Rafael Santana-Davila, MD
Rafael Santana-Davila, MD
- Medical Director, Infusion and Pharmacy Services; Attending Physician, Fred Hutch
- Associate Professor, Medicine and Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine
- Physician, UW Medicine
- Associate Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch
Medical Oncology
“My patients teach me life lessons that make me a better person.”
— Dr. Santana-Davila
What do you love about your job?
Originally from Mexico City, I was drawn to my career in medicine because of two things: the inspiration and influence of my father — an accomplished physician himself — and my interest in the science of the human body. I developed a fascination with trying to understand why cancer develops. As an oncologist, I have the privilege of helping patients go through one of the most difficult phases of their lives. They teach me life lessons every single day. I’m indebted to them for helping me focus on the joys of life.
What is your approach to treatment?
My goal is to provide you and your family the most up-to-date, clear information about your disease, prognosis and treatment options, including the latest in clinical trials. Then we can work together to make decisions that are compatible with your beliefs and values. I believe it is my responsibility to provide compassionate, state-of-the-art care within a multidisciplinary team. Because I want to continue seeing advances in therapeutic options for my patients, I’m dedicated to ongoing research and next-generation immunology treatments.
Provider Background
Specialty: Medical Oncology
Area of clinical practice
Head and neck cancers, thoracic cancers
Lung, head and neck, thyroid cancers
I am a medical oncologist who specializes in treating patients with lung and head and neck cancers. In the last decade, there’s been significant progress in the way we treat these cancers. Exciting new therapies have proven to be effective. We’ve come a long way, but there’s still so much work to do — and that’s why I’m committed to ongoing research.
My interests include harnessing the immune system in treating virus-associated cancers and designing and implementing clinical trials to establish new, life-saving treatments. I’m also interested in studying how patients in the general population — those who do not have access to cancer centers — are treated in order to figure out how to best bring the most recent advances in care to these individuals. My published papers explore a variety of topics, such as treating cancers in elderly and obese patients, combining immunotherapies and treating small-cell and non-small cell lung cancers.
Diseases Treated
Languages
English
Spanish
Education, Experience and Certifications
Medical Degree
Universidad Anahuac
Residency
University of Minnesota Medical School, Internal Medicine
Fellowship
Mayo Clinic
Board Certification
Medical Oncology, 2010; Hematology, 2010, American Board of Internal Medicine
Other
Teaching Appointment, Medical College of Wisconsin
Your Care Team
At Fred Hutch, you receive care from a team of providers with extensive experience in your disease. Your team includes doctors, a patient care coordinator, a registered nurse, an advanced practice provider and others, based on your needs. You also have access to experts like nutritionists, social workers, acupuncturists, psychiatrists and more who specialize in supporting people with cancer or blood disorders.
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.
For the Media
The Media Relations team at Fred Hutch is available to assist members of the news media who would like to arrange interviews with providers.
Email media@fredhutch.org or call 206.667.2210