Dr. Joanne E. Mortimer

Dr. Joanne E. Mortimer greets every new patient in a private, naturally lit conference room at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she serves as Baum Family Professor in Women’s Cancers, Vice Chair of Medical Oncology, and Director of the Women’s Cancers Program. Breast radiologists, pathologists, surgical oncologists, reconstructive surgeons, genetic counselors, pharmacists, nutritionists, psychologists, and social-work colleagues sit shoulder to shoulder, reviewing imaging, genomic assays, and personal priorities until one unified plan emerges. Nurse navigators phone that evening to translate medical language into clear next steps; financial advocates verify authorizations so treatment never stalls; supportive-care teams set antiemetic, exercise, and mindfulness programs in motion before the first infusion. Secure portals keep referring physicians informed in real time, assuring families that nothing is lost between specialists. The result is a shorter path from diagnosis to therapy and the confidence that every expert is working from the same evidence-based script. 

 

In adjoining laboratories Dr. Mortimer studies how functional imaging predicts endocrine sensitivity. Her pioneering positron-emission tomography estradiol challenge demonstrated that metabolic flare signals early benefit from hormone therapy; ongoing phase II work with F-18 fluoroestradiol PET aims to refine that signal across tumor subtypes. She also co-develops combination regimens that pair cell-cycle inhibitors or immune checkpoint blockers with aromatase suppression, translating bench insights into trials that adjust dosing based on live biomarker readouts. Tissue and blood collected during these studies flow straight to single-cell sequencing cores, exposing resistance pathways while participants are still on protocol, which allows rapid amendments that preserve response. Patients enrolled in this pipeline receive treatments tailored to the chemistry of their own cancer, not a one-size-fits-all regimen.

 

Education and outreach fill the remainder of her week. As Associate Director for Education and Training, Dr. Mortimer mentors fellows through curricula that couple pharmacology with empathic communication; live surgeries and case discussions stream to partner hospitals so community physicians can adopt contemporary protocols without sending patients far from home. Public webinars in English and Spanish unpack screening, genetic testing, and survivorship; recordings with captions appear on the center’s YouTube channel and at neighborhood health fairs. She advises national guideline panels on HER2-positive and endocrine-resistant disease, ensuring that discoveries move swiftly into everyday care. These efforts widen access to up-to-date knowledge and reassure patients that expertise travels wherever they live.