Hala Borno

Dr. Hala Borno is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. She is co-Medical Director of the Genitourinary Medical Oncology Clinic at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC), where she also serves on the Prostate Cancer Program’s executive leadership committee and as Liaison to the Office of Community Engagement. She is actively involved in national efforts to address health disparities, including roles in ASCO’s Social Determinants of Health working group, NRG Oncology’s GU committee, and as Vice Chair of the Health Disparities Committee for Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology.

Her research program centers on prostate cancer therapeutic development and cancer disparities, with a strong emphasis on promoting equity in precision medicine. She has pioneered the use of human-centered design in developing clinical trial recruitment tools such as Trial Library™, aimed at increasing diversity and inclusion of racial/ethnic minorities in oncology trials. Her work has been published in top-tier journals including JAMA Oncology, Nature, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and has been featured in national media outlets such as NPR, Washington Post, and STAT News.

The trends in her recent publications reflect a deep commitment to health equity, with themes including racial disparities in clinical trial access, digital health interventions, patient education, and the ethical delivery of precision medicine. Her research spans prostate cancer, genitourinary malignancies, breast cancer, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care, with a consistent focus on social determinants of health and patient-centered innovation.

Dr. Borno has received several scientific awards, including:

• Young Investigator Award, Prostate Cancer Foundation (2018–2021)
• Integrative Pilot Award, UCSF RAP (2018–2019)
• T32-AG000212, National Institute on Aging (2017–2019)
• Inside Out Accelerator, Clinical Innovation Center UCSF (2017–2018)

She has served as principal investigator and co-chair for multiple clinical trials in advanced prostate cancer and has contributed to national guideline development. Her work integrates clinical care, research, and policy advocacy to advance equitable cancer outcomes. She has also led initiatives to assess financial toxicity, improve trial recruitment, and implement patient navigation and financial reimbursement programs to reduce barriers to trial participation.

Dr. Borno leads or contributes to multidisciplinary teams focused on clinical trial innovation, health equity, and patient engagement. Her labs and research groups emphasize patient-centered design, digital health tools, and community-engaged research to address systemic disparities in oncology.