I am a pediatric surgeon at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. I am board-certified in general surgery and surgical critical care and specialize in minimally invasive surgery. What I love about being a pediatric surgeon is the wide breadth of conditions that I treat. Some of the common conditions in children that I surgically treat are acute appendicitis, hernias, and soft tissue masses. I also enjoy treating a wide array of neonatal disorders, including imperforate anus, esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula, Hirschsprung’s disease, abdominal wall defects like gastroschisis and omphalocele, and congenital pulmonary airway malformations. An area of particular interest is chest wall deformities such as pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum.

My interest in medicine was largely inspired by my mother, who was a nurse. The hands-on nature of the field and my passion for problem-solving made me well-suited for surgery. I love working with children because of their vulnerability, curiosity, and resilience. Seeing a child happy and healthy after surgery is the most rewarding experience.

It is my responsibility to help families navigate the intricacies of surgical procedures, alleviate their concerns, and ensure the well-being of their children. I approach each child and their family with empathy, compassion, and understanding, addressing their concerns and ensuring they are fully informed about their treatment options. My goal is to provide exceptional surgical care and create a supportive environment where children and their families feel heard, respected, and empowered.

At Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, we partner with and care for each patient’s whole family – and we treat you like we would our personal families. It is an honor to be a part of your lives and witness each child’s recovery.

In addition to my clinical responsibilities, I have interests in health services research and value-based healthcare. It’s important to me that we provide high-quality, low-cost care to patients and the community. To further this aim, I currently serve on the American Academy of Pediatric Committee for the Delivery of Surgical Care.

Hospital Affiliations

Gender

Female

Education

University of Cincinnati, 2013

Internships

Baylor college of Medicine, 2014, Surgery

Residency

Baylor college of Medicine, 2020, Surgery

Fellowships

Baylor college of Medicine, 2021
University Of California-Irvine, 2023, Pediatric Surgery

Certifications

American Board of Surgery-Surgery
American Board of Surgery-Surgical Critical Care

Awards, Achievements, and More

Publications

Please view Dr. Yangyang Yu's publications on PubMed.

Research

Recent research presentations at national and international conferences include:

Yu YR, DeMello AS, Cox C, Greeley CS, Naik-Mathuria BJ, Wesson, DE. Neighborhood characteristics associated with non-accidental trauma. 5th Annual Pediatric Trauma Society Meeting, Texas, Houston, November 8-10, 2018.
Rosenfeld EH, Yu YR, Fernandes NJ, Karediya A, Wesson DE, Lopez ME, Shah SR, Vogel AM, Brandt ML. Bowel preparation for Colostomy Reversal in Children. 50th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Surgeons, Toronto, Canada. September 26-29, 2018.
Yu YR, Carberry KE, Ren H, Barclay C, Patel B, Nuchtern JE, Giardino AP, Lopez ME. Lessons Learned from Value-Based Pediatric Appendectomy Care: A Shared Savings Pilot Model. 22nd Congress of the Michael E. DeBakey International Surgical Society, Grapevine, Texas. August 23-25, 2018.
Yu YR, Carberry KE, Ren H, Barclay C, Patel B, Nuchtern JE, Giardino AP, Lopez ME. Lessons Learned from Value-Based Pediatric Appendectomy Care: A Shared Savings Pilot Model. 49th Annual Meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, Palm Desert, Ca. May 3-6, 2017.
Hyak JM, Campagna GA, Stone ZT, Johnson B, Yu YR, Schwartz AD, Rosenfeld EH, Naik-Mathuria BJ. Early operative versus observational management in children with adhesive small bowel obstruction. 13th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, Jacksonville, FL, January 30- February 1, 2018.
Rosenfeld EH, Mazzolini K, DeMello AS, Karediya A, Yu YR, Nuchtern JG, Shah SR. Do Ventriculoperitoneal Shunts Increase Complications after Laparoscopic Gastrostomy in Children? 13th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, Jacksonville, FL, January 30- February 1, 2018.
Yu YR, Rosenfeld EH, Dadjoo S, Lopez ME, Shah SR, Naik-Mathuria BJ. Surgeon Accuracy in Identifying Children with Simple Appendicitis. 13th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, Jacksonville, FL, January 30- February 1, 2018.
Yu YR, DeMello AS, Greeley CS, Cox CS, Naik-Mathuria BJ, Wesson DE. Injury Patterns of Child Abuse: Experience of Two Level I Pediatric Trauma Centers. 49th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Surgeons, Banff, Alberta. October 5-7, 2017.
Yu YR, Carpenter JL, DeMello AS, Keswani SG, Cass DL, Olutoye OO, Vogel AM, Thomas JA, Burgman C, Fernandes CJ, Lee TC. Evaluating Quality of Life of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Survivors using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Survey. 49th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Surgeons, Banff, Alberta. October 5-7, 2017.
Yu YR, Sola Jr R, Friske TC, Jamal AR, Rosenfeld EH, Mazziotti MV, St. Peter SD, Shah SR. Postoperative Resource Utilization After Minimally Invasive Repair of Pectus Excavatum. International Pediatric Endosurgery Group (IPEG) 26th Annual Congress for Endosurgery in Children, London, England. July 19-22, 2017.
Rosenfeld EH, Yu YR, Lee TC, Naik-Mathuria BJ, Mazziotti MV, Lopez ME, Shah SR. Evaluating Postoperative Feeding Regimens after Laparoscopic Gastrostomy Placement. International Pediatric Endosurgery Group (IPEG) 26th Annual Congress for Endosurgery in Children, London, England. July 19-22, 2017.
Sola Jr R, Rosenfeld EH, Yu YR, Shah SR, St. Peter SD. Magnet Foreign Body Ingestion: Rare Occurrence but Big Consequences. 50th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons, Seattle WA. May 28-June 1, 2017.
Sola Jr R, Yu YR, Jamal AR, Friske TC, Zhu H, Rosenfeld EH, Mazziotti MV, St. Peter SD, Shah SR. Preoperative Resource Utilization Prior to Minimally Invasive Repair of Pectus Excavatum. 50th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons, Seattle WA. May 28-June 1, 2017
Rosenfeld EH, Sola Jr R, Yu YR, St. Peter SD, Shah SR. Battery Ingestions in Children: Anatomic Location Should Dictate Management. 50th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons, Seattle WA. May 28-June 1, 2017.
Yu YR, Naik-Mathuria BJ, Shah SR, Ceyanes K, Nuchtern J, Lopez ME. Evaluation of a prospective same day discharge protocol for pediatric appendicitis. 48th Annual Meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, Hollywood, FL. May 4-7, 2017.
Carpenter JL, Yu YR, Cass DL, Olutoye OO, Thomas JA, Burgman C, Fernandes CJ, Lee TC. Use of Dual Lumen VV ECMO for Neonatal and Pediatric Patients in a Tertiary Care Children’s Hospital. 12th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, Las Vegas, NV. February 7-9, 2017.
Mohammed S, Yu YR, Sola Jr. R, Lackey JT, John S, Rosenfeld E, Zhang W, St. Peter SD, Shah SR. Are Foley Catheters Needed in the Postoperative Care of Children with Perforated Appendicitis? 12th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, Las Vegas, NV. February 7-9, 2017.
Friske TC, Sola Jr. R, Yu YR, Jamal AR, Rosenfeld E, Zhu H, St. Peter SD, Shah SR. Are Foley Catheters Needed Following Minimally Invasive Repair of Pectus Excavatum? 12th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, Las Vegas, NV. February 7-9, 2017.
Yu YR, Shah SR, Taylor D, Naik-Mathuria BJ. Impact of Feedback Modality on Laparoscopic Simulation Learning for Medical Students. 12th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, Las Vegas, NV. February 7-9, 2017.
Yu YR, Abbas PI, Murphy KM, Stephens LJ, Victorian VA, Lee TC. Impact of a Standardized Gastrostomy Tube Education Program on Post-Surgical Resource Utilization. 12th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, Las Vegas, NV. February 7-9, 2017.
Yu YR, Sheikh F, Olutoye OO, Ali R, Lee TC, Akinguotu A, Lau P, Zamora I, Cass DL. Risk-factors Associated with Recurrence Following Repair of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. 5th World Congress of the World Federation of Associations of Pediatric Surgeons, Washington, D.C. October 8-11, 2016.
Yu YR, Fallon SC, Carpenter JL, Athanassaki I, Brandt ML, Wesson DE, Lopez ME. Perioperative determinants of transient hypocalcemia after pediatric total thyroidectomy. 5th World Congress of the World Federation of Associations of Pediatric Surgeons, Washington, D.C. October 8-11, 2016.
Yu YR, Fallon SC, Carpenter JL, Athanassaki I, Brandt ML, Wesson DE, Lopez ME. Perioperative determinants of transient hypocalcemia after pediatric total thyroidectomy. 48th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Surgeons, Vancouver, BC. September 22-24, 2016.
Yu YR, Abbas PI, Smith C, Carberry K, Ren H, Patel B, Nuchtern JG, Lopez ME. Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing to Identify Opportunities for Cost Reduction in Pediatric Appendectomy. 21st Congress of The Michael E. DeBakey International Surgical Society, Fajardo, Puerto Rico. June 22-25, 2016.
Yu YR, Abbas PI, Smith C, Carberry K, Ren H, Patel B, Nuchtern JG, Lopez ME. Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing to Identify Opportunities for Cost Reduction in Pediatric Appendectomy. 49th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons, Kauai, Hawaii. April 24-28, 2016.

Professional Organizations

American College of Surgeons
American Pediatric Surgical Association
Association of Women Surgeons
American Academy of Pediatrics