The UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has named Amy L. Cummings, MD, its new Director for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI).
As a core member of JCCC’s leadership team and a key strategic partner of Director Michael Teitell, MD, PhD, Dr. Cummings will oversee the development and implementation of initiatives and strategic goals specific to JEDI and Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (HEDI).
“UCLA’s diversity has always been its biggest strength, and I am deeply honored to serve in this role at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center," she said. "The opportunity to rigorously evaluate our systems for opportunities for justice, to listen to and engage with our communities to understand what is meaningful change, and to promote the incredible work at the cancer center is a tremendous gift.”
Dr. Cummings is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine. Dr. Cummings is a thoracic oncologist, physician-scientist, and clinical trialist. Her academic interests include early-stage lung cancer, precision medicine, and equitable care.
Dr. Cummings earned her MD degree from the Keck School of USC in 2013; she graduated with honors and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. She completed both her internal medicine residency (2013–2016) and her hematology and oncology fellowship (2016–2019) at UCLA. During her training, she served as Chief Fellow for the Hematology and Oncology Fellowship and co-Chief of the Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Cummings is a research scientist with a focus in bioengineering. She is interested in how technology can benefit patients, and specifically how informatics and clinical data can be used to improve treatment decisions, access to medical care, and ultimately, patient outcomes. She served as the Informatics Chair of the UCLA Health Equitable Care Committee (2017-2019) and led UCLA’s effort to develop comprehensive electronic medical record affirmation of sex, gender identity, and name.
Dr. Cummings has published extensively, and through her clinical practice as a hematologist and medical oncologist, is currently designing and conducting extensive early-stage lung cancer clinical trials. She is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and the American Association for Cancer Research, in addition to many other professional organizations.
She has received numerous honors for her work as a scientist and researcher, including Dean’s Recognition from the Keck School of Medicine (2010, 2012–2013) and Commendation for Excellence in Medical Student Teaching from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (2013, 2014). In 2016, she received an Olga Levin Inspiration Award and, in 2019, a National Young Investigator’s Award for lung cancer.
