Dr. Huma Q. Rana, MD, MPH, is a clinical cancer geneticist who serves as Clinical Director of the Division of Cancer Genetics and Prevention at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. In this role, she leads clinical operations and care pathways for people and families with inherited risks of cancer, helping them understand their genetics, plan screening and prevention, and navigate complex decisions about testing and risk-reducing options. Her clinical interests include hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes such as Lynch syndrome, and she works closely with multidisciplinary teams across Dana-Farber and its regional sites to coordinate patient-centered, evidence-based care.
Dr. Rana earned her medical degree from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 2007. She completed an internal medicine residency and a fellowship in genetics and genomic sciences at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, becoming board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Medical Genetics. To strengthen her population-health and implementation expertise, she later earned a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2020. She joined Dana-Farber in 2012 and has since advanced the institute’s mission to detect, intercept, and prevent cancer in individuals with inherited risk.
Beyond her clinical leadership, Dr. Rana contributes to education and public communication about genetics and early cancer detection. She has authored and co-authored scholarly work on tailoring genetic testing models and interpreting germline variants, and she frequently speaks to patients and the public about when genetic testing is helpful and how results can guide care. Her insights emphasize practical, clear guidance: most cancers are not inherited, yet understanding the 10–15% that are linked to inherited mutations can meaningfully change screening and prevention for patients and their families.
Patients value Dr. Rana’s calm, approach to complex genetic information. In clinics and consultations, she focuses on each person’s family history, personal risk, and preferences, and then builds a plan that may include earlier or more frequent screening, referral to genetic counseling, or strategies to reduce risk over time. Through her leadership and research, she helps translate fast-moving advances in cancer genetics into everyday care that is thoughtful, timely, and compassionate.
