2025 CapU Alumni Awards: Dr. Susan Chang

She got her first taste of academia when she completed fellowships in medical oncology at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and neuro-oncology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

“As a child, I loved teaching and always thought that a role in education would be my career path,” she said. “My training in Toronto was a major factor in solidifying my decision to pursue an academic career that has culminated in clinical care, life-long learning, research and creativity, service and leadership, and teaching and mentoring.”

Today, she is a professor of neurological surgery at UCSF and has dedicated her career to advancing neuro-oncology, specializing in treating adults with brain tumours.

Her focus on aftercare for her patients led her to start the UCSF Neuro-Oncology Gordon Murray Caregiver Program, which provides resources and support to brain tumour caregivers.

She is also co-director of the Sheri Sobrato Brain Cancer Survivorship Program, which focuses on survivorship care for brain tumour patients.

“It was a devastating realization when a caregiver of a patient confronted me with ‘not doing a good job taking care of her,’” she said. “After listening to her challenges, I realized we needed to be intentional about the care of the caregiver, which ultimately enhances the care of the patient.”

Looking to the future, Dr. Chang is upbeat about the development of future treatments, despite the generally poor outcomes for patients with aggressive brain tumours.

“Amazing efforts are being made to better understand brain tumour biology and genetics, the microenvironment and the impact of neuronal connections to the tumour and neuroimmunology,” she says. “These discoveries pave the way to new therapies, such as immune cell therapy and vaccines, precision medicine approaches and improved delivery of drugs into the brain.”

“The hope is that these will have an impact on extending survival for patients.”

In addition to her work with patients and their families, Dr. Chang is also a strong advocate for mentoring future medical professionals and researchers. These professionals face immense pressure to deliver results, which contributes to many leaving the profession early.

“Finding balance is often a major challenge, especially for young faculty,” she said. “Being able to prioritize and set boundaries are often areas that need to be developed and fostered to prevent burnout.”