Randy A. Taplitz, MD

"Studying infectious diseases and its impact on both individuals and societies is my passion."Randy A. Taplitz, M.D., traces her 30-year zeal to treat serious infections back to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. "I was drawn to medicine, and then to infectious diseases, with the hope of contributing to the science of understanding HIV and in helping to care for those suffering from the disease," she recalled.She has carried that zeal across the U.S. and beyond, and into all her clinic and research work: from her work volunteering at a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico, and in Maputo, Mozambique, in teaching and lecturing in the health care setting and to the public, in developing programs and protocols for the care of infectious diseases in cancer patients locally in California as well as nationally and internationally on guidelines committees and through publications, and most important, being an active clinician and advocate for her patients. Her medical work has earned her "Top Doctor" …honors yearly since 2013.Dr. Taplitz earned her medical degree at University of California San Francisco and she continued her training with residency and a fellowship at UCSF, followed by a research fellowship at Tufts/New England Medical Center and UCSF. Before joining City of Hope, she served 13 years as clinical chief of Infectious Diseases and associate medical director of Infection Control and Epidemiology at University of California San Diego.Dr. Taplitz plays a key role in the City of Hope mission. "City of Hope has a long history of excellence in both in research and clinical care of cancer, providing innovative therapies and compassionate care," she said. She hopes her expertise will aid in "caring for these patients and developing, participating and collaborating in research trials to improve both our understanding of the medical issues these patients develop and how to optimize treatment."