Michael A. Spinner, MD

Dr. Michael A. Spinner is a hematologist-oncologist who specializes in caring for patients with blood cancers with a particular focus in Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He has extensive experience in treating lymphoma with immunotherapy (treatments that stimulate the immune system to fight cancer), targeted therapies (treatments that target specific cancer cells) and stem cell transplantation. He also has expertise in CAR T-cell therapy, in which the patient's T cells are altered to target and attack cancer cells.

Spinner's research focuses on clinical trials of promising new treatments for patients who have Hodgkin's or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, especially treatment methods involving immunotherapy and personalized medicine (techniques that tailor treatment to individual patients). He is a co-investigator on several trials of immunotherapies for lymphoma, and he collaborates with leading lymphoma scientists on identifying biomarkers (measurable elements that may indicate disease) to understand which patients may benefit from certain treatments. He is part of multiple lymphoma research efforts within UCSF and works with other academic medical centers around the U.S. and abroad. While at Stanford, he developed a phase II trial of a new immunotherapy combination to treat relapsed Hodgkin's lymphoma.

After earning his bachelor's degree at Emory University, Spinner earned his medical degree at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in hematology-oncology at Stanford. He serves on the Hodgkin's lymphoma guidelines committee for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

In his free time, Spinner is an avid classical guitarist. On his YouTube channel, Michael Spinner Guitar, he posts videos in which he plays a variety of music, including Bach, Brazilian jazz and the Beatles.