Sung Poblete

Sung Poblete is president and chief executive officer of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), a groundbreaking movement that raises funds to accelerate the pace of translational cancer research and gets new therapies to patients quickly to save lives now. SU2C facilitates collaboration among the best and brightest in the cancer community, funding scientists from different institutions who work together on Dream Teams, and galvanizes the entertainment industry’s resources to generate awareness and build broad public support for cancer research.

Since joining the organization in 2011, Poblete has helped SU2C raise approximately $370 million for research projects, allowed 5,200 cancer patients to participate in clinical trials, and enabled countless others to benefit from two FDA-approved medications developed as a result of SU2C research teams.

A common thread throughout Poblete’s career has been her dedication to cutting-edge innovation on the research front, paired with a steadfast focus on improving nonprofit and corporate health care.

Previously, Poblete was director of clinical and translational programs at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the scientific partner of SU2C, where she spearheaded the organization’s scientific review, oversaw grants administration and management, and served as the primary liaison for scientific communications and general administration. Pivotal to the organization’s collaborations, she was liaison to the Clinical and Translational Committee, the Pediatric Cancer Working Group, the Task Force on Survivorship Research, the Oncology Nursing Society, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, all while leading AACR’s continuing medical education program.

Poblete has also held senior-level positions focused on patient outcomes and disease management. Notably, as vice president of clinical operations for a subsidiary of Fresenius Medical Care North America, she developed and ran national chronic kidney disease management programs. As executive director of the Oxford Health Plans Foundation, she facilitated grants that furthered research and programs aimed at improving health care delivery.

Poblete has received grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and private foundations. She also served as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–UC Health Systems Public Scholar from 1999 to 2000.

She earned her bachelor of science degree, master of science degree, and doctorate in nursing from Rutgers, where she also began her teaching career 20 years ago. She continues to serve Rutgers as a visiting professor at the School of Nursing.