"Fred Hutch Cancer Center" "Cures Start Here"

Paul A. Carpenter, MBBS

Provider

Paul A. Carpenter, MBBS

Clinical Director, Long Term Follow-Up Clinical Service, Fred Hutch
Attending Physician, Outpatient Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Fred Hutch
Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch
Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine

Specialty:

Hematology

South Lake Union Clinic
Seattle Children's

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“It’s important to listen to patients and families — they bring valuable insight and ideas to the table.”

— Dr. Carpenter

Tell us about an interaction with a patient that had an impact on you.

There’s a young patient I’ve worked with for a long time who has graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). This complication can develop after a bone marrow transplant when the transplanted cells attack the recipient’s healthy cells, causing serious illness or even death. During one of our appointments, the patient’s mother showed me a research article about an experimental therapy, wondering if it would help. There was a chance it could be beneficial for pediatric patients, so we worked hard to get the therapy, and ultimately her child survived. Other patients in similar condition were also able to benefit from this therapy. It’s important to listen to patients and families — they bring valuable insight and ideas to the table.

What do you want patients to know about working with you?

My approach to care is based on four key elements: being an attentive listener, empowering patients and families, maintaining open communication and keeping quality of life at the forefront of any treatment decisions. I also try to focus on what we can control versus what we can’t, breaking down large, overwhelming problems into more manageable pieces and setting realistic expectations about milestones and the pace of improvement. For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects about this area of medicine are the long-term relationships I develop with patients and families. It’s rewarding to explain complex health information while also helping people work through difficult decisions about care and treatment.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Pediatric blood and marrow transplantation

Graft-versus-host disease, other post-transplant-related complications
I specialize in caring for children and adults who have undergone bone marrow transplantation. I am an attending physician at Seattle Children’s and serve as the clinical director of the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program.

My clinical expertise centers on providing long-term follow-up care after a transplant and managing graft-versus-host disease. The focus of my research is developing better treatments for acute and chronic GVHD. I lead clinical trials testing new therapies for this disease, and I also study how to overcome the long-term complications of GVHD treatments. In addition to caring for patients and conducting research, I co-chair the Committee on Practice Guidelines for the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. This committee develops clinical practice guidelines for hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cell transplantation that incorporate state-of-the-art treatments and are based on the latest scientific evidence.

Diseases Treated

Congenital Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia

Dyskeratosis Congenita

Immune Deficiency Diseases

Neuroblastoma

Osteopetrosis

Scleroderma

Severe Congenital Neutropenia

Thalassemia

Diamond-Blackfan Anemia

HIV Malignancies

IPEX Syndrome

Neutropenia

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria

Severe Combined Immune Deficiency

Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome

Languages

English

Education, Experience and Certifications

Undergraduate Degree
University of Sydney

Medical Degree
University of Sydney

Residency
Sydney Children's Hospital, Pediatrics

Fellowship
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Human Immunogenetics; University of Washington, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Board Certification
General Pediatrics (non-ABMS)

Other
Internship, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, General Medicine

Awards

Seattle Met's 2021 Top Doctors Award
Dr. Carpenter has been recognized as a Top Doctor in this peer-nominated award.

Stories

All news

How I learned that it's the strangers who save you

How I learned that it's the strangers who save you August 28, 2017

'None of us practices in a vacuum'

'None of us practices in a vacuum' Ali Johany Award recognizes Paul Carpenter's outstanding collegial approach to patient care and clinical research September 21, 2006

We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by Fred Hutch physicians. Many of these trials at Fred Hutch have led to FDA-approved treatments and have improved standards of care globally. Together, you and your physician can decide if a study is right for you.

Find a Clinical Trial

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other physicians and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this Fred Hutch physician has written.

View Dr. Carpenter's Publications

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At Fred Hutch, you receive care from a team of providers with extensive experience in your disease. Your team includes physicians, a patient care coordinator, a registered nurse, an advanced practice provider and others, based on your needs. You also have access to experts like registered dietitians, social workers, acupuncturists, psychiatrists and more who specialize in supporting people with cancer or blood disorders.

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