Faculty Profiles

At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and the world.

	Fred Appelbaum, director of the Clinical Research Division When Fred Appelbaum was a medical student, he happened upon an early write-up of bone-marrow transplantation by Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, who later won a Nobel Prize for the pioneering blood-cancer treatment. Little did he know that one day he'd have Thomas' job at the Hutchinson Center. Read more »
	Mark Groudine, deputy director of the Hutchinson Center Mark Groudine says he's "not at all a top down kind of leader – I give people responsibility and turn them loose." Meanwhile, his own research as an award-winning molecular and cellular biologist has earned him international renown. Read more »
	Steve Henikoff, Geneticist and Inventor Steve Henikoff, haloed by grow lights, crouches to examine a tray of potted plants in a closet-sized room near his lab. They are weeds in many parts of the world, but here they are the focus for groundbreaking genetic research that may help prevent and treat cancer. Read more »
	Sunil Hingorani, Pancreatic Cancer Researcher Sunil Hingorani carefully places slides in succession under the lens of his microscope. He scans each one deliberately, looking for subtle differences in the cancer tissue under examination. Read more »
	Julie McElrath, HIV Vaccine Researcher The corners of Julie McElrath's mouth widen and her eyes soften as she watches her son, Ben, practice guitar. They are the gentle signals of a parent who cherishes time with her child. Read more »
	Amanda Paulovich, Oncologist and Cancer Geneticist An entire arm of Amanda Paulovich's lab is dedicated to four computerized machines, each the size of a small automobile. Sitting at the head of one, Amanda leans in and with steady hands guides into place a tube not much thicker than a human hair. Read more »
	Katie Peichel, Geneticist Along the shore of Seattle's Lake Washington, hints of mist drift across the water as the early morning sun warms the surface. Katie Peichel, her dog Rufus by her side, casts fish traps tethered to 20-foot ropes into the cold, shallow water. Her intended trophies: dozens of inch-long threespine stickleback fish. Read more »
	Scott Ramsey, Physician, Cancer Researcher, and Health Economist When Scott Ramsey talks about medicine, his upturned palms often rise to form an imaginary scale. As a physician, cancer researcher and health economist, he weighs the cost and benefit of various treatments, doggedly advocating for the best patient care for the least amount of money. Read more »
	Jim Roberts, director of the Basic Sciences Division Whether researching cell processes that lead to cancer, recruiting scientists for the division he leads, or riding his bike, Jim Roberts has a penchant for the road less traveled. "We want someone doing science that's not already represented here," he says. Read more »
	Mark Roth, cell biologist Growing up in an orphanage in Hershey, Pa., Mark Roth often heard "no" from the adults in his life. No, he couldn't run on the high-school track or cross-country teams. No, he'd never be a scientist. Now his research may one day transform emergency medicine. Read more »
	Nina Salama, Microbiologist "My dad told me about these crazy guys from Australia who proved ulcers weren't caused by stress, but by this bacteria," said the Hutchinson Center microbiologist. "He was really captivated because it was very revolutionary and defiantly contrary to popular thinking at the time." Read more »
	Janet Stanford, director of the Program in Prostate Cancer Research The hope of cancer prevention motivates Janet Stanford on a very personal level. Five of her close family members have fought the disease. "I look at my son," she says, "and I am inspired to do something to prevent him from getting prostate cancer like both of his grandfathers." Read more »
	Muneesh Tewari, oncologist and cancer research Like many brainy Detroit kids who excelled in math and science, Muneesh Tewari figured he'd become an engineer at one of the auto plants that ruled the local economy. But when his high-school biology teacher got him a summer job at a cancer-center laboratory, tinkering with automobile engines didn't seem so interesting anymore. Read more »
	Barb Trask, director of the Human Biology Division In addition to supporting new and established scientists in her division, Barb Trask delves into how our genes are organized. Her work could one day help doctors to develop more precise diagnostic tools, design new treatments, or provide better advice about lifestyle and health-care choices based on a patient's own DNA. Read more »
	Cassian Yee, Immunotherapy Researcher Ice crystals like powdered sugar audibly crunch as Cassian Yee pulls a long steel box out of a subzero freezer. Wearing bulky blue gloves to protect his hands, he gently extracts from the box a vial the size of a chess piece. Read more »