Desirée Hao

Desirée Hao

BA, MD, FRCPC
Pronouns: she/her

Positions

Member

Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute

Medical Oncologist

Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre

Affiliations

Professor

Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Oncology

Fundamentals Co-Lead, Masters of Physician Assistant Studies

University of Calgary

Contact information

Web presence

Phone number

Office: 403.521.3706

Preferred method of communication

Administrative Assistant

Subashree Jayabalan
Email: Subashree.Jayabalan@albertahealthservices.ca

Background

Educational Background

B.A. Life Sciences, Queen's University, 1991

Doctor of Medicine Medicine, Queen's University, 1994

Biography

Dr. Hao completed her MD at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Internal Medicine residency in Calgary, Medical Oncology training at the University of Ottawa, followed by a Clinical Research Fellowship in cancer drug development at the Institute for Drug Development, Cancer Therapy & Research Centre in San Antonio, Texas. She subsequently joined the Tom Baker Cancer Centre / University of Calgary, where she works in the Thoracic and Head & Neck Oncology Programs. As Professor in the Cumming School of Medicine, Dr. Hao she is actively engaged in teaching and mentorship at all levels. For her accomplishments, Dr. Hao received the Luminary Award for Teaching from the Department of Oncology, University of Calgary (2019) and was nominated for the University of Calgary’s 2021 Glenda MacQueen Distinguished Leadership Award. Dr. Hao is strongly committed to professional engagement and has a longstanding track record of service. She has been a long time member on the Health Research Ethics Board of Alberta – Cancer Committee, serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (2019-present), the Professional Learning and Development Committee of the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada (2021-present), the Career Development & Fellowship Committee of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (2022-2023), the steering Committee for the Canadian Lung Cancer Summit (2024) and on the executive of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists (CAMO). At CAMO, Dr. Hao has previously served as President (2020-2022), Treasurer (2016-2018), Vice President (2018-2020), and continues as Past Present (2022-present) and the Chair of the Human Resources Committee (2019-present). 

Research

Areas of Research

Area of Focus
  • Thoracic malignancies and head and neck cancer
  • Clinical trials and translational research in above tumour types.

Publications