Staff spotlight: Niambi Kanye
Niambi will celebrate 8 years working in the UW School of Medicine in February and has been in her role in the Division of Nephrology for just over a year.
Education and background
Though born on the East Coast, Niambi has been a Seattle resident since the age of 2. “While I maintained a strong connection to my East Coast roots, visiting my mom’s side of the family every summer, I am very much a Seattle native,” she said.
After graduating high school, Niambi decided to move back to the East Coast to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she ultimately earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology. After graduating, she found a position working with adults with special needs, combining her studies with her passion for helping others. In this role, she managed the day-to-day operations of two group homes, supervising 24 staff members, and worked alongside nurses, psychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and other medical professionals.
“Through this real-life hands-on experience, I learned so much. I believe this experience helped shape the journey that led me to where I am today.”
After 8 years in Washington, D.C., she moved back to the PNW and began working at the University of Washington.
Community at UW
Niambi started working in the UW School of Medicine in 2017 and has always appreciated the university’s spirit of community. She enjoys meeting new colleagues, learning about their roles, and how they relate to her own work. She also values the UW’s many opportunities for professional development and involvement in important causes through events, committees, and affinity groups.
“Throughout my UW career, I’ve been fortunate to come across additional opportunities where I could contribute to increasing diversity across the university,” Niambi said.
“Coming to the UW in 2017, it was my first time in a work environment that wasn’t as diverse as previous places I had worked. I often found myself in settings where I was the only person of color in the room. This was a new experience for me, since this was not the case in my school or professional settings throughout my life. However, it inspired me to seek out community.”
Soon after arriving at UW, Niambi joined the Black Faculty and Staff Affinity Group, through which she has participated in several community events, such as the UW’s Young Gifted and Black event hosted by the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity.
Before joining the Department of Medicine, Niambi worked in the Department of Bioethics and Humanities (whose mission is “Health through Social Justice”), where she served on their EDI committee and helped organize the Harborview Ethics Forums, whose topics often centered around addressing ethical issues in healthcare settings.
She began her current role as HR Manager in the Division of Nephrology just over a year ago, enthusiastically becoming a Diversity Champion on the Department of Medicine’s DEIB Council and joining the department’s Gender Equity Council. She is also a member of the HR CoP DEI committee, serves as a committee member and mentor in the School of Medicine mentorship program, and participates in the UW HR CoP Mentorship program.
“As a mentee in these programs, I saw the value they provided firsthand,” Niambi said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the mentorship, guidance, and wisdom of others, so it’s important to pay it forward and share knowledge with others.”
Hobbies and interests
Niambi considers herself an introvert/extrovert (“emphasis on the introvert”). She enjoys traveling, sunset walks, appreciating nature, bowling, kayaking, Zumba, Halloween, and food. She also has a special talent for air hockey. “If air hockey were an Olympic sport, I’d have the gold,” she said.
She has been vegan for the past 3 years and has learned how to “veganize” some of her favorite foods. “It’s all about swapping ingredients. One proud accomplishment was figuring out how to ‘veganize’ my dad’s family gumbo recipe—and my family actually enjoyed it.”