Our world-class scientists, including three Nobel Laureates, have revolutionized the prevention, detection and treatment of many cancers and other diseases. Their scientific and medical work consistently wins recognition from national and international organizations.
In addition, dozens of our health care providers are honored annually for their dedication to comprehensive and expert patient care. Fred Hutch/University of Washington Medical Center has been recognized as one of the best hospitals in the nation year after year for adult cancer treatment.
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine is considered the world’s most distinguished honor for outstanding contributions to basic and clinical medical research. In addition to physiology or medicine, Nobel Prizes are awarded in chemistry, economic sciences, literature, peace and physics. The awards were established in 1895 though the will of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish-born inventor and international industrialist.
Dr. E. Donnall Thomas (1990)
Dr. Leland “Lee” Hartwell (2001)
Dr. Linda Buck (2004)
Dr. E. Donnall Thomas (1990)
The late Dr. E. Donnall “Don” Thomas received the 1990 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for establishing bone marrow and blood stem cell transplantation as a lifesaving treatment for leukemia and other blood diseases. He shared the honor with Dr. Joseph E. Murray, an American surgeon who performed the first successful human organ transplant (a kidney transplanted from one identical twin to another). Thomas’ groundbreaking work has had a global impact; more than 1.3 million transplants have been performed worldwide, boosting survival rates from nearly zero to up to 90% for some blood cancers. His advances laid the groundwork for today’s immunotherapies, which harness the power of the immune system to kill cancer. Thomas, known as “the father of bone marrow transplantation,” edited the earliest editions of the seminal textbook that was later named in his honor: Thomas’ Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. A founding faculty member of Fred Hutch and director emeritus of its Clinical Research Division, Thomas died in 2012 at age 92.
Albert Lasker Medical Research Award
Dr. Leland “Lee” Hartwell (1998)
Hartwell was one of three scientists to share the 1998 award. They were honored for discovering a universal mechanism that controls cell division in all eukaryotic organisms (organisms whose cells contain a nucleus), from yeast to frogs to humans. Hartwell also provided evidence that cells have “checkpoints” for detecting and repairing errors that might occur during cell division. His findings on normal cell division laid the groundwork for further research on how this process goes awry in cancer cells.
The Lasker Awards are among the most respected science prizes in the world. Since 1945, the Lasker Foundation has recognized the contributions of scientists, physicians and public servants who have made major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of human disease. Lasker Awards often presage recognition by the Nobel committee, so they have become popularly known as “America's Nobels."
The Gairdner Foundation International Award
The Gairdner Foundation was created in 1957 by James Arthur Gairdner to recognize and reward the achievements of medical researchers whose work contributes significantly to improving the quality of human life. Since the first awards were made in 1959, the Gairdner Awards have become Canada's foremost international award. They honor the world's most creative and accomplished researchers from every field of bioscience.
Dr. E. Donnall Thomas (1990)
Thomas forever changed cancer treatment when he pioneered bone marrow transplantation. His most powerful legacy: the number of lives saved worldwide every year thanks to his work.
Dr. Leland “Lee” Hartwell (1992)
By identifying “checkpoint” genes that determine whether a cell is dividing normally, Hartwell provided important clues to cancer, which arises from uncontrolled cell growth.
Dr. Linda Buck (2003)
Buck did groundbreaking work on odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system — the network responsible for our sense of smell.
MacArthur Fellows Program
The MacArthur Fellows Program of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awards unrestricted $500,000 fellowships to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction. The criteria for selection are exceptional creativity, promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishment, and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work.
Recipients may be writers, scientists, artists, social scientists, humanists, teachers, entrepreneurs or those in other fields, with or without institutional affiliations. They may use their fellowship to advance their expertise, engage in bold new work or, if they wish, to change fields or alter the direction of their career. Although nominees are reviewed for their achievements, the fellowship is not a reward for past accomplishment, but rather an investment in a person’s originality, insight and potential. Indeed, the purpose of the MacArthur Fellows Program is to enable recipients to exercise their creative instincts for the benefit of human society.
Dr. Trevor Bedford (2021)
Bedford assisted public health departments around the nation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization in interpreting SARS-CoV-2 genomic data. He uses powerful computers and complex statistical methods to study the spread and evolution of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, Ebola and Zika viruses. Bedford and his collaborators have been instrumental in tracking and understanding SARS-CoV-2 in real-time. Bedford co-developed the open-source platform Nextstrain to provide a continually updated view of viral phylogenetics, or virus “family trees.”
Dr. Mark Roth (2007)
Roth’s work has led to major advances in basic biology, some of which have tremendous potential for human health. In particular, his research on induced metabolic hibernation, in which he has reversibly reduced the core temperature of mice to 10 degrees Celsius without loss of life or neurological problems, could one day lead to major breakthroughs for a host of human ills caused by tissue damage from lack of oxygen, and could potentially be used to help buy time for critically ill trauma patients on organ transplant lists and in operating rooms, emergency rooms and battlefields.
The National Academy of Sciences is an honorific society of distinguished scholars who are engaged in scientific and engineering research and dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and their use for the general welfare. The NAS was signed into being by President Abraham Lincoln on March 3, 1863, at the height of the Civil War. As mandated in its Act of Incorporation, the NAS has served to “investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art” whenever called upon to do so by any department of the government.
National Academy of Medicine
Founded in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) is a private, nonprofit institution that aims to improve health for all by advancing science, accelerating health equity, and providing independent, authoritative, and trusted advice nationally and globally. The NAM is also an honorific society, its members elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding achievement. Through a commitment to volunteer service, NAM members help guide the work and advance the mission of the NAM and the National Academies.
Washington State Academy of Sciences
The Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS) is a not-for-profit organization of more than 300 elected members who are nationally recognized for their scientific and technical expertise. All members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine who reside in Washington State are invited to join; others are elected in recognition of their scientific and technical contributions to our nation and their desire to contribute their expertise to inform issues in WA State.
*National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
Other Notable Honors & Awards
Dr. Sue Biggins and a lab member view a petri dish
Dr. Steven Henikoff speaks with a colleague
Dr. Ajay Gopal, Top Doctor
Dr. Robert Eisenman
Dr. Harmit Malik
Gloria Hernandez, Daisy Award recipient
Dr. David Malony, Top Doctor
Lissa Poynter, RN, Daisy Award recipient
Dr. James Priess
Dr. Sue Biggins and a lab member view a petri dish
Top Doctors
The dedicated physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners at Fred Hutch are consistently selected as Top Doctors by Seattle Magazine, Seattle Met magazine or both. To compile the annual lists, health care practitioners licensed by the Washington State Department of Health in King, Snohomish, Kitsap and Pierce counties are asked in a poll, “If you or a loved one needed care, whom would you choose?” Voters nominate their peers based on elements such as years of experience, patient satisfaction, competency and the ability to work effectively with colleagues across specialties to deliver the best care to patients.
US News & World Report
Fred Hutch/University of Washington Medical Center has been recognized as one of the best hospitals in the nation for adult cancer care by U.S. News & World Report year after year and has been the top ranked cancer hospital in the Pacific Northwest for more than 10 years. We have earned “High Performing” ratings in multiple areas, such as colon cancer surgery and lung cancer surgery, in recognition of care that was significantly better than the national average, as measured by factors including patient outcomes.
The annual rankings and ratings are designed to assist patients and their physicians in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or for common elective procedures.
The DAISY Award
The DAISY Award honors the clinical skill and compassion nurses exhibit, wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve, throughout their careers. The award originated at Fred Hutch and now is given across more than 4,500 health care facilities worldwide.
Help Us Eliminate Cancer
Every dollar counts. Please support lifesaving research today.