75 Emerging Leaders

Dr. Chloe Bryson-Cahn

Medical Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship and Associate Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Harborview. Advancing antimicrobial stewardship “in the field” in UW Medicine hospitals and across the U.S. through her work on UW Tele Antimicrobial Stewardship. Leader in the UW Medicine response to the pandemic, including leading the Home Assessment Team and developing and implementing wide-reaching infection control policies.

Dr. Helen Chu

Principal Investigator of the Chu Lab, that first identified community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States. She continues to research novel methods for community-based diagnostics and therapeutics for respiratory viruses, to define the immune correlates of protection against respiratory viruses, and to develop the University of Washington into an epicenter for pandemic preparedness research.

Dr. Christine Johnston

Associate Medical Director of the UW Virology Research Clinic and Associate Director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program. As a physician-scientist, she performs clinical studies of genital herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections.

Dr. Kayode Ojo

Cellular and molecular microbiologist known for his drug discovery research on therapeutic agents that will treat apicomplexan parasitic diseases such as cryptosporidiosis, toxoplasmosis and prevent transmission of malaria. He is currently pioneering the development of novel drug candidates and screening models for giardiasis.

Dr. Meena Ramchandani

Co-Medical Director of Public Health-Seattle & King County STD Clinic and Medical Director of the King County MAX Clinic, addressing the needs of patients with complex medical and social needs living with HIV. She is also the Editor and Host of the "National STD Curriculum" podcast.

Dr. Richard Cheng

Program Director, Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Fellowship; Director, Cardio-Oncology Program at University of Washington Medical Center. Specializes in heart failure, cardiomyopathies, heart transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support.

Dr. Kathleen Kearney

Interventional cardiologist specializing in complex coronary artery procedures including CTO (Chronic Total Occlusions), Coronary Physiology, Chest Pain Syndromes, and Brachytherapy.

Dr. James McCabe

Section Chief of Interventional Cardiology and Medical Director of the UW Cardiac Cath Labs. Nationally recognized clinician educator and investigator in transcatheter therapies for valvular heart disease and coronary artery intervention.

Dr. Babak Nazer

Specialist in the care of patients with heart rhythm disorders, and director of the UW Translational Electrophysiology Laboratory, where his research focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of ventricular arrhythmias (premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) and ventricular tachycardia (VT).

Dr. Karen Stout

Division of Cardiology Associate Chief and Cardiology Service Chief, University of Washington Medical Center. Founder and former director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital. 

Dr. Anna Cogen

Director of Inpatient Dermatology Consultative Services. As a physician and investigator, she works closely with learners providing mentorship in scholarship educating residents on inpatient rotations and oncodermatology.

Dr. Andrea Kalus

Helped strengthen and grow the division by fostering collaboration between divisions, developing the Humanities and the Arts Pathway program, and supporting the local community through volunteering and advocacy. Instrumental in the development of the combined Rheum/Derm Clinics at Roosevelt and Harborview.

Dr. April Schachtel

Chief and Education Site Director for Dermatology, at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. She is a Member of the Dermatology Task Force for National VA Cerner Implementation and co-host of "Clippings", the official podcast of the Council for Nail Disorders. 

Dr. Cory Simpson

Physician-scientist and PI of the Simpson Lab, which aims to identify novel treatment strategies to promote epidermal tissue regeneration after skin injuries and to restore skin barrier function in inherited and currently incurable dermatologic diseases.

Dr. Jay Vary

Director of Dermatology Clinical Operations. Helped lead the expansion of dermatology services to primary care which will help meet the increased demand for specialty medical services in the community. Led many division-wide initiatives including the development of telemedicine for dermatology, volunteer events in the community, and increasing access to care.

Dr. Gabrielle Berger

Assistant Program Director for Intern Education and Associate Medical Director for UWMC Inpatient Capacity; College Faculty in the UW School of Medicine since 2019. Recipient of the Beeson Award for Outstanding Clinical Teaching and the Chief of Medicine Service Award.

Dr. Daniel Cabrera

Assistant Program Director for Diversity and Inclusion and Assistant Student Clerkship Director for Diversity and Inclusion; co-chair of our Diversity Council and former Interim Chair for DEI in the Department of Medicine. Local lead and implementer for the Bias Reduction in Internal Medicine (BRIM) program; serves on many national DEI taskforces. 

Dr. Andrea Christopher

Associate Program Director, UW Boise Internal Medicine Residency and Medicine Clerkship Site Director, Boise VA Medical Center. Stern Regional Faculty Educator for the UW School of Medicine; founding member of the Idaho Health Equity Collective; developed and co-directs the "Advocacy 101" course. 

Dr. Neha Deshpande

Site Director for the UW Medical Center Medicine Clerkship and previous associate director for Medicine Student Programs. She founded and assumed directorship of the Connector-based Mentorship Program, co-editor of TeachIM.org; Director of the Interprofessional Hospital Medicine clinical elective.

Dr. Renata Thronson

Clinician educator and Associate Program Director for the UW Internal Medicine Residency Program. She is part of the core teaching faculty of the University of Washington’s School of Medicine and oversees a primary care elective for senior students in the School of Medicine and the training of residents as educators in the Residency Program.

Dr. Lisa Vande Vusse

Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician and Associate Program Director for research and scholarship in the UW Internal Medicine Residency Program. Among several programmatic activities, she created and directs the residency program Physician -Scientist Learning Pathway.

Dr. Jenny Wright

Clerkship Director for Medicine Student Programs and Outpatient Internal Medicine Clerkship Site Director for the UWMC Roosevelt Clinic. As a clinician-educator, she specializes in chronic disease management, medical education, and Women's health.

Dr. Erin Cleveland

Medical Director of the Harborview Liver Clinic, experienced in treating patients with a variety of acute and chronic liver diseases, including viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, alcohol-related liver disease, non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease, and autoimmune hepatitis. 

Dr. Abbey Barnard Giustini

VA Hepatology Clinic Director and leads the VA’s multidisciplinary fatty liver disease clinic. Her work focuses on improving chronic care delivery models for VA patients with liver disease, especially those with hepatocellular carcinoma. Her contributions led to her recent selection as a site investigator for two VA multi-center trials on hepatocellular carcinoma.

Dr. Rachel Issaka

The Kathryn Surace-Smith Endowed Chair in Health Equity Research and Director of the Fred Hutch/UW Medicine Population Health Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. As a gastroenterologist and clinical researcher based at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Harborview Medical Center, her work focuses on reducing disparities in colorectal cancer. 

Dr. Jeffrey Jacobs

Gastroenterologist specializing in the care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. 

Dr. Philip Vutien

Transplant hepatologist and clinical researcher focused on improving the delivery of care for patients with chronic liver disease at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Dr. Ryan Abe

Internal Medicine resident ('21) and chief resident ('22); Helped create and launch the Health Equity Pathway for the Internal Medicine Residency program and is the current Health Equity Pathway Director. She is also on the College Faculty for the UW School of Medicine.

Dr. James Floyd

Co-Director of the UW Cardiovascular Health Research Unit. His research focuses on cardiovascular epidemiology, drug safety,
pharmacogenomics, and methods for using electronic health data in epidemiologic studies.

Dr. Amy Kennedy

Director of GMS Addiction Medicine Program at the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System and VA Site Director for the Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program.

Dr. Kym McDonald

Director of the Hospital Medicine Service at Harborview Medical Center;  Implemented a number of substantial improvements to the Hospital Medicine program including a robust orientation program and additional support for clinical overnight coverage. Strong commitment to Harborview's mission to care for those from disadvantaged groups. 

Dr. Susan Merel

Director of Education, Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence; Associate Clerkship Director, Explore and Focus Phase, Medicine Student Programs; Inaugural Faculty Co-Chair, Department of Medicine Gender Equity Council.

Dr. Rashmi Sharma

Attending physician on the UW Medicine Palliative Care Consult Service; active investigator focusing on reducing racial/ethnic disparities in end-of-life communication and improving the quality of end-of-life care; Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence.

Dr. Nauzley Abedini

Palliative care physician who co-leads the Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence’s (CPCCE) Global and Cross Cultural Palliative Care Initiative, is a consultant to the Cambia Palliative Care Training Center, a member of the CPCCE’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, and PI on several CPCCE research collaborations.

Dr. Kate Bennett

Clinician-educator, Program Director for the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program, and Founding Medical Director of Project ECHO-Geriatrics. She is also a national leader in Geriatrics education advocacy, serving in several roles including President of the National Association for Geriatric Education.

Dr. Jose Garcia

Director of the Clinical Research Unit at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, and Associate Director for Clinical Research, and a clinical investigator at the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC). Researches treatments for Veterans with traumatic brain injury.

Dr. Nicole Liachko

Molecular biologist and research geneticist committed to improving the lives of those afflicted by neurodegenerative diseases of aging, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-TDP), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Dr. Thuan Ong 

Medical Director of the UW Post-Acute Care clinic and a Health Resources and Services Administration Geriatric Academic Career Awardee (GACA). As an educator and investigator, his research focus is on developing methods and tools to assess learner competency in providing care to the aging population.

Dr. Sergei Doulatov

Assistant Director of the Institute for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine and Principal Investigator of the Doulatov Lab. His lab creates human iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cell) models of hematological disorders and has contributed major insights into how myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) evolves to acute myeloid leukemia (AML).  

Dr. David Garcia

Nationally-championed the role of a systems-based hematologist with the development of an algorithm for the diagnosis and care of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. He is recognized internationally as an expert on antiphospholipid syndrome, the use of novel anticoagulants, and the management of clotting disorders. 

Dr. Sioban Keel

A leader in the care for adults who inherit genes associated with marrow failure and determining which mutations present the greatest risk for evolving to leukemia. She is also a broad thought leader in classical hematology.  She is a prominent voice in many hematology publications and an active member and expert contributor to numerous national organizations and activities. 

Dr. Rebecca Kruse-Jarres

As a national expert on bleeding disorders, her studies of long-acting factor VIII and IX products and a bispecfic antibody mimicking FVIII activity are revolutionizing care for patients with hemophilia. She is also the leader of a national 340B-funded hemophilia research and care program (Washington Center for Bleeding Disorders (WACBD).

Dr. Jose Lopez

Founder and CSO of the BloodWorks Research Institute. Cloned and characterized the platelet adhesion receptor glycoprotein Ib and discovered several new ligands for the receptor. Recipient of an Outstanding Investigator Award from NIH because of his long-standing research contributions; won the American Society of Hematology award for Leadership in Promoting Diversity because of his many actions on behalf of underrepresented minority physician-scientists.

Dr. Elizabeth Blue

Researcher focusing her research on Alzheimer's Disease genetics and population genetics.  Assistant Director of the Washington State Twin Registry and part of the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project, where she is a contributor to the Family-based analysis and Annotation working groups.

Dr. David Hawkins

Principal Investigator of the Hawkins Lab and Member of the UW Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM). His research focuses on understanding the role the epigenome plays in determining cell fates.

Dr. Andrew Stergachis

Clinician-scholar investigating how alterations in the human genome impact human health and disease. Recipient of the NIH Director's Early Independence Award, the Burroughs Wellcome Career Awards for Medical Scientists, and the Dept of Medicine 2022 Fialkow Scholars Award. 

Dr. Paul Valdmanis 

Principal investigator of the Valdmanis Lab, focusing on genetic risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and gene therapy methods for therapeutic intervention. His group has identified tandem repeats that expand in individuals and complex alternative splicing patterns that accumulate as a function of age, especially at the synapse.

Dr. Carlos Campos

Neuroscientist exploring the relationships between sensory signals and internal physiology, particularly as these relate to appetite, obesity, and diabetes. He is doing cutting-edge science and is committed to increasing diversity in faculty and trainees as part of the Division’s Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

Dr. Rebecca Hull

Director of the Diabetes and the Islet Research Program within the UW Medicine Diabetes Institute; the Cellular and Molecular Imaging Core in the UW Diabetes Research Center;  and Director of the Diabetes and Metabolism Enrichment Program. She is an active investigator and mentor. Her research focuses on the mechanisms of pancreatic islet-cell failure in type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Savitha Subramanian

Director of the South Lake Union Lipid Clinic and has international expertise in the treatment of Lipid Disorders which she brings to patients and trainees. She has made important links with primary care to optimize diabetes care delivery across the UW Medicine system. 

Dr. Joshua Thaler

Principal Investigator of the Thaler Lab, where research is focused on the hypothalamic regulation of energy homeostasis and the alterations to this system during obesity pathogenesis. He is the recipient of the Early Career Investigator Award of the Endocrine Society and the Fialkow Scholars Award.

Dr. Lorena Wright

Director of the LatinX Diabetes Clinic in the UW Diabetes Institute. She is active in several clinics and projects including providing gender-affirming care in her clinic, expanding knowledge in the medical community around inclusive care for underserved communities, and serving as the Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition.

Dr. Nisha Bansal

Director of the UW Medicine Kidney-Heart Service and Director of Nephrology Clinical and Research Education. As a physician-scientist, she investigates the epidemiology and pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease. Recipient of the ANIO Award for Academic Excellence and the Distinguished Researcher Award from the American Society of Nephrology.

Dr. Catherine (Kate) Butler

Physician-scientist focused on care for older adults and adults with chronic kidney disease and complex comorbidities. Studies real-time approaches to health-system resource scarcity, including healthcare resource allocation during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is the recipient of the 2020 Chair of Medicine  Scholars Award.

Dr. Benjamin Freedman

Principal Investigator of the Freedman Lab and a member of the Kidney Research Institute and the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. His research focuses on the use of human iPS cell-derived organoids, CRISPR gene editing, and high throughput screening to guide development of 21st-century therapies for various kidney diseases, cilia, glomerular disease, COVID-19, diabetic kidney disease, nephropathic cystinosis, and kidney regeneration. He is the recipient of the 2020 Fialkow Scholar Award.

Dr. Nicolae Leca

Medical Director of the Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation service. He is a leader in novel immunosuppressive approaches and clinical trials in kidney and pancreas transplantation, antibody-mediated rejection, and post-transplantation care.

Dr. Matthew Rivara

Director of the Inpatient Dialysis service at Harborview Medical Center and UW Medicine Outpatient Dialysis; Medical Director of the Broadway and Elliott Bay Kidney Centers; and Vice-Chair of the Medical Executive Committee at  Northwest Kidney Centers. 

Dr. Susan Wong

Physician-scientist focused on investigating advanced kidney disease. For this work, she was awarded the 2020 Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Scientist Development Award, among several other notable grants and awards.

Dr. Christina Baik

Clinical Research Director of UW Medicine Thoracic, Head and Neck Oncology. Her clinical research focuses on developing effective targeted therapies for people with oncogene-driven lung cancer; leads clinical research studies of targeted therapies and immunotherapies for patients with lung cancers and head and neck cancers.

Dr. Heather Cheng

Director of the Fred Hutch Prostate Cancer Genetics Clinic. Her clinical and research focus is on the inherited genetics of prostate cancer risk, the relationship to cancer-specific mutations, and the genomics of prostate cancer (how sets of genes within a tumor behave).

Dr. Petros Grivas

Global co-principal investigator in the JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial and Clinical Director of Genitourinary Oncology at UW Medicine. He is an internationally renowned medical oncologist, and his work and leadership in clinical research contributed to the FDA approval of new drugs to treat urinary tract cancers. 

Dr. Veena Shankaran

Co-Director of the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research at Fred Hutch. She specializes in caring for patients with gastrointestinal malignancies with a particular focus on cancers of the esophagus and stomach. Her work also focuses on expanding access to treatment options and creating equity in healthcare delivery and financial impact.

Dr. Jennifer Specht

Clinical Research Director of Breast Oncology at UW Medicine and primary investigator for the UW Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium’s (TBCRC) clinical site. Her research interests include breast cancer genetics, immunotherapy, and the use of molecular imaging to better understand the biology of breast cancer.

Dr. Michael Wagner

Sarcoma Clinical Research Director for UW Medicine. Recognized expert who has received multiple awards for his work studying sarcomas, especially vascular sarcomas; led clinical efforts of the sarcoma program to respond to the pancdemic and led a study of our institutional experience in the management of sarcoma patients affected by COVID.

Dr. Rosemary Adamson

Associate Section Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System and Associate Program Director of the Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program.

Dr. Başak Çoruh

Fellowship Director for the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program. Recipient of many honors and awards including the Evans Award, David J. Pierson Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring, and Gilliland Award for Excellence in Teaching of Residents and Fellows.

Dr. Kristina Crothers

Chief of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Section at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. As a physician-scientist, her research focuses on lung cancer, tobacco use, HIV, and critical care.

Dr. Laura Feemster

Core Investigator at the VA Health Services Research & Development Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care. Her work focuses on chronic lung disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Dr. David Horne

Department of Medicine Associate Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Medical Director of Firland Northwest TB Center and Associate Director of the UW Tuberculosis Research and Training Center.

Dr. Erin Kross

Co-Director, Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence. Her clinical and research work in multi-disciplinary critical care medicine, post-intensive care syndrome (patient and family), palliative care, and general pulmonary medicine earned her the Lifetime Achievement Award by the ATS Assembly on Behavioral Science and Health Services Research in 2022.

Dr. Julie Carkin

Rheumatology Section Chief, University of Washington Medical Center Northwest; Medical Director of the UW Medicine Osteoporosis and Strong Bones Program. Founding member and Co-Chief of the Seattle Arthritis Clinic. 

Dr. Grant Hughes

Rheumatology Section Head at Harborview Medical Center and Program Director for the Rheumatology Fellowship Program. Director of the Harborview Rheumatology Clinical and Co-Director of the UWMC Rheumatology-Nephrology Multidisciplinary Clinic. 

Dr. Tomas Mustelin

Head of the Division of Rheumatology and Principal Investigator of the Mustelin Lab. His research is focused on elucidating the molecular underpinnings of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), and other autoimmune conditions.

Dr. Mathilde Pioro

Clinical Director of the Division of Rheumatology focusing on faculty productivity, access to care, and patient and physician satisfaction. 

Dr. Ingeborg Sacksen

Rheumatology Section Head, at University of Washington Medical Center; specializes in musculoskeletal ultrasound
and scleroderma. Clinical provider, Tulalip Tribes Health Clinic.