Rebecca Deboer, MD, MA
Assistant Professor
Medicine
School of Medicine

Her research uses implementation science to improve the delivery of high quality, equitable cancer care to patients in diverse settings including in Rwanda, Tanzania, and the public safety net health system in San Francisco. Her current projects focus on patient-clinician communication, resource allocation, and clinical practice evaluation and improvement in cancer care. She also teaches global health ethics at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and medical ethics at the UCSF School of Medicine. Clinically, she has a general oncology clinic and a breast oncology clinic at SFGH.

• Ethical dilemmas in prioritizing patients for scarce radiotherapy resources.
  BMC medical ethics 2024 DeBoer RJ, Ho A, Mutoniwase E, Nguyen C, Umutesi G, Bigirimana JB, Nsabimana N, Van Loon K, Shulman LN, Triedman SA, Cubaka VK, Shyirambere C
• Delayed diagnostic evaluation of symptomatic breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa: A qualitative study of Tanzanian women.
  PloS one 2022 Sakafu LL, Philipo GS, Malichewe CV, Fundikira LS, Lwakatare FA, Van Loon K, Mushi BP, DeBoer RJ, Bialous SA, Lee AY
• A Ten-Year Experience of Treating Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in Rural Rwanda: Outcomes and Insights for a Changing Landscape.
  JCO global oncology 2022 Morgan J, DeBoer RJ, Bigirimana JB, Nguyen C, Ruhangaza D, Paciorek A, Mugabo F, Villaverde C, Nsabimana N, Bihizimana P, Umwizerwa A, Lehmann LE, Shulman LN, Shyirambere C
• Decision-making about clinical trial options among older patients with metastatic cancer who have exhausted standard therapies.
  Journal of geriatric oncology 2022 Tsang M, DeBoer RJ, Garrett SB, Dohan D
• Reconceptualizing Risk-Benefit Assessment of Novel Cancer Therapies to Expand Global Access and Reduce Worldwide Mortality.
  JAMA oncology 2022 DeBoer RJ, Rugo HS, Shulman LN
• Cervical cancer treatment in Rwanda: Resource-driven adaptations, quality indicators, and patient outcomes.
  Gynecologic oncology 2021 DeBoer RJ, Umutoni V, Bazzett-Matabele L, Katznelson E, Nguyen C, Umwizerwa A, Bigirimana JB, Paciorek A, Nsabimana N, Ruhangaza D, Ntasumbumuyange D, Shulman LN, Triedman SA, Shyirambere C
• Views from Multidisciplinary Oncology Clinicians on Strengthening Cancer Care Delivery Systems in Tanzania.
  The oncologist 2021 Nyagabona SK, Luhar R, Ndumbalo J, Mvungi N, Ngoma M, Meena S, Siu S, Said M, Mwaiselage J, Tarimo E, Buckle G, Selekwa M, Mushi B, Mmbaga EJ, Van Loon K, DeBoer RJ
• Multisector Collaborations and Global Oncology: The Only Way Forward.
  JCO global oncology 2021 Blanchard C, Lubuzo B, Asirwa FC, Dlamini X, Msadabwe-Chikuni SC, Mwachiro M, Shyirambere C, Ruhangaza D, Milner DA, Van Loon K, DeBoer R, Mtshali P, Dugan U, Baker E, Shulman LN
• Treatment of Hodgkin Lymphoma With ABVD Chemotherapy in Rural Rwanda: A Model for Cancer Care Delivery Implementation.
  JCO global oncology 2020 DeBoer RJ, Shyirambere C, Driscoll CD, Butera Y, Paciorek A, Ruhangaza D, Fadelu TA, Umwizerwa A, Bigirimana JB, Muhayimana C, Nguyen C, Park PH, Mpunga T, Lehmann L, Shulman LN
• Breast cancer treatment: A phased approach to implementation.
  Cancer 2020 Mutebi M, Anderson BO, Duggan C, Adebamowo C, Agarwal G, Ali Z, Bird P, Bourque JM, DeBoer R, Gebrim LH, Masetti R, Masood S, Menon M, Nakigudde G, Ng'ang'a A, Niyonzima N, Rositch AF, Unger-Saldaña K…
• The role of dissemination and implementation science in global breast cancer control programs: Frameworks, methods, and examples.
  Cancer 2020 Rositch AF, Unger-Saldaña K, DeBoer RJ, Ng'ang'a A, Weiner BJ
• Development of a theory-driven implementation strategy for cancer management guidelines in sub-Saharan Africa.
  Implementation science communications 2020 DeBoer RJ, Ndumbalo J, Meena S, Ngoma MT, Mvungi N, Siu S, Selekwa M, Nyagabona SK, Luhar R, Buckle G, Lin TK, Breithaupt L, Kennell-Heiling S, Mushi B, Philipo GS, Mmbaga EJ, Mwaiselage J, Van Loon K
• Palliative Oncologic Care Curricula for Providers in Resource-Limited and Underserved Communities: a Systematic Review.
  Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education 2019 Xu MJ, Su D, Deboer R, Garcia M, Tahir P, Anderson W, Kinderman A, Braunstein S, Sherertz T
• Increasing global access to cancer care: models of care with non-oncologists as primary providers.
  The Lancet. Oncology 2017 Rubagumya F, Greenberg L, Manirakiza A, DeBoer R, Park PH, Mpunga T, Shulman LN
• No Exit: Identifying Avoidable Terminal Oncology Intensive Care Unit Hospitalizations.
  Journal of oncology practice 2016 Daly B, Hantel A, Wroblewski K, Balachandran JS, Chow S, DeBoer R, Fleming GF, Hahn OM, Kline J, Liu H, Patel BK, Verma A, Witt LJ, Fukui M, Kumar A, Howell MD, Polite BN
• Clinical impact of ABL1 kinase domain mutations and IKZF1 deletion in adults under age 60 with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): molecular analysis of CALGB (Alliance) 10001 and 9665.
  Leukemia & lymphoma 2016 DeBoer R, Koval G, Mulkey F, Wetzler M, Devine S, Marcucci G, Stone RM, Larson RA, Bloomfield CD, Geyer S, Mullighan CG, Stock W
• Integrative analysis of head and neck cancer identifies two biologically distinct HPV and three non-HPV subtypes.
  Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 2014 Keck MK, Zuo Z, Khattri A, Stricker TP, Brown CD, Imanguli M, Rieke D, Endhardt K, Fang P, Brägelmann J, DeBoer R, El-Dinali M, Aktolga S, Lei Z, Tan P, Rozen SG, Salgia R, Weichselbaum RR, Lingen MW,…
• Economics of Malignant Gliomas: A Critical Review.
  Journal of oncology practice 2014 Raizer JJ, Fitzner KA, Jacobs DI, Bennett CL, Liebling DB, Luu TH, Trifilio SM, Grimm SA, Fisher MJ, Haleem MS, Ray PS, McKoy JM, DeBoer R, Tulas KM, Deeb M, McKoy JM
• Integrative and comparative genomic analysis of HPV-positive and HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
  Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 2014 Seiwert TY, Zuo Z, Keck MK, Khattri A, Pedamallu CS, Stricker T, Brown C, Pugh TJ, Stojanov P, Cho J, Lawrence MS, Getz G, Brägelmann J, DeBoer R, Weichselbaum RR, Langerman A, Portugal L, Blair E, …
• Identifying the needs of brain tumor patients and their caregivers.
  Journal of neuro-oncology 2011 Parvataneni R, Polley MY, Freeman T, Lamborn K, Prados M, Butowski N, Liu R, Clarke J, Page M, Rabbitt J, Fedoroff A, Clow E, Hsieh E, Kivett V, Deboer R, Chang S
• Response of an adult patient with pineoblastoma to vorinostat and retinoic acid.
  Journal of neuro-oncology 2009 DeBoer R, Batjer H, Marymont M, Goldman S, Walker M, Gottardi-Littell N, Raizer J
• Phase II study of erlotinib plus temozolomide during and after radiation therapy in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme or gliosarcoma.
  Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2008 Prados MD, Chang SM, Butowski N, DeBoer R, Parvataneni R, Carliner H, Kabuubi P, Ayers-Ringler J, Rabbitt J, Page M, Fedoroff A, Sneed PK, Berger MS, McDermott MW, Parsa AT, Vandenberg S, James CD, …