Robert Hiatt

Robert Hiatt is a Professor and immediate past Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He also serves as Associate Director of Population Sciences for the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. His academic home is within the UCSF School of Medicine, where he has led major research initiatives including the National Precision Medicine Initiative (All of Us) and the San Francisco Cancer Initiative (SF CAN).

• B.A. in Zoology, University of Michigan, 1964
• M.D., University of Michigan Medical School, 1968
• Internship, San Francisco General Hospital, 1969
• Residency, U.S. Public Health Service Hospital, San Francisco, 1971
• MPH and PhD in Epidemiology, University of California, Berkeley, 1972 and 1980

Dr. Hiatt's research focuses on cancer epidemiology, particularly breast cancer, health inequities, environmental health, global health science, and implementation science. He is deeply committed to transdisciplinary, team-based, and translational research and played a key role in establishing the PhD program in Epidemiology and Translational Science at UCSF. His work emphasizes social determinants of health, cancer disparities, and large-scale cohort studies.

His recent publications (2022–2025) reflect a strong focus on health disparities, precision medicine, and environmental influences on cancer. Themes include residential segregation and cancer screening, Latino and Asian American healthcare accessibility, social determinants in the All of Us program, and the impact of climate events like wildfires on oncology care. He also contributes to methodological advances, including complex systems modeling of breast cancer etiology and strategic planning for future cancer research.

Scientific honors include:

• President, American College of Epidemiology (2001)
• President, American Society of Preventive Oncology (2010)
• NIH Merit and Director’s Awards (2002–2004)
• Influential Alumni Award, UC Berkeley School of Public Health (2022)
• Resident Scholar, Bellagio Center, Rockefeller Foundation

Dr. Hiatt has been a principal investigator on numerous NIH-funded grants spanning decades, including the All of Us program, Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program, and training grants in aging and chronic disease. He previously served as the first deputy director of the NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences and was a member of the National Academy’s Board of Environmental Studies and Toxicology. He has no listed advisees in the provided text but has clearly trained and mentored through program development and large team leadership.

He leads or has led multiple research teams and initiatives, including the WISDOM study, the All of Us Research Program at UCSF, and the SF CAN initiative, all focused on improving cancer outcomes through data, equity, and prevention.