Sara M. Tolaney

Sara M. Tolaney is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Division of Breast Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She specializes in breast medical oncology, with a focus on developing novel therapies for breast cancer, including tailored treatments for HER2+ disease, CDK 4/6 inhibitors, antibody drug conjugates, and immunotherapy. She holds leadership roles in the National Cancer Institute’s Breast Cancer Steering Committee and the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology.

• Education:
• Bachelor’s degree from Princeton University (1998)
• Medical degree from University of California, San Francisco (2002)
• Residency in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins University
• Fellowships in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Master’s in Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health (2007)

Her research emphasizes practice-changing clinical trials, including chairing multiple phase 3 trials and contributing to studies published in high-impact journals like the New England Journal of Medicine and Lancet. She leads initiatives in immuno-oncology and novel therapeutics, with funding from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Susan G. Komen.

Her work spans late-stage drug development and translational research, aiming to improve patient outcomes through personalized and innovative treatment approaches.