City of Hope CEO Robert Stone Outlines AI, Access, and the Future of Cancer Care

In a featured conversation on the Business Innovators Unplugged podcast, City of Hope Chief Executive Officer Robert Stone shared a transformative vision for the future of oncology. Speaking with host Anna Magazanyan, Stone emphasized that revolutionizing healthcare requires academic medical centers to break down organizational silos, embrace rapid technological innovation, and prioritize equitable patient access above conventional industry rivalry.

Addressing the competitive landscape of modern healthcare, Stone reframed the sector’s primary focus. “Other health systems are not the competition. Remember, cancer is the competition,” Stone declared. To defeat that adversary, Stone pointed to artificial intelligence as a critical accelerator across drug discovery, diagnostic imaging, cybersecurity, and clinical workflow. Highlighting the urgency of timely intervention, Stone quoted an Arizona colleague: “For a cancer patient, wait is a four-letter word. AI is going to make fewer patients wait.” However, he cautioned that health systems must maintain responsible governance, using technology to supplement – rather than replace – physician expertise and human connection.

At City of Hope, research flips traditional academic models by moving from “bedside to bench and back to the bedside.” Yet Stone stressed that scientific breakthroughs are meaningless if patients cannot access them. “Your outcome as a cancer patient varies and is impacted by your zip code,” Stone warned, asserting that “survival equals access.” To close this gap, City of Hope expanded into four states – bringing 86 million Americans within driving distance of its five specialized cancer hospitals – and founded Access Hope, an innovative spinout connecting nearly 10 million workers nationwide to expert cancer care models. Stone also highlighted legislative advocacy, including California’s Cancer Care Equity Act, which guarantees Medi-Cal patients with complex cancers access to specialized second opinions at academic centers.

Addressing the broader erosion of public trust in healthcare institutions, Stone – a lawyer by training and the sole non-physician leading a top-tier National Cancer Institute-designated center – noted that cancer serves as a unique unifier across political and social divides. While public confidence in broad scientific institutions has fluctuated, trust in individual physicians remains unwavering. Rebuilding trust, he argued, depends on empathetic doctor-patient relationships, supporting family caregivers, and replacing “one-size-fits-all” treatments with personalized medicine.

Looking ahead two decades, Stone expressed profound optimism, citing the exponential acceleration of medical knowledge, which doubled every 73 days by 2020. Rather than viewing a cancer diagnosis as an automatic death sentence, he envisioned a future where even challenging solid tumors are transformed into manageable conditions. Closing with a poignant call to action for executive leaders, Stone underscored their shared mission in advancing care: “You’re part of that fight. Please keep going.”

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Anna Magzanyan is the president of LA Times Studios and NantGames.