Susan M. O'Brien

Susan M. O'Brien serves as Professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology within the Department of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. She concurrently holds key leadership positions including Associate Director for Clinical Science at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Medical Director of the Sue & Ralph Stern Center for Clinical Trials & Research.

Her research concentrates on hematologic malignancies with specialized expertise in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). She investigates targeted therapeutic approaches, particularly Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors like ibrutinib, focusing on treatment safety profiles and clinical trial design. Her work bridges laboratory research with patient-centered outcomes in blood cancer therapeutics.

Analysis of her 2018 publication reveals consistent research focus on adverse event monitoring in novel cancer therapies, demonstrating decreasing incidence of severe side effects over treatment duration except for hypertension. This work establishes her methodological expertise in exposure-adjusted incidence rate calculations and long-term safety assessment of kinase inhibitors.

No scientific awards were mentioned in the provided materials.

Through her directorship of the Center for Clinical Trials & Research, Dr. O'Brien oversees substantial grant portfolios and mentors junior investigators in hematology/oncology research. Her administrative roles indicate active involvement in securing and managing federal and industry-sponsored clinical trial funding.

She leads multidisciplinary research teams at both the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Sue & Ralph Stern Center, directing clinical trial operations for hematologic malignancy studies with emphasis on translational research applications.