affects the community,” said Steven T. Rosen, provost and
chief scientific officer at City of Hope. “With her guidance, experience
and vision, our Population Sciences Department will be able to improve
outcomes not only for patients today, but also for patients tomorrow.”

Seewaldt will lead the Breast Cancer Early Detection and Health
Disparities Program at City of Hope, operating a clinic for women at
high risk of breast and ovarian cancers and working to better understand
which cancers can be predicted, and thus prevented. She will also work
with City of Hope’s community sites to gather information on the areas’
diverse population in order to gain a more thorough understanding of
risk and disease progression.

Seewaldt will emphasize clinical trials that focus on keeping high-risk
women healthy, as opposed to those that emphasize intervention through
medications, which can have serious side effects. She also will work to
provide women in the community with health education and improved access
to breast cancer screenings and treatment, as well as provide mentorship
of young minority scholars.

“City of Hope has an impressive legacy of accomplishments in the
assessment of cancer risk and survival on a population-wide basis, and
I’m extremely pleased to be joining such a remarkable institution,”
Seewaldt said. “I’m looking forward to furthering our work to ensure
cancer research represents the community more broadly.”

Seewaldt earned her medical degree from University of California, Davis,
completed her residency and clinical fellowship in medical oncology
under the ABIM Clinical Investigator Pathway at University of
Washington, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell
University.

Christopher Sistrunk, Ph.D., will be joining Seewaldt at City of Hope
from Duke University, serving as assistant research professor. He will
be taking on responsibilities involving education initiatives and
outreach to the community. Seewaldt is scheduled to assume her new
duties on the City of Hope campus in Duarte on Oct. 1.

For more information about City of Hope, visit www.cityofhope.org
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About City of Hope
City of Hope is an independent research
and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening
diseases. Designated as a comprehensive cancer center, the highest
recognition bestowed by the National Cancer Institute, City of Hope is
also a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network,
with research and treatment protocols that advance care throughout the
nation. City of Hope’s main hospital is located in Duarte, California,
just northeast of Los Angeles, with clinics in Antelope Valley and South
Pasadena. It is ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” in cancer by U.S.
News & World Report. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a pioneer
in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and genetics.

Contacts

City of Hope
Denise Heady, 800-888-5323
media@coh.org