Internationally renowned oncologist to lead breast cancer program and translational research integration at UCLA Health

Newswise — Dr. Aditya Bardia, a renowned breast medical oncologist and physician scientist who specializes in developing novel targeted and personalized therapies, has joined the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center where he will assume several leadership roles across the institution. These will include the directorship of the Breast Cancer Clinical and Research Programs and the position of assistant chief of Translational Research in the division of hematology/oncology, department of medicine. He will also be named director of Translational Research Integration and co-director of the Breast Cancer Disease Site Group for the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center; all positions effective January 2, 2024. 

Bardia will oversee a team of world-renowned cancer experts to deliver individualized, comprehensive and compassionate care to patients and help advance translational research to improve the outcomes of patients afflicted with the disease.

“We are excited to have Dr. Bardia’s expertise here at UCLA,” said Dr. Michael Teitell, director of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Dr. Bardia is globally recognized for his academic leadership and will be an invaluable addition to our leadership team. We look forward to him joining and further enhancing our research enterprise in the greater UCLA academic community.”

Bardia has a distinguished record of leading clinical trials investigating the role of targeted therapy combinations for breast cancer, particularly antibody drug conjugates. He led the development of sacituzumab govitecan, the first antibody drug conjugate approved for patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer, as well as others including trastuzumab deruxtecan and datapotamab deruxtecan. He also led the clinical development of elacestrant, the first oral SERD approved for patients with metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Bardia’s translational team also helped discover the role of acquired ESR1 mutations in mediating endocrine resistance, RB1 mutations in mediating CDK 4/6i resistance and TOP1 mutations in mediating antibody drug conjugate resistance. 

“Dr. Bardia brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in integrating clinical and basic science, which will significantly advance our research capabilities for a disease that globally impacts millions every year,” said Dr. Dennis Slamon, chief of hematology-oncology and director of Clinical and Translational Research at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.“We are very excited he is joining our institution and look forward to working with him in directing aspects of the division's overall research and clinical programs.”

Bardia currently is an attending physician and director of breast cancer research at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, followed by a fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore before joining Massachusetts General Hospital as faculty. 

Over the years, he has received several awards including outstanding award for research excellence at Mayo Clinic, Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), distinguished researcher award from the Massachusetts Society of Clinical Oncologists and the Douglas Family Foundation prize for excellence in oncology research. He was recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher in 2022 and 2023. He is well-regarded among his peers and was also nominated for excellence in mentoring at Harvard Medical School.

“I am thrilled to join one of the best cancer centers in the world, known for its ability to quickly move basic science discoveries into the clinic and transform how we treat cancer globally,” said Bardia. “I look forward to working closely with team members and building a patient-centered academic program to accelerate innovative research, help advance the careers of junior faculty members and most importantly, significantly improve the outcomes for patients with cancer.”