Education
Contact
206-675-5188
dwkang@uw.edu
100 Fairview Ave N
Public Health Sciences Division, Epidemiology Program
Arnold Building M4-C801
Seattle, WA
Bio
Dr. Dong-Woo Kang is a clinical exercise physiologist and assistant professor in the Public Health Sciences Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington. His research focuses on the role of exercise and lifestyle in oncologic outcomes to enhance cancer treatment efficacy, mitigate treatment-related toxicities, and influence tumor biology and disease progression across diverse cancer populations. He leads translational studies to elucidate the immunological and other biological mechanisms through which exercise interacts with systemic therapies, including immunotherapy, and to test pragmatic, often remotely delivered interventions that integrate exercise into routine cancer care. Ultimately, his work aims to establish exercise as a scalable, evidence-based component of standard oncologic treatment to help people with cancer live healthier and longer lives.
Research Areas
Research Interests
Dr. Kang’s research interests center on leveraging exercise as an intentional component of cancer care to modify both the patient’s physiological reserve and the tumor microenvironment. He is particularly interested in how distinct exercise “doses” and delivery models (including virtual and hybrid programs) affect immune function, systemic inflammation, metabolic signaling, and other pathways that may alter response to systemic therapies. He also focuses on optimizing the timing and integration of exercise across the cancer trajectory—from prehabilitation before treatment through survivorship—to improve functional capacity, quality of life, and longer-term health outcomes, with attention to feasibility and equity in real-world oncology settings.