Research

Survivorship research being conducted at Fred Hutch, University of Washington, and Seattle Children’s examines and addresses the long- and short-term physical, psychological, social and economic effects of cancer and its treatment. Studies can involve survivors themselves as well as care givers and family members.

As part of our research program, all patients entering survivorship care complete questionnaires about their physical, emotional and medical experiences. We use these surveys to determine eligible survivors and invite them to participate in research projects.

Across Fred Hutch, University of Washington, and Seattle Children’s, there are faculty involved in research examining psychological outcomes and quality of life; acute and late health outcomes; cancer care delivery, social and financial outcomes; lifestyle interventions; biologic mechanisms of toxicity; and enhancing research methodology related to cancer survivorship.

Psychological Outcomes and Quality of Life

Dr. Anderson focuses on the rehabilitation/maintenance of physical function, muscle mass, and QOL in patients with active cancer, those undergoing treatment, or survivors near and far post-treatment

Dr. Blosser is the director of the Center for Innovations in Cancer & Transplant (https://www.cancerandtransplant.org). 

Dr. Bricker is focused on smoking cessation, including developing mobile apps specifically designed to help cancer survivors quit smoking.

Dr. Fann applies interventions to improve access to effective psychosocial treatments for depression, anxiety, and other conditions common in cancer survivors.

Dr. Fladeboe is developing psychosocial programs to address social needs of adolescents and young adults with cancer.

Dr. Gore is the lead investigator for a large pragmatic trial in bladder cancer with patient-centered outcomes as primary endpoint. 

Dr. Heffner focuses on improving cancer care for LGBTQ+ patients; and also studies alcohol and cannabis use among cancer survivors.

Dr. Jackson focuses on the mental health care and support for patients.

Dr. Schenk is focused on prostate cancer, physical activity,  lifestyle,  diet and supplement use.

Dr. Lau's research interests are in the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based behavioral/mental health/psychosocial interventions for adolescents and young adults, this includes using mobile health strategies to improve availability and access to evidence-based psychosocial care via mobile health (mHealth) delivery platforms. 

Dr. Lee's research focus includes hematopoietic cell transplant survivors and chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Dr. Lee is focused on bridging communication and bioethical issues to improve patients' and their families' experiences of care. Specifically, studying patient and family experience of genomic testing in pediatric oncology.

Dr. Lindhorst  is focused on the ongoing mental health needs of patients and  training and research to promote health equity in cancer and end of life care. 

Dr. Shen works with patients who have advanced cancers and are either in treatment or transitioning to end-of-life care, with a focus on communication-based and tool-based interventions designed to improve engagement in advance care planning.

Dr. Taylor is focused on improving biobehavioral outcomes in pediatric and Adolescents and young adults with cancer. 

Dr. Walsh is working to develop an independent research program focused on the treatment of psychological morbidities in adolescents and aoung adults with advanced cancer.

Acute and Late Health Conditions

Dr. Anderson's focus is rehabilitation/maintenance of physical function, muscle mass, and QOL in patients with active cancer, those undergoing treatment, or survivors near and far post-treatment

Dr. Baker's focus is bone marrow transplant (BMT) cardiometabolic outcomes, adolescent and young adult cancer survivorship, digital interventions, physical activity interventions and sarcopenia

Dr. Blosser is the director of the Center for Innovations in Cancer & Transplant (https://www.cancerandtransplant.org).

Dr. Cheng is pursuing many studies looking at cardiometabolic risk and cardiovascular disease outcomes, including disparities in breast cancer survivors using the Kaiser NorCal and WHI datasets. We are part of Greg Hundley's research group for UPBEAT and PREVENT data.

Dr. Cheng's research focus is on late onset lung complications of hematopoietic cell transplant recipients and cancer therapies. 

Dr. Chow's focus is cardio-toxicity, lifestyle interventions and transition of care.

Dr. Ermoian is a radiation oncologist whose focus is registry studies and other studies of survivors of pediatric cancer.

Dr. Garcia's focus is symptom management, muscle wasting, cachexia, fatigue, exercise, physical function in cancer patients.

Dr. Greenlee focuses on nutrition, physical activity, weight management, cardiotoxicity of treatment, and the application of integrative therapies to improve survivorship.

Dr. Halasz's focus is long term side effects of radiation therapy for patients with brain tumors

Dr. Harris focuses on pre- and post-diagnosis metformin use and ovarian cancer survival

Dr. Hill focuses on infections and immune recovery in long-term survivors of CAR T cell therapy

Dr. Kettteryl focuses on medication adherence, body composition, sarcopenia and fertility in pediatric and adolescent/young adult cancer survivors.

Dr. Lee focuses on hematopoietic cell transplant survivors chronic graft-versus-host disease

Dr. Leisenring is a statistician who has been involved in many survivorship studies carried out at Fred Hutch (and elsewhere) studying interventions to improve the health and well-being of cancer survivors.

Dr. Malone's primary focus has been on identifying the determinants of second primary cancer after breast cancer, breast cancer recurrence, and breast cancer mortality.

Dr. Park focuses on Merkel cell carcinoma, and also the prevention/treatment of hair loss in cancer patients.

Dr. Phillips focuses on patient centered app for glioma patients and mapping the correlation between treatment and response for patients with brain metastases.

Dr. Poh is interested in investigating the risks and patterns of second primary malignancies among lymphoma survivors.

Dr. Rashidi is focused on microbiome modulation of the immediate and short-term physical effects of cancer treatment. (e.g., mucositis, fatigue, hospitalization length, and infections). 

Dr. Reding's research focuses on outcomes after cancer, particularly related to cardio-oncology in breast cancer; this includes lifestyle interventions, digital health interventions, and characterizing risk factors for CVD-related outcomes in cancer survivors.

Dr. Roth studies outcomes database of thyroid cancer survivors and side effects from I131 therapy to determine if lower doses may used in treatment. She provides care of patients with immunotherapy endocrine side effects.

Dr. Schwartz is the PI of the Cancer Surveillance System of Western Washington, which can be used as a resource to engage with cancer survivors; he also has longstanding interests in young adult cancer patients' outcomes.

Dr. Wilkes is focused on infections in cancer patients and how to minimize that risk.

Dr. Wright's focus is surveillance and monitoring for cancer recurrence.

Cancer Care Delivery, Social and Financial Outcomes

Dr. Bhatt focuses on social integration challenges, quality of life,  adherence to screening and preventive practices. 

Dr. Blosser is the director of the Cancer and Organ Transplant Clinic at Fred Hutch in partnership with UW Medicine.

Dr. Duggan's directs the Collaborative Data Services Shared Resources, while also leading projects that focus on improving cancer care in low and middle income countries and transitioning cancer survivors back to primary care.

Dr. Hall focuses on evaluating effect of socioeconomic factors on adherence to care in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors.

Dr. Heffner focuses on improving cancer care for LGBTQ+ patients, and also studies alcohol and cannabis use among cancer survivors.

Dr. Issaka is examining adherence to surveillance colonoscopy in colorectal cancer survivors.

Dr. Jones is interested in financial anxiety and financial hardship in cancer survivors and identifying factors that lead to financial hardship.

Dr. Khan is interested in outcomes research space in genitourinary oncology patient and survivors.

Dr. Ko focuses on the needs of patients with advanced cance, with a focus on health equity.

Dr. Lee is focused on improving the equitable delivery and quality of risk-based surveillance imaging for breast cancer survivors.

Dr. Ohlsen is interested in disparities in healthcare utilization and outcomes.

Dr. Poh is interested in investigating the risks and patterns of second primary malignancies among lymphoma survivors.

Dr. Salit focuses on enhancing cancer survivors' Return to Work.

Dr. Sham focuses on access to care, disparities in outcomes, surgical care, postoperative care and surveillance.

Dr. Shankaran is focused on financial hardship and social determinants of health.

Dr. Su focuses on disparities in access to cancer care, financial toxicity, disparities in cancer patients with limited English proficiency.

Dr. Yung's research focuses on lifestyle, quality and equity work among breast cancer patients.

Lifestyle Interventions

Dr. Baker focuses on bone marrow transplant cardiometabolic outcomes, adolescent and young adult cancer survivorship, digital interventions, physical activity interventions and sarcopenia.

Dr. Bricker is focused on smoking cessation, including developing mobile apps specifically designed to help cancer survivors to quit smoking.

Dr. Chow focuses on cardio-toxicity, lifestyle interventions, transition of care and survivors of childhood cancer.

Dr. Garcia focuses on symptom management, muscle wasting, cachexia, fatigue, exercise and physical function.

Dr. Greenlee focuses on nutrition, physical activity, weight management, cardiotoxicity of treatment, and the application of integrative therapies to improve survivorship.

Dr. Heffner focuses on improving cancer care for LGBTQ+ patients, and also studies alcohol and cannabis use among cancer survivors.

Dr. Schenk is focused on prostate cancer, physical activity,  lifestyle,  diet and supplement use.

Dr. McTiernan focuses on clinical trials testing acute exercise on breast cancer related biomarkers in women with breast cancer. 

Dr. Mendoza focuses on mHealth intervention to promote physical activity among adolescent and young adult childhood cancer survivors

Dr. Neuhouser focuses on weight loss, improving diet and physical activity habits, and strength training to prevent muscle wasting among cancer survivors.

Dr. Leisenring is a statistician who has been involved in many survivorship studies carried out at Fred Hutch (and elsewhere) studying interventions to improve the health and well-being of cancer survivors.

Dr. Reding's research focuses on outcomes after cancer, particularly related to cardio-oncology in breast cancer; this includes lifestyle interventions, digital health interventions, and characterizing risk factors for CVD-related outcomes in cancer survivors.

Dr. Yung's research focuses on lifestyle, quality and equity work among breast cancer patients.

Biologic Mechanisms of Toxicity

Dr. Garcia focuses on symptom management, muscle wasting, cachexia, fatigue, exercise and physical function.

Dr. Lee focuses on hematopoietic cell transplant survivors and chronic graft-versus-host disease

Dr. Malone's primary focus has been on identifying the determinants of second primary cancer after breast cancer, breast cancer recurrence, and breast cancer mortality.

Dr. Peter's focus is molecular and genetic epidemiology of colorectal cancer and risk factors for disparities in outcomes.

Dr. Rashidi is focused on microbiome modulation of the immediate and short-term physical effects of cancer treatment. (e.g., mucositis, fatigue, hospitalization length, and infections). 

Dr. Specht focuses on molecular imaging to assess response to systemic therapies; optimization of systemic therapies to maximize efficacy and reduce toxicity.

Research Methodology

Dr. Blosser is the director of the Center for Innovations in Cancer & Transplant (https://www.cancerandtransplant.org).

Dr. Etzioni's is examining different approaches to identify cancer recurrence events to augment cancer registry data.

Dr. Guthrie is the faculty statistician on the SWOG Survivorship Committee. Her interests lie in designing and implementing clinical trials to enhance survivorship.

Dr. Leisenring is a statistician who has been involved in many survivorship studies carried out at Fred Hutch (and elsewhere) studying interventions to improve the health and well-being of cancer survivors.

Dr. Li's epidemiologic studies are focused on breast cancer and colorectal cancer survivors.

Dr. Peters focuses on molecular and genetic epidemiology of colorectal cancer and risk factors for disparities in outcomes.

Dr. Specht focuses on molecular imaging to assess response to systemic therapies; optimization of systemic therapies to maximize efficacy and reduce toxicity.

Dr. VoPham's research interests include examining the impact of environmental exposures on cancer patients using geospatial science and epidemiologic methods.