Peter Asante, MD, FAAP grew up in Pawtucket, RI with his parents, originally from Ghana, and three brothers. He studied biological anthropology and Spanish at Harvard University and attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh with an area of concentration in underserved populations, followed by residency at Seattle Children’s. He currently practices at Yakima Pediatrics.
Yakima Pediatrics is part of Community Health of Central Washington (a federally-qualified health center, FQHC). The clinic serves upwards of 80% patients with Medicaid insurance. “I was lucky to rotate through Yakima Pediatrics as a second-year resident in 2015, during my rural medicine WWAMI rotation. I arrived in Yakima without any expectations for the two-month visit, and it changed the course of my career. I returned to Yakima in July 2016 to serve as a primary care pediatrician and child health advocate for the children of this uniquely fascinating community in rural Washington!”
Dr. Asante served on the Health & Wellness Advisory Board at the Yakima Valley Community Foundation and is currently chair of pediatrics at Virginia Mason Memorial Hospital in Yakima. “I have been fortunate to cultivate my passion for working with adolescents,” says Dr. Asante. “With support from my clinic and organization, I started the Teen Health Clinic at Yakima Pediatrics in April 2017 and laid the groundwork for the creation of the Davis High School Health Clinic, which opened in October 2018.”
Dr. Asante continues to work in service of underserved populations, holistic care of medically complex patients, and improving management of youth with asthma. “Our clinic was excited to participate in the Pediatric Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative, which helped transform the way we serve our patients with asthma.” His work includes participating on WCAAP’s Health Care Transformation committee, advancing population health efforts, promoting behavioral health integration initiatives, and thinking creatively about how to disseminate timely information about the ever-changing landscape of medical practice in Washington State.
Dr. Asante has served as a WCAAP trustee for the past 2.5 years. “It has been a privilege to network with other passionate pediatric providers to advocate for improving the care of our young patients state-wide. I have also had the privilege of helping to galvanize the energy within Yakima Valley pediatric medical community, to share ideas and prevent professional isolation. All in all, I feel that WCAAP has helped refine my skills as an effective convener and child health ambassador, and it has been a humbling experience to learn so much from my professional community!”
Dr. Asante adds that he loves talking about what he calls his second first passion, music. He has been singing since age 7. “I have performed for a variety of choirs, musicals, and semi-professional groups in the northeast. Since moving to Washington state, I have sung in the Seattle Men’s Chorus, and currently am music director for a Seattle–based a cappella group called Shot in the Dark. On any given day, you can find me belting out tunes in my car. Singing is my left-brained happy place, a wonderful artistic release that feeds my soul as much as serving young people.”