Rafael Bejar, MD, PhD

Dr. Rafael Bejar, MD, PhD, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hematology, with a special interest in hematologic malignancies (blood cancers). He specializes in the care of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and related blood disorders.

Dr. Bejar has established a MDS Center of Excellence at UC San Diego Health focused on providing the best diagnostic tools, supportive care, clinical trials, and medical expertise in one center.

Dr. Bejar is a physician-scientist who, in addition to caring for patients, runs a research laboratory dedicated to the study of MDS. His focus is to discover disease features that can be used to personalize the care of patients with MDS. He has published key papers in the New England Journal and the Journal of Clinical Oncology examining the genetic changes that drive the development of MDS. His efforts have led to the development of clinic tests for mutations that help predict prognosis and individualize treatment options for patients. Current research involves investigating how acquired mutations in MDS patients are associated with their response to treatment with drugs like azacitidine and decitabine, in hopes to discover genes that physicians can test for mutations in order to select the best treatment options. These studies should also provide insight into the mechanisms of drug resistance and how to overcome them.

Dr. Bejar completed his internal medicine residency at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where he was later a chief medical resident. He then received his fellowship training in hematology and oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He earned his medical degree and PhD at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Outside of work, Dr. Bejar enjoys spending time with his wife and three boys. He can also be found riding his bicycle or scuba diving off the San Diego coast.

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For more information, see Blood Disorder Care, Blood Cancers and Cancer Care.