Elihu H. Estey

Elihu H. Estey, MD is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology at the University of Washington and Member of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. He is one of the most respected and influential thinkers in AML clinical research, particularly recognized for his pioneering work on AML in older patients and for his critical contributions to the methodology of AML clinical trial design. Dr. Estey spent decades at MD Anderson Cancer Center — where he was one of the leading leukemia trialists — before moving to Fred Hutchinson, and during that period led early-phase trials of hypomethylating agents, ATRA combinations, and novel targeted agents in AML. He is particularly known for rigorous methodological critiques of AML trial endpoints, arguing prominently that complete remission (CR) rates are not validated surrogates for overall survival in AML — a view that has influenced regulatory thinking and trial design. Dr. Estey championed Bayesian adaptive trial designs in AML, enabling more efficient early-phase studies, and collaborated extensively with biostatisticians at MD Anderson to develop the Bayesian AML trial methodology that has been adopted internationally. He has authored over 400 publications, written authoritative reviews on AML treatment in older adults, and is a sought-after mentor and commentator whose editorials in Blood and JCO have shaped the field's approach to evidence evaluation in AML.