UW News

August 1, 2001

Dr. Stephen Petersdorf named first holder of Endowed Chair in Cancer Care

UW Health Sciences/UW Medicine

Dr. Stephen H. Petersdorf, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Washington (UW), has been named the first holder of the Endowed Chair in Cancer Care. The endowed chair was established through gifts from private donors.

The chair was created to support the work of an outstanding clinician and teacher whose primary interest is the clinical care of cancer patients. Petersdorf practices general medical oncology and hematology.

Petersdorf was selected because of his reputation for inspiring medical students, residents, and fellows to continue practicing patient-centered care after their training years. He is also recognized for his ability to lead by example in demonstrating empathy, sensitivity and excellent communication with patients and their families, and for his skills in working with other hospital and clinic staff on a culture of service.

His expertise includes the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and lung cancer. He sees outpatients at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance clinic and inpatients at the UW Medical Center. In 1998 he was listed among the Best Doctors in America, as rated by his peers.

A 1983 graduate of the Brown University Program in Medicine, Petersdorf came to the UW to complete a residency in internal medicine in 1987 and a fellowship in hematology in 1990.