Andrea Harzstark, MD
University of California at San Francisco

Dr. Harzstark graduated with a BS in Biology and a BA in English, with honors, from Stanford University. She attended Stanford University Medical School, where she received her MD, and completed her residency in medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. She then performed her fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco in hematology and oncology. She is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor in UCSF’s Department of Medicine, hematology and oncology division.

Although Dr. Harzstark’s key areas of interest include prostate cancer, kidney cancer, metastasis, bone metastases, immunotherapy, angiogenesis, and imaging, she particularly enjoys working in prostate cancer research. “I love that there are so many different types of treatment for prostate cancer,” explains Dr. Harzstark “Hormonal therapy, biologic therapy, and chemotherapy all play a role.” She also really enjoys working with the patient population attached to the disease.

Dr. Harzstark has received many awards in addition to the PCF Young Investigator Award. She was given the Stanford Medical Scholars Research Fellowship Award for a randomized trial, designing, producing and evaluating the ability of both videos (containing information regarding breast cancer risks) and a clinical trial to educate patients. In addition, she received the UCSF Prostate Cancer Center Developmental Research Fellowship Award and the ASCO Young Investigator Award, both for clinical trials of radiation therapy in patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer, which metastasizes to the bones.

When she is outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, reading and traveling. In addition, Dr. Harzstark enjoys educating residents and medical students about oncology. It is important to her to educate the public about prostate cancer, and cancer research, so that there will be more resources for finding a cure.