This issue of Quest starts our 25th anniversary celebration with a story on the beginnings of the bone-marrow transplant program at the Hutchinson Center. When Don Thomas and his team joined the Hutch, transplantation was not a success story and many clinicians strongly criticized the whole approach. Today, the Thomas team’s pioneering work is the foundation on which the Hutchinson Center was established.

Each time we recruit a young faculty member, we are placing our bet that they will be successful, like Don and his team. It currently costs up to $1 million to set up a new investigator—a substantial investment. And it is not uncommon for them to require several years of support before they are able to acquire research funding from the National Institutes of Health.

How do we decide whom to bet on? The process is a long one.

First, the faculty members of each of our scientific divisions meet to decide what area of science they want to recruit in. A committee of faculty is then formed with representatives from other divisions. An advertisement is placed in the top scientific journals and, over a period of several months, young investigators with the right qualifications from all over the world apply. If the area is very narrowly focused— say a clinical researcher with experience in childhood brain cancer—there may be only tens of applicants. If the area is broad—say developmental biology—hundreds may apply.

The committee reads all of the applications, which include descriptions of the individual’s training experience, their research interests and letters from their mentors. The top three to ten are then invited to come to the Hutchinson Center, interview with faculty members and present a public seminar on their research.

The committee votes to determine the most promising applicant, then the entire faculty of the division votes on whether to offer a position. Finally, the senior leadership of the Hutchinson Center decides whether or not to make an offer. When you are looking for the best, the competition with other institutions can be intense—about half of those we make offers to accept.

Even after recruitment, the progress of each faculty member is reviewed by expert scientists outside the Hutchinson Center approximately every five years. Only the most successful are promoted up the ranks from assistant member to associate and finally to full member.

This rigorous process has been quite successful. While we haven’t yet (to our knowledge) found another Don Thomas, several of our recent recruits have received the highest awards available for young scientists. And overall, the faculty of each of the Hutchinson Center’s divisions is among the top in the nation.

Thanks to your support, we continue to be able to compete successfully for the brightest young faculty.

Lee Hartwell
President & Director