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Otegbeye
Folashade Otegbeye, MBChB, MPH

Folashade Otegbeye, MBChB, MPH

Hematology-Oncology

  • Physician, Fred Hutch
  • Associate Professor, Translational Science and Therapeutics, Fred Hutch
  • Facility Director, Therapeutic Products Program, Fred Hutch
  • Fleischauer Family Endowed Chair in Cell and Gene Therapy Translation, Fred Hutch
  • Member, Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC), Fred Hutch
  • Affiliate Investigator, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch
  • Associate Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine

About

Dr. Folashade Otegbeye is a hematologist-oncologist and researcher at Fred Hutch. She focuses on patients who are undergoing blood stem cell transplantation and researches ways to improve transplant care for people with blood cancers and other diseases of the blood and bone marrow.

Background

Dr. Otegbeye is the facility director of Fred Hutch’s Therapeutic Products Program, which develops and manufactures biologic and cellular therapies for Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. In this role, she works closely with Fred Hutch’s cellular immunotherapy labs to help translate research ideas into clinical grade products that can be safely tested in patients.

Her clinical research is aimed at improving transplant care for people with bone marrow failure syndromes and myeloproliferative disorders, conditions in which blood cells grow abnormally in the bone marrow. Through both lab work and patient care, Dr. Otegbeye focuses on advancing transplant and immune based therapies to improve outcomes for patients.

Area of Clinical Practice
Blood stem cell transplantation

“In blood cancer transplantation, we have a lot of ongoing, frequent interactions with patients and their family members or caregivers. I’ve always been inspired and touched by those relationships.”

— Dr. Otegbeye

What fueled your interest in studying blood cancers and transplant medicine?

During my medical training and practice in Nigeria, I was frustrated by a lack of access to care. Though there were therapies in wealthier countries for cancers like Burkitt lymphoma, in Nigeria, our physicians understood the theory of the disease but often were unable to treat it. This interest brought me to the Harvard School of Public Health. Following that, I pursued a blood cancer fellowship in Cleveland, which led me into my career in transplant medicine.

What inspired your interest in medicine?

I have always been a scientist, studying and growing living things. It started with growing plants. My father was a plant geneticist who worked on breeding trees. When I was a child, my siblings and I all had our own private plots of land, just to grow things. With my father's encouragement, I grew corn, soybeans, rice and tomatoes in my garden.

Diseases Treated

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Research Interests

Natural killer cells and other immune effector cell therapy

Post-transplant immune reconstitution

Haploidentical and cord blood transplantation

Languages

English

Education and Experience

Fellowship, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center; Case Western Reserve University

Residency, Internal Medicine, Bridgeport Hospital Yale New Haven Health

MPH, Harvard School of Public Health

MBChB, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife

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. 

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Publications

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

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Stories

All news
Washington Research Foundation awards $5.2M to establish new clinical trials program
Washington Research Foundation awards $5.2M to establish new clinical trials program Funds will help develop ‘first-in-human’ trials for new therapeutics invented at Fred Hutch and Seattle Children’s November 12, 2025
‘Manufacturing scientist’ believes in the machinery that powers Fred Hutch’s cell therapies
‘Manufacturing scientist’ believes in the machinery that powers Fred Hutch’s cell therapies Dr. Folashade Otegbeye is the recipient of the Fleischauer Family Endowed Chair in Cell and Gene Therapy Translation July 30, 2025

Contact Information

206.667.1915