- Diseases We Treat

Provider

Faculty

Mengyang Di, MD, PhD

Specialty:

Hematology-Oncology

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

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About

Dr. Mengyang Di is a board-certified physician and researcher at Fred Hutch, who cares for people with lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia while leading clinical research to improve treatment and outcomes.

Background

Dr. Di specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), working closely with patients to understand how these diseases and their treatments affect all aspects of life. She helps her patients select therapies that best fit their individual needs and goals. Dr. Li values the opportunity to work closely with patients in this unique area that allows her to integrate her passions, interests and skills.

Her research focuses on improving care for people with lymphoma through clinical trials and real-world practice. She is particularly interested in testing new therapies or novel drug combinations and evaluating how these treatments perform outside of clinical trials. A key part of her work involves identifying challenges in everyday practice, like system-level or policy-related factors, that can lead to less-than-optimal outcomes and developing strategies to improve care quality and outcomes.

Through her combined patient care and research efforts, Dr. Di aims to advance more effective, patient-centered treatments for lymphoma and CLL, while helping ensure that innovations reach patients in real-world settings.

Area of Clinical Practice
Lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia

“When a patient comes to me for lymphoma treatment, I want to know every single detail about their medical conditions, but also to learn their perspective as a person outside their diagnosis.”

— Dr. Di

What motivates you as a researcher?

My goal is to improve outcomes for patients with lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. To help achieve this, my research has been focused on two aspects.

The first one is to design and conduct clinical trials to examine whether a new therapy for lymphoma is effective. This type of research allows us to bring new therapies to patients, especially those who are actively searching for new treatments.

My second focus is to identify barriers or challenges in the management of lymphoma outside clinical trials and to find possible solutions. Sometimes therapies do not work as well in daily practice as in clinical trials. It is very important for us to better understand the potential explanations of such differences.

What brought you to treating patients with lymphoma?

My interest in blood cancer/lymphoma began when I was a medical student. I found it very rewarding to take care of patients and to witness people eventually returning to the lives they led prior to their cancer diagnosis. Later, I realized that it was not all satisfying like this, and challenges did arise. These challenges never made me regret my career choice; instead, they have strongly motivated me to pursue meaningful research to improve outcomes.

Diseases Treated

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Cutaneous Lymphoma

Hairy Cell Leukemia

Hodgkin Lymphoma

Lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Waldenström Macroglobulinemia

Cutaneous Lymphoma

Hodgkin Lymphoma

Lymphoma

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Waldenström Macroglobulinemia

Clinical trials to examine novel therapies in lymphoma/CLL

Quality of life/patient-reported outcomes during lymphoma treatment and during long-term follow-up

Observational studies to examine real-world outcomes in lymphoma/CLL populations

Languages

Chinese (Mandarin)
English

Education and Experience

Fellowship, Hematology/Medical Oncology, Yale University

Residency, Internal Medicine, Brown University

PhD, Epidemiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

MD, Medicine, Peking Union Medical College

Board Certifications

Medical Oncology, 2024, American Board of Internal Medicine; Hematology, 2023, American Board of Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine, 2020, American Board of Internal Medicine

Awards

Annual Research Award by Hematology/Medical Oncology Fellowship Program at Yale University in 2023

Abstract Achievement Award by American Society of Hematology in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

Young Investigator Award by Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

Dean's Excellence in Teaching Award by Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in 2020

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.

View Clinical Trials

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. Di'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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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.

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