About the Basser Center

We Take Cancer Personally

Our mission is to see a world free of the devastating effects of BRCA-related cancers.

Innovative Research

By advancing genetics research, carriers of BRCA mutations can live longer, healthier lives. The Basser Center continues to establish a far-reaching network of scientists, geneticists, and physicians dedicated to successfully treating BRCA-related cancers, and preventing them altogether.

Education and Genetic Counseling

The Basser Center is a place where families can turn for education and genetic counseling. We are a leader in raising awareness, which is currently the most effective way to save lives and provide options to those affected by a BRCA mutation.

Generous Support

The Basser Center for BRCA was established at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center in 2012 by Penn alumni Mindy and Jon Gray, whose total giving to the center is $110 million. Their visionary gift grows stronger every day through the commitment of our generous donors and philanthropic partners.

Our Team

Led by Executive Director Susan Domchek, MD, the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is home to researchers, physicians and genetic counselors who are leaders in the field of hereditary cancers. Dedicated to eradicating BRCA-related cancers, the Basser Center builds upon the strengths of the Abramson Cancer Center’s formidable cancer genetics, vaccine research, and oncology programs.

Basser Center Leadership

Susan Domchek, MD
Executive Director
Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD
Director of Gynecologic Cancer Research
Roger Greenberg, MD, PhD
Director of Basic Science
Katherine L. Nathanson, MD
Director of Genetics
Beth Stearman, MPH
Administrative Director

Internal Advisory Board

Chair
Glen Gaulton, PhD
Vice Dean and Director, Center for Global Health
Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil
Director, Abramson Cancer Center
Alison Loren, MD, MSCE
Chief of Division of Hematology Oncology
Elizabeth Howell, MD, MPP
Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Jonathan Epstein, MD
Executive Vice Dean and Chief Scientific Officer of the Perelman School of Medicine

External Advisory Board

Chair
John Petrini, PhD
Chair of the Molecular Biology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Institute
Alan Ashworth, PhD
Director of UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Olivera J. Finn, PhD
Distinguished Professor at University of Pittsburgh, Departments of Immunology and Surgery
Judy Garber, MD, MPH
Director of Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Andrew Godwin, PhD
Deputy Director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center
Allison Kurian, MD, MSc
Professor of Medicine and of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford University