Zachary Annen, ARNP, MSN, MSW, CUNP

What brought you to oncology?

I wanted a long-term fit in medicine where I would be able to work with people experiencing serious conditions and get the opportunity to walk them from diagnosis all the way through to what we hope is a cure.

Cancer care has become much more complicated from a patient’s perspective, since there are so many more treatment options. Taking the time that’s necessary with patients to explain things and make sure I am a resource for them is really important to me. I think that is what is special about my role.

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

Before I was a nurse practitioner, I was a social worker. My background allows me to wear different hats and not only help people process information about their diagnosis, but also help them with the emotional and social aspects of their illness.

I hope when my patients leave our first appointment, they have all their questions crossed off their list, so they can share this information with their family and feel confident in the treatment plan. I don’t want a patient to walk in and just have to trust what we’re doing. I want to help them understand.

Provider Background

Specialty: Urology

Area of clinical practice

Bladder cancer, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, penile cancer

I am an advanced registered nurse practitioner who sees patients at UW Medical Center – Montlake.

The multidisciplinary nature of Fred Hutch makes each patient’s treatment team much more accessible to each other and allows us to quickly come up with plans that might take months in other places. Every week, I participate in the Bladder Cancer Multidisciplinary Clinic, which is where patients can meet with radiation, surgery and medical oncology, all at the same time. This streamlines everything and helps patients feel confident that all of their providers are communicating.