Introducing Gary Yang, MD, former resident of Yale Department of Internal Medicine. Yang completed residency training in 1996.
In Depth
DIM Spotlight: Gary Yang, MD
Where are you now?
I am a Professor and the Del E. Webb Chair in Proton Research of Department Radiation Medicine at Loma Linda University in southern California. I am the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology and have served as an oral board examiner for the American Board of Radiology. I have been the Principal Investigator for several clinical trials and am actively developing protocols to investigate new approaches to the treatment of cancers with proton therapy.
What do you love about your career?
Working with very sick patients is one of the aspects I admire most about radiation oncology. Cancer patients need the greatest amount of care, empathy, and commitment. Radiotherapy provides an opportunity to make a substantial difference in a patient’s quality of life and in many instances radiotherapy can be curative.
How did Yale prepare you for your career?
The Yale Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program provided a focused outpatient medicine curriculum in addition to intensive inpatient training. It prepared a specialist, like a radiation oncologist, to learn how to think about delivery of care and community outreach, despite the many challenges in health care during this time of constant change.
Describe your experience at Yale IMed in 3 words.
Motivating, joyful, and supportive.
What surprised you most about your field/area of expertise?
During pandemics, more than 90% of patients report that telehealth consultations during radiotherapy treatment are high quality and may be even better for understanding information from their healthcare team than in-person visits, researchers reported in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
What is your fondest memory?
The first night on-call carrying 3 pagers as a doctor!
One piece of advice you’ll never forget?
You may not be the smartest person in the morning conference, but strive to be the most prepared one.
If you could say anything to your younger self, what would you say?
"Be happy not because everything is good, but because you can see the good side of everything."
What’s a fun fact about you?
I was in the U.S. Army for two years serving as military police.
The DIM spotlight is a feature as part of the DIM Digest, highlighting alumni, former trainees, and faculty of the Department of Internal Medicine.
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