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Gillespie
Erin F. Gillespie, MD, MPH

Erin F. Gillespie, MD, MPH

Radiation Oncology

  • Physician, Fred Hutch
  • Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology Division, Fred Hutch
  • Member, Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR), Fred Hutch
  • Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine

About

Dr. Erin Gillespie is a radiation oncologist and researcher at Fred Hutch. She specializes in breast cancer care and researches ways to improve the type, quality, access and patient experience of cancer treatment.


Background

Dr. Gillespie treats patients with breast cancer, including metastatic disease. She provides personalized radiation treatment and works closely with patients and care teams to tailor therapy in ways that aim to reduce treatment burden and improve quality of life.

Alongside patient care, Dr. Gillespie conducts research focused on health care quality and implementation science, studying how best practices in medicine can be consistently delivered to patients regardless of where they live. Her work examines differences in the types and quality of cancer treatments patients receive with particular attention to radiation oncology and breast cancer care. She is especially interested in understanding patients’ experiences with lower grade but impactful side effects, such as fatigue and pain, as well as the financial and logistical challenges associated with cancer treatment, including travel burden.

Dr. Gillespie’s research is driven by a commitment to expanding access to high-quality, patient-centered cancer care and improving how treatments are delivered across various populations. Her long-standing interest in breast cancer research began early in her career and continues to shape her efforts to improve outcomes while reducing the physical, emotional and practical burdens of treatment for patients and their families.

Area of Clinical Practice
Radiation oncology, health care quality research


“I encourage patients to be open about their unique circumstances so we can tailor treatments and make sure they have the best possible outcomes.”

— Dr. Gillespie


What brought you to oncology and health care research?

When I was in high school in Anchorage, Alaska, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to travel to the lower 48 — the contiguous United States — for six weeks of radiation. Ever since then, I have had in my mind, “Why can’t people trust that they’re getting high-quality care closer to home?” I want to help make high-quality care more accessible for people everywhere.

How do you approach providing patient care? What drives you in your research efforts?

My approach to care is rooted in my dual role as a provider and health services researcher, with a focus on implementation science and its application to clinical radiation oncology. My clinical and research efforts are driven by a mission to serve varying populations and expand access to high-quality, patient-centered care through innovation in how cancer care is delivered.

I want to understand patients’ experiences and improve symptom management, including lower-grade toxicities like fatigue, pain, and the financial burdens associated with travel related to treatment.

Diseases Treated

Implementation science

Symptom science

Cancer care delivery research

Health services research

Defining and evaluating quality metrics in radiation oncology.

Developing and evaluating tools for real-world assessment of radiation quality.

Improving quality in radiation treatment through point-of-care decision support (i.e eContour.org), peer review (chart rounds), audit / feedback, artificial intelligence, and virtual interventions (i.e. telemedicine, remote monitoring).

Identifying variations in patterns of clinical care and testing novel implementation strategies (including QA monitoring tools) to accelerate uptake of evidence-based practice.

Leading pragmatic clinical effectiveness research that develops primary evidence to guide practice that is equitable and accessible to people with cancer regardless of where they live.

Languages

English

Education and Experience

Residency, Radiation Oncology, University of California San Diego Medical Center

MD, University of Michigan Medical School

MPH, T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University

BS, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University

Board Certification

Radiation Oncology, 2018, American Board of Radiology

Awards

Steven A. Leibel Memorial Award for best abstract at American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), 2022

National Cancer Institute (NCI) K08 Career Development Award, 2020

American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Young Investigator Award, 2017

Radiologic Society of North America (RSNA) Roentgen Resident Research Award, 2017

Clinical Trials

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.

View Clinical Trials Led by Dr. Gillespie

Publications

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other doctors 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. Gillespie'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.

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.