Rafael Bejar, MD, PhD

Dr. Rafael Bejar, MD, PhD, is board-certified in internal medicine, oncology, and hematology, with a special interest in hematologic malignancies (blood cancers). He specializes in the care of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes myelodysplastic syndromes: (my-eh-lo-diss-PLASS-tik SIN-dromez) A group of disorders where the bone marrow does not work well, and the bone marrow cells fail to make enough healthy blood cells. Myelo refers to the bone marrow. Dysplastic means abnormal growth or development. People with MDS have low blood cell count for at… (MDS) and related blood disorders.

Dr. Bejar has established a MDS Center of Excellence at UC San Diego Health focused on providing the best diagnostic tools, supportive care supportive care: Care given to improve the quality of life, or comfort, of a person with a chronic illness. Supportive care treats the symptoms rather than the underlying cause of a disease. The goal is to help the patient feel better. Patients with low blood counts may be given blood transfusions as supportive… , clinical trials clinical trials: Clinical research is at the heart of all medical advances, identifying new ways to prevent, detect or treat disease. If you have a bone marrow failure disease, you may want to consider taking part in a clinical trial, also called a research study. Understanding Clinical Trials Clinical… , and medical expertise in one center.

Dr. Bejar is a physician scientist who in addition to caring for patients, runs a research laboratory dedicated to the study of MDS. His focus is to discover disease features that can be used to personalize the care of patients with MDS.

He has published key papers in the New England Journal and the Journal of Clinical Oncology examining the genetic changes that drive the development of MDS. His efforts have led to the development of clinic tests for mutations that help predict prognosis and individualize treatment options for patients.

Dr. Bejar completed his internal medicine residency at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where he was later a chief medical resident. He then received his fellowship training in hematology and oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He earned his medical degree and PhD at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Outside of work, Dr. Bejar enjoys spending time with his wife and three boys. He can also be found riding his bicycle or scuba diving off the San Diego coast.