Frederick Appelbaum

Dr. Frederick Appelbaum serves as Executive Vice President at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Professor at the University of Washington, holding the Metcalfe Family/Frederick Appelbaum Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. He oversees clinical research vision and faculty affairs for the Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium.

His academic credentials include:

• MD from Tufts University (1972)
• AB (cum laude) from Dartmouth College (1968)

A globally recognized authority in hematologic malignancies, Dr. Appelbaum pioneered autologous bone marrow transplantation and co-developed gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg), the first FDA-approved antibody-drug conjugate. His current research investigates acute myeloid leukemia biology and therapeutic resistance mechanisms, driving continuous improvements in transplantation cure rates as evidenced by decades of institutional survival data.

His distinguished honors include:

• Lifetime Achievement award (2023)
• National Academy of Medicine membership
• Alpha Omega Alpha society induction
• ASCO Statesman Award
• ASBMT E.D. Thomas Lecture and Award

As a national clinical trials leader, he founded the first multicenter bone marrow transplant consortium (evolving into the NIH-funded BMT CTN), chaired the SWOG Leukemia Committee for 20+ years, and previously served as Deputy Director of Fred Hutch and founding CEO of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

His leadership spans the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch for two decades and continues through strategic oversight of the NCI-designated Cancer Consortium, where he sets standards for clinical research excellence across institutional boundaries.