Rate My Professor Frederick Appelbaum

Frederick Appelbaum, MD, serves as Executive Vice President at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where he holds the Metcalfe Family/Frederick Appelbaum Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. He is Professor in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch and Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Additionally, he is Associate Director for Clinical Research for the Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium, setting the vision and standards for clinical research across this National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and overseeing faculty affairs. Appelbaum earned his AB cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1968 and MD from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1972. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center and medical oncology fellowship training at the National Cancer Institute. Joining the faculties at Fred Hutch and the University of Washington in 1978, he previously directed the Clinical Research Division for 20 years, headed the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Washington, and served as founding president and CEO of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance from 1998 until 2016. Board-certified in medical oncology and internal medicine, he specializes in treating acute myeloid leukemia and other blood cancers, as well as adult blood and marrow transplantation.

A world-renowned expert in blood cancers, Appelbaum's research focuses on the biology and treatment of leukemias, lymphomas, and related disorders. He was lead author of the seminal 1978 paper in Blood describing the successful engraftment of cryopreserved autologous bone marrow in patients with acute leukemia, a procedure now used in over 30,000 patients annually. He contributed significantly to the development of gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg), the first antibody-drug conjugate approved by the Food and Drug Administration for acute myeloid leukemia. Appelbaum led clinical trials defining the role of transplantation in acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplasia, and malignant lymphoma, and continues investigating AML biology and drug resistance mechanisms. A national leader in clinical trials, he chaired the SWOG Leukemia Committee for over 20 years and the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network. His honors include the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, election as a fellow to the AACR Academy in 2019, membership in the National Academy of Medicine, the ASCO Statesman Award, the E.D. Thomas Lecture and Award, and election to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.