Senior Director of Clinical Research
Healthtree
Sr. Director, Clinical Research, HealthTree Foundation
Over the past three years, Dr. Jay Hydren has led transformative efforts in patient-centered cancer research through the design and implementation of rigorous quantitative surveys, in-depth qualitative interview protocols, and the development of a flexible EHR harmonization platform now capable of aggregating structured and unstructured clinical data across over 3,000 U.S. hospital systems, scanned medical records, and global sites. His work has been central to the HealthTree Foundation’s mission: “Together We Care, Together We Cure.”
Dr. Hydren’s research spans critical, understudied junctures in the cancer journey—from identifying front-line therapies with the potential to induce deep, durable remissions with little or no maintenance, to supporting treatment decision-making, peer-led education, survivorship, and thriving after cancer. He oversees a dynamic research portfolio integrating nutrition and microbiome science, aiming to optimize immune resilience and long-term wellness. He is also advancing a novel tumor biopsy and phenotyping initiative, which may enable cost-effective prediction of individualized therapeutic responses—bringing precision oncology closer to real-time clinical decision-making.
His guiding philosophy centers on empowering patients to donate their data forward, enabling the real-world identification of potential cure pathways long before traditional government-sponsored trials mature. Dr. Hydren’s research registry has demonstrated the ability to publish findings ahead of clinical guideline revisions, reflecting the power of real-world patient-led discovery.