N. Rhea Udyavar, MD

What brought you to oncology?

Endocrine surgery has a lot of opportunity for scientific advancement, since we see rare but aggressive cancers that still have potential for investigation. We also see a lot of disease processes that aren’t as rare but affect patients worldwide — and are highly treatable with good outcomes.

It’s gratifying to be able to offer treatment for patients that can cure their disease and to shepherd them through the process so they can go back to their normal lives.

What do you hope it's like for a patient to work with you?

I want to partner with patients so they are comfortable with me, so I make sure not to talk only about their condition, but to also get to know what they care about and what they enjoy doing. The work I do can affect their voice, so I make sure to talk about how they use it — I want to know if it is part of their job, for example. Having humility and the ability to counsel patients on what to expect are very important parts of what we do.

Provider Background

Specialty: Surgery

Area of clinical practice
Endocrine surgery

I am a physician who sees patients at the South Lake Union Clinic and UW Medical Center – Montlake.

I’m a general surgeon with a focus in endocrine surgery, which involves treatment of the endocrine organs — the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal gland — for both benign and malignant conditions.

We truly have a team-based approach. I work closely with endocrinologists and other surgical specialists to provide the best, most comprehensive care for patients.

My research focus is in health care disparities as a result of racism. I am very focused on making sure that people who are not well represented in medicine — and who have been historically marginalized by the health care system — receive the equitable care they deserve, both on the individual level and structurally. Everything I do clinically and academically has this focus.