Get to Know City of Hope Doctor Donald Hannoun, M.D.

 Los Angeles native Donald Hannoun, M.D., had his first experience interacting with patients during college, when he volunteered with the Adventures in Caring Foundation in Santa Barbara, California. As part of the Raggedy Ann & Andy visiting program, he would dress up like the iconic rag doll and visit seriously ill patients, providing emotional support during their hospital stays.
“That taught me a lot about the challenges patients face. I also shadowed a urologist, just by happenstance, which got me interested in urology,” Hannoun said. He went on to complete his medical degree and urology residency at Keck School of Medicine of USC, followed by a fellowship with the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Today he serves as assistant clinical professor for City of Hope’s Division of Urology and Urologic Oncology, seeing patients at City of Hope locations in Santa Clarita, Mission Hills and the Antelope Valley.
“The exciting thing about urology was the opportunity to provide lasting, and in some cases immediate, relief to patients who are truly suffering from these conditions,” Hannoun explained. “I also became interested in urologic cancers during my fellowship, where I performed a lot of cancer surgeries. One good thing about urologic cancers is that many respond to surgery without requiring chemotherapy or radiation.”
Hannoun knew he wanted to work close to home, to serve the local communities in and around the San Fernando Valley where we grew up, so he was excited to join City of Hope in Santa Clarita, Mission Hills and the Antelope Valley. “I love City of Hope’s mission, and I knew it would be a job where I could really make a difference.”
For patients in these local communities, visiting the nearest City of Hope location is a way to benefit from the center’s deep well of expertise in a convenient neighborhood clinic environment. “We have all the infrastructure, from radiation oncologists to medical oncologists, and we can even present at tumor boards right there,” Hannoun said. “Equally important, we’re connected with local hospitals, so if a patient needs a surgery, they don’t need to drive to the main campus.”