Public Health Sciences (PHS) was originally established in 1975 as Fred Hutch’s Program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. In 1983, it became a division of the center as scientists established the Cancer Prevention Research Program, the first cancer prevention program funded by the National Cancer Institute.
Due to our research expertise in large trials, PHS is a hub for many national data and clinical coordination centers including the Cancer Screening Research Network, the Early Detection Research Network, Multi-ethnic Observational Study of American Asian and Pacific Islander Communities Coordinating Center, Population-based Research to Optimize the Screening Process, Southwest Oncology Group, and the Women’s Health Initiative.
“Being funded by the public to do science is a privilege. We are driven by the quest for discovery and the translation of new knowledge to the common good.”
— Dr. Thomas Kensler
Our Leadership
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Director, Christopher Li, MD, PhD
Dr. Christopher Li is the senior vice president and director of Public Health Sciences (PHS) and an epidemiologist who specializes in breast and colorectal cancer early detection/screening, etiology, and survivorship. As the PHS director, Dr. Li provides scientific leadership to the division, coordinates with the other divisions, and communicates with Fred Hutch leadership.
Associate Director, Ulrike Peters, PhD, MPH
Dr. Peters is a Public Health Sciences associate division director and a research professor in the Epidemiology Department of the University of Washington School of Public Health. Her research centers on the genetic, molecular and nutritional epidemiology of cancer and cardiometabolic traits.
Associate Vice President, Rosemarie Keenan
Ms. Keenan is the Public Health Sciences associate vice president. She oversees day-to-day and long-range strategic planning, as well as financial, administrative, and human resource operations. Ms. Keenan earned her Juris Doctorate from New York University.
Collaboration is at the Foundation of Our Research
Our best work can’t be done in a vacuum, and the more opportunities we have to share our science, the greater the possibility we have for live-saving discoveries. Through groups like our Integrated Research Centers (IRCs) and the Seattle Tumor Translational Research (STTR), Fred Hutch supports collaboration at a structural level.
Translational Data Science IRC
The Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center (TDS IRC) works to conduct the research needed to grow the center’s data science infrastructure, support large-scale biological experiments, and create effective computational methods.
Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research
Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR) is a research institute at Fred Hutch whose mission is to improve cancer prevention, detection and treatment in ways that will reduce the economic and human burden of cancer — and ultimately lead to better outcomes for patients.
Pathogen-Associated Malignancies IRC
The Pathogen-Associated Malignancies IRC (PAM IRC) combines research in infectious diseases, host-pathogen interactions, cancer biology, immunology, global oncology, and immunotherapy.
Contact Us
Mailing Address
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Public Health Sciences Division
Mail Stop M3-C102
PO Box 19024
Seattle, WA 98109-1024
Physical Address
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Arnold Building, Day Campus
1100 Fairview Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98109