Dr. Munster is a physician scientist who received her medical degree from the University of Bern, Switzerland. She completed her Internal Medicine training at Indiana University Medical Center and Heme-Onc Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York where she then served on faculty as a breast cancer specialist. She subsequently joined the Division of Breast Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics Program at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, as the Scientific Director of Breast Research and Co-Chair of the Experimental Therapeutics Program prior to moving to the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Munster is the Marian Moghadam Safinia Distinguished Professor in Residence, Program Leader for Molecular Oncology, and the Co-Leader of the BRCA Center for Research and Hereditary Cancer Clinic at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr Munster is the founder and current CEO of Alessa Therapeutics, a UCSF spin off developing organ selective localized therapeutic interventions. She serves on several NCI study sections including on the steering committee for PREVENT and as the Co-chair of the Experiential Therapeutics committee at the Alliance of Clinical Trials in Oncology. She chairs the ABIM exam Committee and advises AnCan, a large national patient advocacy program as a board member.  

Her NCI funded basic research laboratory is focused on epigenetic and inherited factors of tumor development and treatment. Dr. Munster’s clinical mission is to translate novel scientific discovery more rapidly to patient care by integrating multi-modality novel treatment strategies and new detection methods with the goal to allow patients with incurable cancer real time and broad access to scientific advances. 

Dr. Munster has published in numerous scientific journals and textbooks. She has recently authored “Twisting Fate”, a book on the journey of carrying BRCA mutation.