Hoag has announced that oncology “power couple” Monica Mita, M.D.,M.Sc., Mh.D.S., and Alain Mita, M.D., M.Sc., have been recruited as the new program directors for the Hoag Family Cancer Institute.
Dr. Monica Mita joins Hoag as co-director of early phase development therapy and co-director of breast medical oncology. Dr. Alain Mita is co-director of early phase development therapy and director of lung and head & neck cancers.
In addition to providing subspecialized cancer expertise, Drs. Monica and Alain Mita will focus their research efforts on Phase I clinical trials in oncology, novel drugs and targeted therapies.
“We are living in an exciting era where there is truly a revolution happening in the way we treat cancer patients,” said Dr. Alain Mita. “We now have treatments available that we couldn’t have dreamed of 30 years ago: CAR T-cells, immunotherapy, targeted therapies – advances that are making a huge difference in how we are able to care for patients. These advanced treatments offered at the Hoag Family Cancer Institute are usually only available at large academic cancer centers, which makes Hoag so unique.”
Hoag President and CEO Robert T. Braithwaite describes Hoag as a “privademic” institution, one that combines the commitment to research found at an academic institution with the patient-centered, compassionate care of a community hospital. The combination of agility and innovation also sets the hospital apart and attracts top talent to Hoag.
“Drs. Monica and Alain Mita are nationally recognized in their fields for bringing revolutionary treatments to patients while listening deeply to the needs of each individual patient,” Braithwaite said. “It is very exciting to welcome them to Hoag and to work with them as they build upon the foundation of our clinical trials program to bring our patients the most advanced treatments available.”
The Mitas come to Hoag after spending the previous 13 years at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as academic researchers and professors of medicine. The recruitment of Drs. Alain and Monica Mita was supported in part by philanthropic funds provided by Circle 1000, a group of donors committed to advancing cancer care at Hoag.
During her career, Dr. Monica Mita has focused on Phase I clinical trials in oncology, novel drugs and targeted therapies in solid tumors and specifically breast cancer. She has served as the principal investigator and co-principal investigator on nearly 100 research projects.
Dr. Alain Mita has presented and taught multiple clinical lectures throughout his career and has served as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on numerous Phase I-II clinical trials testing the effects of new drug therapies for cancer treatment.
For more information visit www.hoag.org/cancer.
