Geoffrey Hill named Leonard and Norma Klorfine Endowed Chair for Clinical Research
World-renowned blood stem cell transplantation physician-scientist, Dr. Geoffrey Hill, professor (Hematology and Oncology) is the recipient of the Leonard and Norma Klorfine Endowed chair for Clinical Research at Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
Hill joined Fred Hutch and the University of Washington in 2018 to continue his leading-edge work in bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapy.
He is senior vice president and director of the Translational Science and Therapeutics Division at Fred Hutch, leading a team of 55 lab-based principal investigators in Seattle’s historic Lake Union Steam Plant building. In addition to his work in the lab, he maintains a strong connection with clinical work, regularly seeing transplant patients at Fred Hutch.
Funding life-changing breakthroughs
The Klorfine chair was established in celebration of the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary, with the goal of funding a physician-scientist who dedicates each day to improving health and saving lives through world-class research.
Funding new ideas and critical collaboration
With Hill at the helm, his research team primarily explores transplant immunology and issues related to host disease, immune response, relapse and infection. They have more recently expanded their area of focus into cell therapy, with a particular emphasis on breakthroughs in myeloma and acute leukemia.
“Overall, we try and find pathways of disease that we can interrupt and take those lessons to clinic for use in clinical studies.” Hill explained. “Then, we analyze samples from the trial and confirm our hypotheses.”
The Klorfines’ generous gift ensures he and his team can do the foundational data collection that’s necessary to secure vital National Institutes of Health grant funding.