Neel S. Bhatt, MBBS, MPH

What makes this work meaningful for you?

When I was a trainee, I cared for a teenager with leukemia. He was a dedicated, high-achieving student when cancer struck, but he underwent treatment and recovered pretty quickly. Around the same time, my fellowship ended and I moved on to Fred Hutch and Seattle Children’s. He reached out to me through social media and we were able to reconnect; he shared how well he was doing and that he already had three college acceptance letters. I keep in touch with several of the patients I treat, and it’s so gratifying to see them thriving. The biggest reason I practice this type of medicine is the connections I make with patients and families.

What do you want patients to know about working with you?

Patients always come first in my practice, and while I enjoy celebrating with you when things are going well, I make sure to stand side by side with you when they aren’t. I like to know about you as a person — who you are outside of your disease, what issues you’re facing and what your support system is like — and I’m always open to hearing what I can do to take better care of you and your family. One of my particular interests is whether patients are able to return to school or work after cancer therapy ends. I want to support you in working toward your life goals and helping you succeed.

Provider Background

Specialty: Medical Oncology

Area of clinical practice

Pediatric blood and marrow transplantation

Leukemias, lymphomas and non-malignant blood disorders

I specialize in treating children and young adults with lymphomas, leukemias and non-malignant blood disorders who receive stem cell transplants. Prior to joining Fred Hutch and Seattle Children’s, I completed a fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in cancer survivorship. Now, as a pediatric hematologist-oncologist, I provide inpatient care to those undergoing stem cell transplants and outpatient follow-up care to long-term survivors of transplant.

My research is focused on improving health outcomes and quality of life for children and young adults with cancer. In addition to studying patient-reported outcomes, I analyze large multi-institutional and international databases to identify the problems that long-term survivors of childhood cancer and stem cell transplants frequently encounter. This information can aid clinical decision-making for patients all over the country.