Yisihak Suga Debodina

Yisihak Suga Debodina

Surgical Oncologist

Breast Oncology

Saint Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College

Location Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

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Dr. Yisihak Suga Debodina is a consultant surgeon and Associate Professor of Surgery specializing in breast and endocrine surgical oncology. He currently serves as Subspecialist Unit Head of the Endocrine and Breast Surgery Unit at Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His work focuses on breast and thyroid cancer surgery, breast-conserving techniques, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and advancing evidence-based surgical oncology in resource-limited settings — achievements recognized internationally by the BryanMclever Travelling Fellowship awarded to him as the Best Thyroid Surgeon at the World Thyroid Cancer Conference 2025.

Current Position

  • Associate Professor of Surgery, Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  • Consultant Surgeon, Department of Surgery, SPHMMC
  • Subspecialist Unit Head, Endocrine and Breast Surgery Unit, SPHMMC
  • Undergraduate Coordinator, Department of Surgery, SPHMMC
  • Member, EUBREAST (European Breast Association)

Education

  • MD  — Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
  • General Surgery Residency — Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Ethiopia
  • Fellowship in Endocrine & Breast Surgery — Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Ethiopia
  • Breast Cancer Surgery Training — Germany (International)
  • Thyroid Cancer Surgery Training — Stanford Medical School, USA (International)

Professional Experience

  • Founder and Head, Endocrine and Breast Surgery Unit — Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College
  • Author of Ethiopia’s first national curriculum for Breast & Endocrine Surgery
  • First surgeon in Ethiopia to perform Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for breast cancer
  • Performed a significant number of breast-conserving surgeries, expanding surgical options for young and female breast cancer patients
  • Active mentor and educator for surgical residents and fellows at SPHMMC
  • Regular media contributor on thyroid disease, breast cancer, and public health topics
  • Organizer of breast cancer community screening programs
  • Contributor to free surgical services and outreach programs
  • Founder, Club 20/25 Blood Donation Initiative at SPHMMC

Research Activity

  • Sentinel lymph node biopsy feasibility and implementation in low-resource settings
  • Thyroid cancer management and surgical outcomes
  • Breast disease epidemiology in Ethiopia
  • Breast cancer epidemiology, nutritional status, and quality of life in cancer patients
  • Multidisciplinary oncologic care in resource-limited environments
  • Surgical mortality patterns in tertiary hospital settings

Academic Impact

  • 20+ peer-reviewed scientific publications in national and international journals
  • Primary authorship on landmark studies addressing breast and thyroid cancer in Ethiopia
  • Author of the first national curriculum for Breast & Endocrine Surgery in Ethiopia
  • Mentor to surgical residents and fellows, contributing to subspecialty surgical training in Ethiopia

Memberships / Honors / Awards

  • EUBREAST — European Breast Association
  • Ethiopian Medical Association
  • Surgical Society of Ethiopia
  • Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (SEME), Ethiopia
  • BryanMclever Travelling Fellow, World Thyroid Cancer Conference (WCTC) 2025 — awarded as Best Thyroid Surgeon

Areas of Specialization

  • Breast cancer surgery
  • Thyroid and endocrine surgery
  • Breast-conserving surgery
  • Sentinel lymph node biopsy
  • Multidisciplinary oncologic care
  • Surgical oncology in resource-limited settings

Publications

Dr. Yisihak Suga Debodina has authored and co-authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications in national and international journals, with research spanning breast oncology, thyroid surgery, surgical outcomes, and quality of life in cancer patients. Selected recent publications are listed below.

Selected Recent Publications

Dandena FG, Teklewold BT, Darebo TD, Suga YD. Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of breast cancer in Ethiopia: a systematic review. BMC Cancer. 2024 Sep 4;24(1):1102. doi: 10.1186/s12885-024-12822-5. PMID: 39232684.
Suga Y, Wondafrash M, Abebe MW, Eshetu H. Multidisciplinary Management of Skull Metastatic Follicular Thyroid Cancer in a Resource-Limited Setting. JCEM Case Rep. 2024 May 27;2(6):luae080. doi: 10.1210/jcemcr/luae080. PMID: 38803509.
Suga Y, Kuehn T, W/Ammanuel G, Knfe G, Teklewold B. Review of Breast Abscess Cases at a Tertiary Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Int J Womens Health. 2023 Mar 24;15:433–442. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S391686. PMID: 36999001.
Adam R, Haileselassie W, Solomon N, Desalegn Y, Tigeneh W, Suga Y, Gebremedhin S. Nutritional status and quality of life among breast cancer patients undergoing treatment in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. BMC Womens Health. 2023 Aug 11;23(1):428. doi: 10.1186/s12905-023-02585-9. PMID: 37568125.
Zewude WC, Derese T, Suga Y, Teklewold B. Quality of Life in Patients Living with Stoma. Ethiop J Health Sci. 2021 Sep;31(5):993–1000. doi: 10.4314/ejhs.v31i5.11. PMID: 35221616.
Dandena F, Leulseged B, Suga Y, Teklewold B. Magnitude and Pattern of Inpatient Surgical Mortality in a Tertiary Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiop J Health Sci. 2020 May;30(3):371–377. doi: 10.4314/ejhs.v30i3.8. PMID: 32874080.
Suga Y, Abebe E. Patterns of Surgically Treated Thyroid Disease: A Two Years Review at St. Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiop J Health Sci. 2020 Jan;30(1):31–36. doi: 10.4314/ejhs.v30i1.5. PMID: 32116430.
Suga Y, Abdi E, Bekele M. Giant Mesenteric Lipoma Causing Small Bowel Volvulus: A Case Report. Ethiop J Health Sci. 2019 Jul;29(4):529–532. doi: 10.4314/ejhs.v29i4.15. PMID: 31447527.