November 19, 2025:

The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium is pleased to announce William P. Harris, MD, as a new member of the Big Ten CRC Steering Committee. Dr. Harris is a board-certified medical oncologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and UW Medical Center and serves as an associate professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Washington.

The Big Ten CRC Steering Committee is composed of one researcher from each member institution. The Steering Committee meets on a regular basis to review activities of the consortium and decide matters of policy. The Steering Committee determines the criteria for approving concepts for development with the Big Ten CRC.  

Dr. Harris specializes in the care of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies and has a particular interest in primary liver cancers and bile duct cancers. In addition to his clinical work, he serves as a consultant for the UW Primary Liver Tumor Multidisciplinary Clinic and the Multidisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Clinic, and he moderates UW’s Gastrointestinal Malignancy Tumor Board. His research focuses on new therapeutic strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma, biliary tract cancers, and other GI cancers, including targeted and immunotherapies, novel drug combinations, and approaches that integrate local and systemic treatments. 

“The Big Ten CRC presents a great opportunity for all of our disease subgroups to contribute to multicenter studies and bring some ideas to the table that we can pilot,” said Dr. Harris. “That collaboration is going to be key for their careers moving forward.” 

Dr. Harris earned his medical degree from Columbia University before completing his residency in general internal medicine at the University of Washington. He later trained in medical oncology through fellowships at UW and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. His diverse clinical and research interests also include emergency medicine for underserved populations and the molecular biology of lymphoma. His experience reflects a strong commitment to improving outcomes for patients through thoughtful clinical trial design and team-based cancer care. 

As a representative of one of the Big Ten CRC’s newest member institutions, Dr. Harris is eager to help forge new partnerships and contribute to a culture of shared scientific discovery. He looks forward to supporting the expansion of investigator-initiated trials and deepening collaboration across the consortium.  

“I’m excited about being able to work with my colleagues here, through the Big Ten CRC, to open up relevant trials in a nimble fashion – new interventional drug trials and potentially biomarker-driven studies. I think that that’s something we as a consortium can really leverage.” 

About the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium was created in 2013 to transform the conduct of cancer research through collaborative clinical trials and observational studies that seek to improve the lives of cancer patients in the diverse communities we serve by leveraging the scientific and clinical expertise of Big Ten universities. The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium creates a unique team research culture to drive science rapidly from ideas to treatment and prevention. Within this innovative environment, today’s research leaders collaborate with and mentor the research leaders of tomorrow. Since its founding, the Big Ten CRC has activated nearly 40 clinical trials across a wide range of cancer types, more than 1,000 participants have enrolled in Big Ten CRC studies, and more than 500 researchers have joined Big Ten CRC Clinical Trial Working Groups.

About the Big Ten Conference: The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 18 Big Ten institutions provide direct financial support for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.