2004-2008 B.A., Neuroscience, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

2008-2012 M.D., Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA

2012-2015 Residency, Internal Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD

2015-2018 Clinical Fellowship, Hematology/Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

Dr. Sarah Sammons is a nationally recognized medical oncologist and physician-scientist specializing in the treatment of all subtypes of breast cancer, with particular expertise in advanced and aggressive disease and central nervous system (CNS) metastases. She joined the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) in August 2026 as Associate Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the Breast Cancer Evaluation and Treatment Program, bringing a decade of leadership from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, and earlier training at Duke Cancer Institute.

Dr. Sammons' research program is at the forefront of drug development in metastatic breast cancer, spanning novel antibody-drug conjugates, HER2-targeted agents, and next-generation therapeutics designed to address one of oncology's most difficult challenges: the prevention and treatment of brain and leptomeningeal metastases. She leads and co-leads a national portfolio of clinical trials evaluating CNS-active therapies for patients with intracranial and leptomeningeal disease, an area where treatment options have historically lagged behind advances in systemic therapy. Her work also pioneers the use of ctDNA and other biomarkers to guide treatment decisions and sharpen prognostic precision for patients across the spectrum of early and metastatic breast cancer.

A prolific researcher and sought-after voice in breast oncology, Dr. Sammons has published extensively on HER2-positive and metastatic breast cancer, CNS metastases, and antibody-drug conjugates, and is a frequent invited speaker and discussant at ASCO and SABCS, the field's premier scientific meetings. She is an active contributor to national scientific and regulatory discourse on FDA drug approvals shaping the future of breast cancer care, and has written thoughtfully on physician wellbeing and professional meaning in oncology.

Breast cancer, Metastatic Breast Cancer, Drug Development, Brain Metastases

• Tarantino P, Li T, Strickland C, DeMeo M, Anderson L, Pasternak E, Anders C, Ahluwalia M, Mahtani R, Hsu L, Ossing S, Tayob N, Tolaney S, Lin N, Sammons S. DATO-BASE: a phase II study of datopotamab deruxtecan for patients with breast cancer brain metastases or leptomeningeal disease. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2025 June;43(16_suppl). Available from: https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2025.43.16_suppl.TPS1134 DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2025.43.16_suppl.TPS1134
• Pereslete A, Hughes M, Martin A, Files J, Nguyen K, Buckley L, Patel A, Moore A, Winer E, Dillon D, Li T, Tolaney S, Lin N, Sammons S. Analysis of HER2 expression changes from breast primary to brain metastases and the impact of HER2-low expression on overall survival. Neuro-Oncology. 2025 January;27(1):184-194. Available from: https://academic.oup.com/neuro-oncology/article/27/1/184/7745611 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noae163
• Tan T, Sammons S, Im Y, She L, Mundy K, Bigelow R, Traina T, Anders C, Yeong J, Renzulli E, Kim S, Dent R. Phase II DORA study of olaparib with or without durvalumab as a chemotherapy-free maintenance strategy in platinum-pretreated advanced triple-negative breast cancer. Clinical Cancer Research. 2024 April 1;30(7):1240-1247. Available from: https://aacrjournals.org/clincancerres/article/30/7/1240/741836/Phase-II-DORA-Study-of-Olaparib-with-or-without DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-23-2513
• Sammons S, Shanley R, Anders C, Lin N, Sperduto P. Intracranial progression-free survival correlates with overall survival and varies by tumor subtype in patients with breast cancer and brain metastases. Neuro-Oncology. 2026 May 12. Available from: https://academic.oup.com/neuro-oncology/advance-article/doi/10.1093/neuonc/noag102/8676475 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noag102
• Sammons S, Elliott A, Barroso-Sousa R, Chumsri S, Tan A, Sledge G, Tolaney S, Torres E. Concurrent predictors of an immune responsive tumor microenvironment within tumor mutational burden-high breast cancer. Frontiers in Oncology. 2023;13. Available from: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2023.1235902/full DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1235902

• Sammons S, Raskina K, Danziger N, Alder L, Schrock A, Venstrom J, Knutson K, Thompson E, McGregor K, Sokol E, Chumsri S. APOBEC mutational signatures in hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancers are associated with poor outcomes on CDK4/6 inhibitors and endocrine therapy. JCO Precision Oncology. 2022 December;(6). Available from: https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/PO.22.00149 DOI: 10.1200/PO.22.00149
• Sammons S, Sanglier T, Leone J, Erick T, Lambert P, Montemurro F, Poppe R, Restuccia E, Tolaney S, Lin N. Prevalence by therapy line and incidence of breast cancer brain metastases in 18,075 patients. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2025 August;117(8):1565-1572. Available from: https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/117/8/1565/8101485 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djaf048
• Sammons S, Kuntz T, DiLullo M, Morgan X, Martin A, Hughes M, Rahman T, Barroso-Sousa R, Ogayo E, Giordano J, Ryan S, Waks A, Schlam I, Ligibel J, Lin N, Garrido-Castro A, Mittendorf E, Tolaney S. The landscape of the intestinal microbiome among patients with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). npj Breast Cancer. 2026 February 27;12(1). Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41523-026-00922-3 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-026-00922-3
• Alder L, Trapani D, Bradbury C, Van Swearingen A, Tolaney S, Khasraw M, Anders C, Lascola C, Hsu L, Lin N, Sammons S. Durable responses in patients with HER2+ breast cancer and leptomeningeal metastases treated with trastuzumab deruxtecan. npj Breast Cancer. 2023 March 30;9(1). Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41523-023-00519-0 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-023-00519-0
• Kabraji S, Ni J, Sammons S, Li T, Van Swearingen AED, Wang Y, Pereslete A, Hsu L, DiPiro PJ, Lascola C, Moore H, Hughes M, Raghavendra AS, Gule-Monroe M, Murthy RK, Winer EP, Anders CK, Zhao JJ, Lin NU. Table S1 from preclinical and clinical efficacy of trastuzumab deruxtecan in breast cancer brain metastases. 2025 November. DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.30705765

Dr. Sammons' research focuses on novel therapeutics and drug development in metastatic breast cancer. She leads and co-leads clinical trials spanning targeted therapies, antibody-drug conjugates, HER2-targeted therapies, innovative immunotherapy techniques and other emerging agents, including studies designed specifically for patients with intracranial and leptomeningeal disease, an area where treatment options have historically lagged behind systemic therapy advances. Her work also explores how ctDNA and other biomarkers can guide treatment decisions and improve the precision of prognosis for patients with early and metastatic breast cancer.

Dr. Sammons is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of all types of breast cancer. She has particular expertise in advanced and aggressive breast cancers, including HER2-positive breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and breast cancer with central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Her clinical practice focuses on patients with metastatic and high-risk disease, where she draws on her research in novel therapeutics to guide treatment decisions.

2026 – present Associate Professor of Medicine and Co-Director, Breast Cancer Evaluation and Treatment Program, University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
2023 – 2026 Senior Physician, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
2023 – 2026 Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
2022 – 2022 Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
2018 – 2022 Assistant Professor, Duke University, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC, United States

Awards and Honors

2026 ESMO Merit Award
2026 Leading Breast Oncologist Voice of Social Media, Larvol Oncology
2025 Leading Female Breast Oncologist Voice on Social Media, OncoAlert
2023 – 2025 Outstanding Patient Experience Award, Healthgrades
2019 Faculty Development Academy Recipient (promising junior faculty), Duke University
2017 Outstanding Fellow Recognition Award, North Carolina Oncology Association
2017 Molecular Biology in Clinical Oncology Workshop, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
2013 – present Hobart Amory Hare Honor Society, Sidney Kimmel Medical College
2013 Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, Sidney Kimmel Medical College
2012 – 2015 Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Sidney Kimmel Medical College
2012 Hobart Amory Hare Outstanding Service/Leadership Award, Sidney Kimmel Medical College
2012 Honors in Internal Medicine Award, Sidney Kimmel Medical College

June 3, 2026. OncoDaily. Featured Dr. Sammons' LinkedIn recap of practice-changing breast cancer data at ASCO 2026, identifying her as newly appointed Co-Leader of Breast Oncology at UMGCCC. Available from: https://oncodaily.com/voices/sarah-sammons-514851

July 2026. OncLive. Video interview on treatment goals for patients with breast cancer presenting with active versus stable brain metastases. Available from: https://www.onclive.com/view/dr-sammons-on-treating-patients-with-breast-cancer-who-present-with-brain-metastases

May 20, 2026. Docwire News. Author feature reflecting on first-line HER2-positive treatment choices, biomarkers, and real-world treatment trade-offs. Available from: https://www.docwirenews.com/author/sarah-sammons-md

April 17, 2026. Docwire News. Expert overview of first-line HER2-positive breast cancer treatment and maintenance strategies. Available from: https://www.docwirenews.com/author/sarah-sammons-md