Building on the strong foundation and momentum already established at the Association of Yale Alumni in Medicine (AYAM), Paul Leong, MD ’99, is refining his vision for his term as president of the organization. He will take the helm on August 1, 2024, after having served as AYAM’s vice president for the past three years. He succeeds J. McLeod (“Mac”) Griffiss, MD ’66.
Leong’s key goals for the coming two years are to further enhance engagement with alumni and expand programs.
Discovery Afforded by YSM
Leong speaks glowingly of Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and his time there as a medical student. In 1993, he chose YSM over several top medical schools. “I was very taken by the whole ethos of the Yale System,” he says. I liked that there was a progressive philosophy of medical education. I felt there was something different—the spirit and philosophy of medical education at Yale—and that was important. I felt very strongly that I wanted to come to Yale.”
Early on, YSM gave Leong the flexibility he needed to make a career-defining decision. In his first year at YSM, Leong was a bit unsettled, uncertain that he wanted a career in clinical medicine. He began to explore opportunities at management consulting firms and audited classes at Yale Law School.
Toward the end of that year, he walked into the office of the associate dean for student affairs, Robert Gifford, MD, and said, “I'm not absolutely certain of my direction.” The dean asked what Leong wished to do. Leong replied that he had been offered a job at a health care consulting firm in New York. To Leong’s surprise, the dean encouraged him to explore the opportunity, noting that if he decided to return to YSM, he could.
Leong says, “I was highly grateful that Dean Gifford said, ‘Go do your thing. Let us know how it goes.’” While the consulting experience was a positive one, it helped Leong realize that clinical medicine was the right direction for him, and he returned to YSM.
He became co-president of his class, directed the Second Year Show, immersed himself in the curriculum, did research with esteemed scientist Joan Steitz, PhD, and was mentored by Otolaryngology Chief Clarence Sasaki, MD, who sparked Leong’s interest in head and neck surgery and becoming a surgeon.
During Leong’s subsequent residency in otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh, he was introduced to facial plastic surgery in a rotation. He says, “It seemed very creative; you are sort of sculpting something new, something different. There was an artistic element to it that I did not see in the other surgeries.”
Enjoying Autonomy
Today Leong leads an independent practice in facial plastic surgery, Sistine Facial Plastic Surgery, in Pittsburgh, which he founded in 2011. He notes that most physicians these days work in large, integrated health systems. However, he relishes his autonomy—being accountable solely to his patients and staff. This fall, his practice will expand to New York City’s Upper East Side. Its success is due in part to Leong’s personal mission to bring as much positivity as he can to all those he meets. “I have a wonderful staff,” he says. “I want to make this a very positive environment for them. And I want to get great outcomes for my patients.”
Vision and Priorities
In his new role as AYAM president, Leong will continue bringing positivity to others.
The purpose of AYAM, notes Leong, is to serve the interests of YSM’s alumni and alumni affiliates and to do its small part to help elevate the institution. He says, “If we’re to be of most use to the institution, we need to have a healthy, independent voice. That guides our thinking.”
Leong’s overarching vision is to enlarge the association’s impact in meaningful ways. Two of his key goals are to catalyze greater member engagement and to increase the cadence of the mentorship webinar series that AYAM launched last year. AYAM’s strategic planning group has drafted some action steps and is discussing additional ideas.
AYAM will have the opportunity to engage more constituents than ever. The association is welcoming former residents and fellows into its fold, an expansion that was announced in June. Leong notes, “AYAM is thrilled to welcome them and embark on this entirely new adventure. We want their participation. We want the family of Yale to be ever larger.”
To grow the mentorship webinar series, Leong says he would like AYAM to host webinars every six weeks. As with the inaugural, specialty-focused series, they will include speaker panels composed of AYAM members and YSM professors.
For the ob-gyn session of the initial series, in addition to inviting YSM students and alumni and Yale College students, AYAM invited students from Howard University College of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and about a dozen other medical schools around the country. The popular session drew as many external participants as Yale participants.
“We'd like to send our future seminar invites to 200 institutions,” says Leong. “The webinar series is a very effective way to engage our alumni, share our knowledge and insights with a generation of rising medical professionals, and spread the good word about the unique YSM educational experience.”
He adds that the alumni who participate find this very energizing. Many of them have not had conversations with Yale medical alumni in decades. He says, “They speak lovingly about how the place allowed them space to breathe.”
Member engagement, he feels, is key to AYAM’s achieving impact. “I’d love other alumni and our alumni affiliates to become energized about their experience at Yale and be motivated to give back to the institution and to lend their wisdom to the institution. I’m looking forward to harnessing the enthusiasm of our enlarging group of truly dedicated people.”