"Fred Hutch Cancer Center" "Cures Start Here"

Richard A. Failor, MD

Provider

Richard A. Failor, MD

Physician, Fred Hutch
Professor, Metabolism, Endocrinology & Nutrition and Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine

Specialty:

Endocrinology

South Lake Union Clinic
Fred Hutch at UW Medical Center - Montlake

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“My role is not only to make a diagnosis and propose treatment, but also to educate patients so they can be a partner in making decisions about their care.”

— Dr. Failor

What do you value most about your work?

I care about my individual relationships with patients as well as my relationships with my colleagues and all the people I work with. I also enjoy the intellectual stimulation of the diagnostic dilemmas we are trying to solve.

Why should a patient trust Fred Hutch for care?

This organization is filled with people who are dedicated to treating and finding answers to cancer. This commitment is very personal and extends from everyone who works here.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Head and neck cancers

I am a board-certified physician who sees patients at South Lake Union Clinic and UW Medical Center – Montlake. I have 35 years of experience as an endocrinologist.

I believe in being a partner with patients. This can mean educating them about their condition, or sometimes re-educating them if the information they have found on their own isn’t leading them to quite the right conclusion. I think this approach is very rewarding and also an effective way to practice medicine. It’s a departure from the old top-down model, where “I’m the physician and you are the patient.”

Diseases Treated

Adrenal Cortical Cancer

Endocrine Tumors

Medullary Thyroid Cancer

Pheochromocytoma

Languages

English

Education, Experience and Certifications

Medical Degree
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Residency
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Fellowship
University of Washington, Endocrinology

Board Certification
Endocrinology, 1985; General Internal Medicine, 1980; American Board of Internal Medicine

Awards

Seattle Met's 2023 Top Doctors award
Dr. Failor has received this peer-nominated award for exceptional patient care for multiple years.

Stories

All news

Diagnosed with a rare adrenal tumor, Whitney Wynn beats the odds

Diagnosed with a rare adrenal tumor, Whitney Wynn beats the odds April 8, 2021

We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by Fred Hutch physicians. Many of these trials at Fred Hutch have led to FDA-approved treatments and have improved standards of care globally. Together, you and your physician can decide if a study is right for you.

View Clinical Trials

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other physicians and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this Fred Hutch physician has written.

View Dr. Failor's Publications

Your Care Team

At Fred Hutch, you receive care from a team of providers with extensive experience in your disease. Your team includes physicians, a patient care coordinator, a registered nurse, an advanced practice provider and others, based on your needs. You also have access to experts like registered dietitians, social workers, acupuncturists, psychiatrists and more who specialize in supporting people with cancer or blood disorders.

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Insurance

Fred Hutch accepts most national private health insurance plans as well as Medicare. We also accept Medicaid for people from Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. We are working to ensure that everyone, no matter what their financial situation, has access to the care they need.

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