"Fred Hutch Cancer Center" "Cures Start Here"

Johnnie J. Orozco, MD, PhD

Provider

Johnnie J. Orozco, MD, PhD

Physician, Fred Hutch
Associate Professor, Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutch
Associate Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine

Specialty:

Hematology-Oncology

South Lake Union Clinic

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“I strive to be mindful of the therapies we as a field are working on, who they’re geared for and what populations are being left out, because everyone should have the opportunity to experience a cure.”

— Dr. Orozco

What’s it like to work with you?

My approach to care is guided by two things: what the data supports and what you want to accomplish. We plot your course of treatment together, and that plan may look different for each person. Some patients opt for a transplant, some choose to participate in a clinical trial, and others may go a completely different route. One of the aspects of oncology practice I enjoy is the opportunity to be flexible and creative, drafting a plan that optimizes your medical care and also takes into account your hopes, life goals and values.

What do you enjoy about being a physician-scientist?

Being at the forefront of what’s going on in the clinic gives me a sense of what the challenges are and what obstacles patients are facing, so that I can take those issues back to the lab and research potential solutions. For example, people who need a stem cell transplant and who are ethnic or racial minorities often have difficulty finding a fully matched donor on transplant registries, because most of those donors are non-Hispanic whites. I’m investigating ways to make partially-matched transplantation — when donors and recipients share only some of the same genetic markers — safer, so that transplantation can be a treatment option available to more people.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Adult blood and marrow transplantation, leukemias, lymphomas

I am a board-certified hematologist-oncologist who specializes in treating and researching blood cancers, such as leukemias and lymphomas. At Fred Hutch, I consult with patients who are considering bone marrow transplantation and provide care for those who pursue this treatment path. I also work with patients who have been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

In the lab, I explore ways to make stem cell transplantation safer and more effective, particularly transplants involving donors who are only a partial genetic match to their recipients. My clinical trials test radioimmunotherapies, a type of targeted radiation that works with proteins in the immune system to attack cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. Another area of interest is developing new treatment options for patients with AML that does not enter complete remission.

Diseases Treated

Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Radioimmunotherapy for Hematologic Malignancies

Languages

English
Spanish

Education, Experience and Certifications

Undergraduate Degree
University of California, Los Angeles

Medical Degree
University of Washington School of Medicine

Residency
University of California, San Francisco

Fellowship
University of Washington, Hematology-Oncology

Board Certification
Internal Medicine, 2009; Medical Oncology, 2012; Hematology, 2013, American Board of Internal Medicine

Other
PhD, University of Washington; Internship, University of California, San Francisco

Stories

All news

$3.4 million grant to find safer, more effective leukemia treatments

$3.4 million grant to find safer, more effective leukemia treatments New combinatorial targeted therapies before haploidentical bone marrow transplantation for AML could also help expand access to potential cures for underserved populations July 27, 2020

Good News at Fred Hutch

Good News at Fred Hutch

CTI BioPharma and Fred Hutch announce international research fellowship in blood cancers; Dr. Julie Overbaugh receives $2.5M NIDA grant for HIV research; Dr. Johnnie Orozco wins grant to develop less-toxic cancer treatment; Dr. Philip Greenberg named editor-in-chief of Cancer Immunology Research; CFO Randy Main receives AIRI lifetime achievement award

October 1, 2015

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.

Find a Clinical Trial Led by Dr. Orozco

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians 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. Orozco'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.

Meet Other Providers

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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