ROBERT A. HIATT, MD, PHD
Director of Population Sciences, UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center
Director, Bay Area Breast Cancer and Environment Research Center

The 2005 Community Breast Cancer Research Award went to Bob Hiatt. As Director of Population Sciences at the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Hiatt leads extensive cancer research efforts that bridge the scientific areas of laboratory investigation, clinical research, and population research. As Director of the Bay Area Breast Cancer and Environment Center, Dr. Hiatt also guides the collaborative efforts of UCSF, Kaiser Permanente, and the Marin Breast Cancer Watch in exploring the environmental factors that influence the development of the mammary gland and early sexual maturation, especially early breast development.

Dr. Hiatt has served as a Deputy Director at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda and at the Northern California Cancer Center where he became interested in the high incidence of breast cancer in the region. Dr. Hiatt has pioneered efforts to bring together a combination of disciplines, epidemiologists, basic scientists and advocates to create an interdisciplinary environment for breast cancer research. In the words of research colleague, Larry Kushi of Kaiser Permanente, “Bob has always impressed me with his keen interest in not only the molecular and biological underpinnings of cancer, but also in the sociobehavioral and broader community contexts in which disease occurs - and can be prevented. His transdisciplinary and community-oriented perspective embodies the research directions we need to take if we are to decrease the burden that breast cancer places on our society today."