Dr. Navid Hafez serves as Director of Clinical Research at START Los Angeles, where he leads early-phase oncology research and helps expand access to novel cancer therapies for patients across the greater Los Angeles community.

Dr. Hafez is a board-certified medical oncologist with deep expertise in early-phase clinical trials, precision medicine, and thoracic malignancies. He joins START from The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, a Cedars-Sinai Affiliate, and previously the Yale School of Medicine and the Yale Cancer Center, where he was a member of the Early Therapeutics Division and an active investigator within the NCI Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (ETCTN). Throughout his career, Dr. Hafez has served as principal or sub-investigator on numerous first-in-human, dose-escalation, and dose-expansion studies, including trials evaluating targeted therapies, immunotherapies, antibody-drug conjugates, and novel combination regimens.

A recognized leader in precision oncology, Dr. Hafez has led biomarker-driven trials and multidisciplinary tumor boards focused on matching patients to therapies based on the molecular features of their disease. His research has been widely published in peer-reviewed journals and he has presented at national and international scientific meetings.

Dr. Hafez also brings a strong commitment to health equity and clinical trial access. He holds a Master of Public Health and has dedicated much of his work to addressing disparities in cancer care and improving diversity in clinical trial enrollment. His efforts have been supported through multiple federally funded and industry-sponsored initiatives focused on expanding access to early-phase research.

At START Los Angeles, Dr. Hafez works alongside a fully dedicated oncology research team to support sponsors, physicians, and patients through the efficient and high-quality execution of early-phase oncology trials—advancing START’s mission to bring cutting-edge cancer research closer to the communities it serves.