"Fred Hutch Cancer Center" "Cures Start Here"

Melinda Biernacki, MD

Provider

Melinda Biernacki, MD

Physician, Fred Hutch
Assistant Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch
Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine

Specialty:

Hematology-Oncology

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“When you’re going through something life-altering, I want to meet you where you are, reach out a hand and let you know we’ll get through this together.”

— Dr. Biernacki

What do you value about your work?

I have multiple family members who have been affected by cancer — including, when I was really young, my grandfather, who had metastatic melanoma. He was enrolled in a clinical trial, and unfortunately the treatment didn’t work for him. Now, many years later, I’ve come of age as a medical oncologist in the time of immunotherapies, including options that might have helped him.

One of the things I love about Fred Hutch is that we’re on the leading edge. Working in the clinic means I have the ability to offer you new therapies, and I can also go back to my colleagues in the lab and collaborate with them on research to understand more about how the therapy works and how we can make it better.

What do you hope it’s like for a patient to work with you?

Communication is really important to me. My goal is to make the complicated process of getting a bone marrow transplant or immunotherapy understandable to anyone who walks through the door. I want to help you know what you can expect your experience to be like.

I had a patient once who was doing poorly after a second transplant. He was down in the dumps, and every day when I saw him, I would try to get him to smile. Finally, one day I got him to crack by telling a bad joke. It was an important moment of connection. Treatment is a partnership between the two of us with shared decision-making, and as your physician, I want to connect with you on a human level.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Blood and marrow transplantation, immunotherapy

I am a physician who sees patients at the South Lake Union Clinic and Fred Hutch at UW Medical Center – Montlake.

My research is in transplantation and immunotherapy for myeloid malignancies. The research I’ve done is not ready for use in the clinic yet, for the most part, but it’s exciting to sit at the point where the work I’m doing in the lab now could someday apply to the people I’m taking care of.

The diseases I’m interested in are complicated, and I like messy, complicated things. It’s really gratifying to successfully figure out how to treat these diseases and how we can improve care for you.

Diseases Treated

Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia

Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Languages

English

Education, Experience and Certifications

Undergraduate Degree
Reed College

Medical Degree
University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Residency
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics

Fellowship
University of Washington School of Medicine, Hematology and Oncology

Board Certification
Internal Medicine, 2013, recertified 2024; Medical Oncology, 2017, recertified 2024; American Board of Internal Medicine

We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by Fred Hutch physicians. Many of these trials at Fred Hutch have led to FDA-approved treatments and have improved standards of care globally. Together, you and your physician can decide if a study is right for you.

Find a Clinical Trial Led by Dr. Biernacki

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other physicians and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this Fred Hutch physician has written.

View Dr. Biernacki's Publications

Your Care Team

At Fred Hutch, you receive care from a team of providers with extensive experience in your disease. Your team includes physicians, a patient care coordinator, a registered nurse, an advanced practice provider and others, based on your needs. You also have access to experts like registered dietitians, social workers, acupuncturists, psychiatrists and more who specialize in supporting people with cancer or blood disorders.

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