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Gilliland
D. Gary Gilliland, MD, PhD

D. Gary Gilliland, MD, PhD

  • President and Director Emeritus, Fred Hutch

Background

Dr. Gary Gilliland is a physician-scientist who has made major contributions to understanding the genetic basis of blood diseases, particularly leukemia, and translated seminal findings into new, precision treatments that stop cancer while causing minimal side effects. Dr. Gilliland led Fred Hutch from 2015 to early 2020. Among his achievements were strong growth and diversification of the faculty, an increase in Fred Hutch's already-strong federal grant funding, a quadrupled endowment, and new internal and external research collaborations. Through his leadership and vision, Gilliland reinforced Fred Hutch’s longstanding commitment to scientific excellence. Among Gilliland’s major initiatives was the creation of Fred Hutch’s Integrated Research Centers, or IRCs, which promote collaboration among researchers across campus and throughout the Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer/Seattle Children's Cancer Consortium on high-impact, innovative projects.

Before he was named Fred Hutch’s fifth president, Dr. Gilliland spent 20 years at Harvard Medical School, led a breakthrough immunotherapy drug to market as senior vice president and global oncology franchise head at Merck and Co., and spearheaded a new model for personalized medicine within the University of Pennsylvania system.

Member, National Academy of Medicine

Member, National Academy of Arts and Sciences

Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation

Member, Association of American Physicians

Education

1984 MD University of California, San Francisco

1980 PhD University of California, Los Angeles (Microbiology), Dr. R. John Collier, Adviser

1975 BS University of California, Davis (Bacteriology)

Research, Teaching and Clinical Contributions

Prior to joining Fred Hutch, Dr. Gilliland's research efforts while at Harvard focused initially on the genetic basis of hematologic malignancies, with a goal of utilizing insights from these studies for clinical translational purposes. His research contributions have included the positional cloning of a spectrum of disease alleles associated with myeloproliferative disease, acute leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes that have enabled molecularly targeted therapies for these disorders. These mutant genes have been characterized in biochemical, cell culture and murine models of leukemia. Transforming properties have been characterized both for signal transduction and for transcriptional activation properties. Using murine models, specific inhibitors have been developed, and these have been translated into therapeutic trials. His work has thus spanned the spectrum of bench to bedside research.


Awards & Honors

1978 - Sydney C. Rittenberg Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Graduate Studies, Department of Microbiology, UCLA
1979-1980 - NCI Postdoctoral Fellowship, UCLA
1981-1982 - President's Undergraduate Fellowship, UCSF
1984 - Gold-Headed Cane Award, UCSF
1988-1989 - Malcolm B. Hecht Fellow in Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital
1990-1991 - Julian and Eunice Cohen Scholar in Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
1990-1992 - Jose Carreras Scholar Award, American Society of Hematology
1991-1993 - Harvard-Sandoz Scholar in Medicine
1995-2000 - Stephen Birnbaum Scholar, Leukemia Society of America
2000 - Abelson Lecturer, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
2001 - James Kuebel Memorial Lecturer, Washington University, St. Louis
2002 - Huntsman Cancer Institute Distinguished Lectureship, University of Utah
2002 - Helen Ranney Lecturer, Medical Grand Rounds, UCSD
2002-2007 - Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award
2003 - Member, Association of American Physicians
2003 - William Dameshek Prize, American Society of Hematology
2005 - Cartwright Lectureship, University of Utah
2006 - McCredie Lecturer, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
2006 - Councillor, American Society of Hematology
2007 - Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award, American Society for Clinical Investigation
2008 - Physician Mentor Recognition Award, Women Physicians Congress of the American Medical Association
2009 - Emil J Freireich Award, MD Anderson
2015 - Member, National Academy of Medicine
2016 - Champions for Children Award, Moyer Foundation
2016 - Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2018 - Geek of the Year, GeekWire Awards
2018 - Fellow, American Association for Cancer Research Academy

"We’ve made enormous progress in treating cancer patients and improving their quality of life, but our goal is to cure cancer...for the first time, for me at least, I can see it coming across a broad spectrum of human cancers."

— Dr. Gary Gilliland

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