2024 Year in Pictures

The past year at Fred Hutch Cancer Center has been marked by exceptional achievements and inspiring moments. We’ve collected pictures and stories throughout 2024 that highlight our commitment to advancing cancer research and patient care. Through these photos, we celebrate the dedication of our colleagues and community to our mission.

Gala vision

Next year will be Fred Hutch's 50th anniversary, and during the Fred Hutch Gala in December, our community of supporters gathered to kick off a year-long celebration of the progress we’ve made in our first five decades — and looked beyond to the next extraordinary leaps in cancer and infectious disease research that we’ll make possible together.

Photo of Dr. Sara Hurvitz and actor Rob Lowe — Clinical Research Division Director Dr. Sara Hurvitz is elated after Rob Lowe, the actor, welcomes Hurvitz to the stage during the 2024 Fred Hutch Gala program, December 7, 2024, in downtown Seattle. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service

Hill on the Hill

A group of researchers in the Infectious Disease Sciences Program in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division that includes Joshua A. Hill, MD, have proposed ImmunOptimize, a clinical trials network to protect individuals who are at the highest risk of infection. In September, experts across disciplines, from infectious disease clinicians to regulators to representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, convened at a workshop in Bethesda, MD, to brainstorm strategies to address the unmet needs of immunocompromised patients.

Photo of a group of doctors and government relations experts from Fred Hutch — Dr. Joshua Hill, center, and a contingent of doctors and government relations experts from Fred Hutch prepare their messaging while walking to a series of meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, September 11, 2024, in Washington D.C. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service

Data deep freeze

Since its launch in 2006, our Cord Blood Transplant Program has performed nearly 500 transplants in patients with blood cancer and other diseases. Cord blood is transplanted into patients after chemotherapy and radiation to kill their cancer cells. It is stored in cord blood banks after collection and is available on demand, reducing the wait time for transplant.

Photo of technician Katie Kraskouskas — Research technician Katie Kraskouskas, who works in the Cord Blood Transplant Program lab, places samples into a deep freezer, August 30, 2024, in Seattle, Washington. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service

Whole body of work

Installed earlier this year, Whole Body Imaging system takes multiple, overlapping high-resolution images of a patient’s entire skin surface as part of the wellness and preventative care available at Fred Hutch's Wellness Center. The system then compares the new image set to the patient’s previous images and flags any changes that warrant a closer look.

Photo of a group looking at a imaging device — Dr. Tanya Hathaway, center, asks a question of Steve Clute and Nathaniel Carter, during a training session for the Whole Body Imaging system in the Wellness Center in June. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service

Artificial intelligence breakout

Fred Hutch was among four National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers that joined forces in 2024 and secured funding from AI technology leaders to create the Cancer AI Alliance (CAIA). The alliance will apply responsible AI to the collective power of the participating cancer centers’ data to unlock insights while protecting data security, all to identify more ways to transform cancer research and care.

Photo of Jeff Leek — Dr. Jeff Leek, vice president and chief data officer, holder of the J. Orin Edson Foundation Endowed Chair, leads a breakout session about artificial intelligence during the Fred Hutch faculty retreat on June 10, 2024. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service

A mom’s radioactive wait

In August 2022, Courtney Storti developed postpartum thyroiditis a year after having her son. Fred Hutch physicians worked closely with her to develop plans to keep her infant protected from the effects of treatment and safely welcome another daughter to her family.

Photo of Courtney Storti with her kids — Courtney Storti, who was treated for thyroid cancer at Fred Hutch, is pictured with her kids at home in October in Bothell, Washington. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service

Political humor

In June 2024, Sen. Patty Murray, senior Democratic senator from Washington state, toured labs and clinics, met scientists young and old, and learned about a new experimental therapy designed to prevent metastatic breast cancer. She also visited and spoke with a patient and dedicated clinical trial participant. We host visitors from around the world at our campus in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood to collaborate with our researchers, support our work or receive care.

Photo of Patty Murray and Tom Lynch — Sen. Patty Murray, right, visits with Fred Hutch President and Director Dr. Thomas J. Lynch Jr. during her tour of the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic in June. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service

Team building

We welcomed several new members to our team in 2024, including Denene Prophet-Williams, MBA, MLA, Fred Hutch’s chief nursing officer and vice president; deputy chief medical officer, Nicole Fleming, MD, who has expertise as a doctor, surgeon, researcher, administrator and mentor; and Lawrence Fong, MD, scientific director of Fred Hutch's Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center and the Bezos Family Distinguished Scholar in Immunotherapy. We also highlighted the stories of our colleagues through our Heart of the Hutch series.

Photo of nurses and leaders at a table — Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer Denene Prophet-Williams, center-left, speaks during a group activity at Fred Hutch's nursing leadership retreat in October. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service

Obliteride: bigger and better than ever

In August, more people than ever before experienced cheers, sun and community as they joined up in Seattle and virtually for Obliteride, our annual bike ride, 5K walk/run and fundraiser. Together, participants biked, ran and walked more than 98,000 miles — the distance it would take to circle the Earth almost four times! — to help cure cancer faster.

Photo of walkers Brian and Michele Fish — Brian and Michele Fish begin the 5K walk during Obliteride, Fred Hutch’s annual bike ride, 5K walk/run fundraiser, at the University of Washington, August 10, 2024, in Seattle. Photo by Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service

Finding joy

From scientific seminars to training sessions to team-building exercises, Fred Hutch staff, providers and researchers gather often to improve our work, advance our mission — and have fun.

Photo of two people hugging — Luna Yu receives an award for her work putting on the 2024 pumpkin carving contest in October 2024 hosted by the Human Biology and Basic Sciences divisions. Photo by Connor O'Shaughnessy / Fred Hutch News Service

Toasting a job well done

Sometimes it takes a little magic to solve a molecular puzzle. For liver and pancreatic cancer researcher Sita Kugel, PhD, it was actually MAGI1, a nondescript scaffolding molecule that turns out to play a big role in explaining why a certain drug works in a rare liver cancer, and how it could work better. She and her collaborators published a study in 2024 that was based on work initiated at Fred Hutch by Kugel’s late husband, Supriya “Shoop” Saha, MD, PhD, who died of complications from a bone marrow transplant in 2020.

Photo of two people celebrating — Postdoctoral fellow Iris Luk, left, toasts with Dr. Sita Kugel in May to celebrate the publication of a study that also marked the completion of Kugel’s late husband’s research. Robert Hood / Fred Hutch News Service

Goodbye therapy

Each day, many of our patients complete their therapy and leave our clinics, hopefully for good. Throughout the year, researchers are completing a research project or clinicians finalizing a diagnosis. For a few Fred Hutch folks, this year also marked the completion of a career.