Heather Bitar,

D.O.

Supportive Care Medicine Physician

Location: City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center - Duarte
1500 East Duarte Road
Duarte, CA 91010

Specialties: Palliative Medicine; Supportive Care Medicine

Education

Medical school:

Board Certifications

Hospice and Palliative Medicine
American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine

Degrees

2014, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
2008, Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Fellowship

2017–2018, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, CA

Residency

2014–2017, Internal Medicine, Community Memorial Health Systems, Ventura, CA

Professional Experience

2025–present, Associate Clinical Professor, Division of Supportive Medicine, Department of Supportive Care Medicine, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
2018–2025, Assistant Clinical Professor, Division of Supportive Medicine, Department of Supportive Care Medicine, City of Hope, Duarte, CA

Academic Appointments

Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Supportive Care Medicine

About Me

Heather Bitar, DO, is a supportive care medicine specialist at City of Hope^® Cancer Center Duarte, where she offers patients a whole-person, compassionate and expert approach to care.

After earning her medical degree at the Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California, Dr. Bitar completed her internal medicine residency at Community Memorial Health Systems in Ventura, California, followed by a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles. Dr. Bitar chose palliative medicine because she has a commitment to helping cancer patients manage the physical, emotional and psychological side effects of care and improve their quality of life.

Drawn to City of Hope for its commitment to compassionate care, Dr. Bitar aims to further the field of palliative medicine through education and research. Her professional interests include developing nonpharmacologic pain management programs and creating training that teaches clinicians how to lead ongoing, values-based care discussions. She hopes to build meaningful relationships with patients and families, guiding them through their journeys.

Patient reviews: The patient ratings and comments on this page are obtained from an external Press Ganey^® outpatient survey provided to all eligible City of Hope patients within one to two weeks of their treatment occurrence. Raw data from the answers to the survey questions about our physicians are calculated by Press Ganey into a one- to five- star rating. In the spirit of transparency, all patient comments are posted as written by the patient, whether they are positive or negative. We only exclude comments if they are deemed to be slanderous or libelous, contain profanity or vulgar language, or do not relate to the patient's experience with the doctor involved. As a result, the comments are the views and opinions of the patients surveyed and are not endorsed by, and may not necessarily reflect the opinion of, City of Hope.