"Fred Hutch Cancer Center" "Cures Start Here"

Yaw A. Nyame, MD, MS, MBA

Provider

Yaw A. Nyame, MD, MS, MBA

Physician, Fred Hutch
Affiliate Investigator, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutch
Assistant Professor, Department of Urology, University of Washington School of Medicine

Specialty:

Surgery

Urology

Fred Hutch at UW Medical Center - Montlake

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“The greatest pleasure of my job is getting to know my patients: understanding what drives them, exchanging stories and learning about the impact of their disease. These personal details help me provide comprehensive, individualized care.”

— Dr. Nyame

Tell us about an interaction with a patient that had a significant impact on you.

One weekend I was doing rounds at the hospital and I checked in on one of my patients who was in his 90s. He had an advanced genitourinary cancer, which affects the male urinary and reproductive tract. His clinical journey had been a complicated one, but he was almost ready to be discharged home. That particular morning, I was trying to get myself motivated for a 13-mile run. When I shared this with him, he said, “A long run is 10 miles for me these days.” During our conversation, I discovered that my patient was a track-and-field star and a world record-holder for his age group; he longed to get back to participating in sports. Learning this remarkable fact about him helped me to understand what services would benefit him most, and I worked tirelessly to meet his needs. The greatest pleasure of my job is getting to know my patients: understanding what drives them, exchanging stories and learning about the impact of their disease. These personal details help me provide comprehensive, individualized care.

What is your approach to care?

There are few dilemmas in life that are more challenging than a new cancer diagnosis. I’ve learned that the best solutions to complex problems like this leverage the power of a team-based approach. Your care team stretches beyond you, me and your family to include experts across a range of specialties. By working cooperatively, we strive to come up with patient-focused solutions that meet your goals and expectations for cancer care.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Genitourinary cancers, kidney cancer, prostate cancer, other urologic cancers, urology care

I am a surgeon, researcher, educator and patient advocate who specializes in general urology care and urologic cancers. My expertise includes using open and minimally invasive surgical techniques for treating kidney, prostate, bladder and testicular cancers. In addition to caring for patients, I study health disparities in urologic cancers. My research focuses on the genetic differences in tumors across race and ethnicity as well as differences in how health care is accessed and delivered. I believe that we can create a healthy system that delivers excellent care to everyone, including our most vulnerable populations.

Diseases Treated

Prostate Cancer

Testicular Cancer

Languages

English
Twi

Education, Experience and Certifications

Undergraduate Degree
Duke University

Medical Degree
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Residency
Cleveland Clinic, Urology

Fellowship
University of Washington, Urologic Oncology

Board Certification
American Board of Urology, 2022

Other
Internship, Cleveland Clinic; MBA, Northwestern University; MHSA, George Washington University

2021 Beti Thompson Health Equity Research Award
Dr. Nyame received this award for his work to bridge health equity gaps in African American men diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Distinguished Researchers Grant
Dr. Nyame was a 2020 recipient of the Distinguished Researchers grant from the Andy Hill Cancer Research Endowment (CARE) Fund. This award will support Dr. Nyame’s research into health disparities in prostate cancer care, particularly as they relate to African American men.

Caregiver Excellence Award
Dr. Nyame was the recipient of the 2015 Caregiver Excellence Award from the Cleveland Clinic.

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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.

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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. Nyame'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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