Gavin Ha, PhD
Associate Professor, Herbold Computational Biology Program
Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutch
Associate Professor
Human Biology Division, Fred Hutch
Member
Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center (TDS IRC), Fred Hutch
Dr. Gavin Ha is a computational biologist who studies the role of genomic alterations in cancer. He and his research team focus on developing and applying computational methods to profile cancer genomes from patient tumors and blood. His laboratory develops novel approaches to study cell-free DNA released from tumor cells into the blood (also known as circulating tumor DNA). The use of this approach, called “liquid biopsies,” combined with insights from tumor genome analysis, will be critical to uncover causes of treatment resistance, discover novel genetic biomarkers from the blood, and develop non-invasive applications for cancer precision medicine.
We are actively engaging in collaborations with members of Fred Hutch and UW Medicine to study various types of tumors, including prostate, breast, lung or other cancers.
Education
The University of British Columbia, 2014, PhD in Bioinformatics
The University of British Columbia, 2008, BSc in Computer Science and Microbiology
Research Interests
1. Develop novel computational methods to study cancer genomes
2. Study the role of genomic alterations in cancer
3. Application of liquid biopsies in precision medicine
"I find that the best way to think creatively and find new ideas is through collaboration, because I learn so much from others."
— Dr. Gavin Ha