Dr. Alan Ashworth is a world-renowned molecular biologist and global leader in cancer research who currently serves as President of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Senior Vice President for Cancer Services at UCSF Health. He holds the E. Dixon Heise Distinguished Professorship in Oncology and is a Professor of Medicine within the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to his appointment at UCSF in 2015, Dr. Ashworth spent 28 years at The Institute of Cancer Research in London, where he served as Chief Executive from 2011 to 2014. His career transition from leading one of the UK's premier cancer research institutions to directing a major comprehensive cancer center in the United States represents a significant milestone in international cancer research leadership.
Dr. Ashworth was a pivotal member of the research team that discovered the BRCA2 gene in 1995, a landmark finding that transformed our understanding of inherited cancer susceptibility for breast, ovarian, and other cancers. In 2005, his laboratory made the seminal discovery of exploiting synthetic lethality in cancer cells with mutated BRCA1 or 2 genes, which led directly to the development of PARP inhibitor therapies representing a paradigm shift in precision cancer medicine. This groundbreaking work has resulted in four FDA-approved PARP inhibitors for treating ovarian, breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancers, with Nature recognizing it among the top 20 cancer discoveries of the 21st century. The clinical impact of his research has provided targeted therapeutic options for thousands of patients with BRCA-mutated cancers, demonstrating the transformative power of translating fundamental molecular discoveries into effective clinical interventions.
Beyond his research achievements, Dr. Ashworth has established the Center for BRCA Research and co-founded the San Francisco Cancer Initiative (SF CAN), a pioneering public-private collaboration addressing cancer health disparities in San Francisco that serves as a model for other major cities. His leadership extends to numerous advisory roles including the Board of Directors of the American Association for Cancer Research from 2016 to 2019, and his scientific contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards including the European Society for Medical Oncology Lifetime Achievement Award and the inaugural Basser Global Prize. As a Fellow of the Royal Society and member of multiple prestigious academies, he continues to shape the global cancer research agenda through his dual leadership of research and clinical services at one of the largest cancer centers in the Western United States. Dr. Ashworth remains actively engaged in developing novel therapeutic approaches for cancer using genetic principles while expanding his focus on reducing cancer health disparities and advancing precision medicine approaches across diverse patient populations.
