D. Gary Gilliland, MD, PhD
President and Director Emeritus
Fred Hutch
Dr. Gary Gilliland is a physician-scientist who has made major contributions to understanding the genetic basis of blood diseases, particularly leukemia, and translated seminal findings into new, precision treatments that stop cancer while causing minimal side effects. Dr. Gilliland led Fred Hutch from 2015 to early 2020. Among his achievements were strong growth and diversification of the faculty, an increase in the Hutch’s already-strong federal grant funding, a quadrupled endowment, and new internal and external research collaborations. Through his leadership and vision, Gilliland reinforced the Hutch’s longstanding commitment to scientific excellence. Among Gilliland’s major initiatives was the creation of the Hutch’s Integrated Research Centers, or IRCs, which promote collaboration among researchers across campus and throughout the Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium on high-impact, innovative projects. Before he was named the Hutch’s fifth president, Dr. Gilliland spent 20 years at Harvard Medical School, led a breakthrough immunotherapy drug to market as senior vice president and global oncology franchise head at Merck and Co., and spearheaded a new model for personalized medicine within the University of Pennsylvania system.
Other Appointments & Affiliations
Member, National Academy of MedicineMember
National Academy of Medicine
Member
National Academy of Arts and Sciences
Member
American Society for Clinical Investigation
Member
Association of American Physicians
Scientific Review Board
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Education
1984 MD University of California, San Francisco
1980 PhD University of California, Los Angeles (Microbiology), Dr. R. John Collier, Adviser
1975 BS University of California, Davis (Bacteriology)
Research, Teaching and Clinical Contributions
Prior to joining Fred Hutch, Dr. Gilliland's research efforts while at Harvard focused initially on the genetic basis of hematologic malignancies, with a goal of utilizing insights from these studies for clinical translational purposes. His research contributions have included the positional cloning of a spectrum of disease alleles associated with myeloproliferative disease, acute leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes that have enabled molecularly targeted therapies for these disorders. These mutant genes have been characterized in biochemical, cell culture and murine models of leukemia. Transforming properties have been characterized both for signal transduction and for transcriptional activation properties. Using murine models, specific inhibitors have been developed, and these have been translated into therapeutic trials. His work has thus spanned the spectrum of bench to bedside research.
Awards and Honors
1978 Sydney C. Rittenberg Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Graduate Studies, Department of Microbiology, UCLA
1979-1980 NCI Postdoctoral Fellowship, UCLA
1981-1982 President's Undergraduate Fellowship, UCSF
1984 Gold-Headed Cane Award, UCSF
1988-1989 Malcolm B. Hecht Fellow in Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital
1990-1991 Julian and Eunice Cohen Scholar in Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
1990-1992 Jose Carreras Scholar Award, American Society of Hematology
1991-1993 Harvard-Sandoz Scholar in Medicine
1995-2000 Stephen Birnbaum Scholar, Leukemia Society of America
2000 Abelson Lecturer, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
2001 James Kuebel Memorial Lecturer, Washington University, St. Louis
2002 Huntsman Cancer Institute Distinguished Lectureship, University of Utah
2002 Helen Ranney Lecturer, Medical Grand Rounds, UCSD
2002-2007 Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award
2003 Member, Association of American Physicians
2003 William Dameshek Prize, American Society of Hematology
2005 Cartwright Lectureship, University of Utah
2006 McCredie Lecturer, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
2006 Councillor, American Society of Hematology
2007 Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award, American Society for Clinical Investigation
2008 Physician Mentor Recognition Award, Women Physicians Congress of the American Medical Association
2009 Emil J Freireich Award, MD Anderson
2015 Member, National Academy of Medicine
2016 Champions for Children Award, Moyer Foundation
2016 Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2018 Geek of the Year, GeekWire Awards
2018 Fellow, American Association for Cancer Research Academy
"We’ve made enormous progress in treating cancer patients and improving their quality of life, but our goal is to cure cancer...for the first time, for me at least, I can see it coming across a broad spectrum of human cancers."
— Dr. Gary Gilliland