• Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics
• Director, Cancer Risk Clinic

Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade is a highly skilled hematology oncologist with proven expertise in cancer risk assessment. She conducts comprehensive evaluations of family history and other risk factors for patients in the Cancer Risk Clinic. Once she identifies a person at high risk, Dr. Olopade designs an individualized prevention plan that may include periodic screening, preventative drugs, or other options for risk reduction.

She is an expert on individualized treatment for breast cancer. Dr. Olopade takes an interdisciplinary approach to breast cancer care with treatment plans tailored to each person's risk factors. She also focuses on quality of life concerns for young breast cancer patients--addressing topics related to pregnancy, fertility, and employment.

As an international leader in breast cancer research, Dr. Olopade continues to help scientists gain a greater understanding of the disease. Her current research interests include identifying the source of ER-negative breast cancer--an aggressive form of the disease, which is resistant to hormone therapy. Dr. Olopade aims to improve screening standards and early detection for moderate- and high-risk populations. She has a special interest in women of African descent, who are at higher risk for the more aggressive breast cancer and more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age.

Dr. Olopade serves on the medical advisory board of the Young Survival Coalition, a network of breast cancer survivors and supporters, which seeks to provide education and resources for young breast cancer patients. In 2004, Dr. Olopade organized an international conference to promote breast and cervical cancer awareness in Nigeria. Dr. Olopade authored a study that found significant differences between breast cancers in Caucasian women and in women of African descent. In 2005, Dr. Olopade was named a MacArthur Fellow and awarded the Foundation's prestigious "genius grant."