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Boeckh
Michael J. Boeckh, MD, PhD

Michael J. Boeckh, MD, PhD

Infectious Disease

  • Physician and Head, Infectious Disease Consult Service, Fred Hutch
  • Professor and Program Head, Infectious Disease Sciences Program, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutch
  • Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch
  • Member, Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC), Fred Hutch
  • Member, Pathogen-Associated Malignancies Integrated Research Center (PAM IRC), Fred Hutch
  • Professor, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine
Boeckh Group

About

Dr. Michael Boeckh is a physician and researcher at Fred Hutch. He cares for patients with weakened immune systems and leads research on preventing and treating serious viral infections in patients undergoing cancer treatment or blood stem cell transplantation.

Background

Dr. Boeckh is an expert in infections that affect people whose immune systems have been weakened by illness, chemotherapy or blood stem cell transplantation. His research focuses on herpes viruses, respiratory viruses and the genetic factors that make some individuals more susceptible to these infections. His team conducts clinical trials to test ways to prevent and treat common viral infections, including cytomegalovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus and rhinovirus.

His team also studies herpes viruses that can reactivate in cancer patients long after an initial infection. One such virus, HHV6, is best known for causing roseola, a common childhood rash, and often reactivates in people who have received blood stem cell transplants. In these patients, the virus can increase the risk of central nervous system infections and graft-versus-host disease, both of which can be serious and life-threatening complications. Dr. Boeckh is also a co-leader of the CovidWatch study, which provides home testing kits to frontline workers at higher risk of infection, so researchers can track COVID-19 more closely.

Diseases Treated

Cytomegalovirus

Respiratory viruses

Varicella Zoster virus

Cytomegalovirus: immune reconstitution, virus-host interactions, diagnostic, mechanisms of primary CMV infection via blood and stem cell products, impact in immunocompetent subjects with acute lung injury, prevention in transplant recipients

Respiratory virus infections in immunocompromised hosts: biomarkers, molecular diagnostics, disease associations, pathogenesis, immune response, treatment, prevention

Genetic basis of infection complications in transplant recipients: whole genome studies and gene expression studies

Infections in the immunocompromised host: disease manifestations, risk factors, and outcome studies

Infections in the immunocompromised host, especially diagnosis, prevention and treatment of CMV, VZV, BK virus, adenovirus, and respiratory virus infections

Infections in the immunocompromised host: biomarker, outcome research

Genetic basis of infectious complications

Languages

English
German

Education and Experience

Fellowship, Infectious Diseases, UW Medicine

Residency, Universität, Internal Medicine

PhD, Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin

MD, Freie Universität Berlin

Clinical Trials

We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by Fred Hutch physicians and researchers. 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. Boeckh

Publications

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians and researchers conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by others in their field 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. Boeckh'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. 

Meet Other Providers

Insurance

Fred Hutch accepts most national private health insurance plans as well as Medicare. We also accept Medicaid for people from Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. We are working to ensure that everyone, no matter what their financial situation, has access to the care they need.

More About Insurance

Stories

All news
New horizons in infectious disease treatment and prevention in immunocompromised patients
New horizons in infectious disease treatment and prevention in immunocompromised patients The 5th Symposium on Infectious Disease in the Immunocompromised Host emphasized new opportunities, next generation June 23, 2025
Infectious disease experts propose trials network dedicated to immunocompromised patients
Infectious disease experts propose trials network dedicated to immunocompromised patients ImmunOptimize workshop convened stakeholders across disciplines to brainstorm infectious disease clinical trials network designed to serve people with weakened immune systems October 21, 2024
Infectious disease scientists look beyond the pandemic
Infectious disease scientists look beyond the pandemic A symposium about protecting people with weakened immune systems from microbial threats May 9, 2023

Contact Information

206.667.6706

206.667.4411