Brenda M. Sandmaier, MD

“What I love about working at Fred Hutch is the collaborative environment. Rather than a lone scientist or physician sitting in a corner and having an “aha” moment, it’s a place where many great minds come together to improve cancer care.”

— Dr. Sandmaier

Why did you decide to specialize in the field of stem cell transplantation?

When I was in medical school, I knew that I wanted to have a research-based practice. I wanted to do more than offer the standard of care — I yearned to advance the science behind cancer care, too. At the time, blood stem cell transplantation was an emerging field. It was rapidly changing, and I was drawn toward helping it evolve. What I love about working at Fred Hutch is the collaborative environment. Rather than a lone scientist or physician sitting in a corner and having an “aha” moment, it’s a lot of great minds coming together to improve cancer care.  

What’s it like to work with you?

After I began practicing medicine, I fell in love with hematology-oncology, in part because of the deep relationships that develop between patients and families and their care providers. I see patients for long periods of time, several times a week. Together, we explore every care and treatment option that may be a good fit. I work collaboratively with you and your family while providing the best data-driven counseling I can.

Provider Background

Specialty: Medical Oncology

Area of clinical practice

Adult Blood and Marrow Transplantation

Malignant blood disorders

I am a medical oncologist who treats patients with malignant blood disorders, including leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. In addition to providing care at Fred Hutch, I am also faculty member, where I conduct clinical trials and perform translational research.

My driving goal is to improve outcomes for patients who undergo blood stem cell transplantation and to extend the benefit of this treatment to a broader range of patients — particularly those who are older, have medical complications or don’t have donors who are complete genetic matches. Another area of interest is radioimmunotherapy (RIT). This form of treatment uses immune system molecules to deliver radiation directly to cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue. I also study novel approaches for preventing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a life-threatening condition that can develop following a transplant.