William C. Yao, MD, FACS

Associate Professor of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Otorhinolaryngology Residency Program Director
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Co-Director, Texas Sinus Institute Neurorhinology Fellowship
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Email:  William.C.Yao@uth.tmc.edu
Phone:  713-500-5425

Educational Philosophy:

Education has been a long-standing career goal of mine. Throughout my schooling, I have met several mentors who took the time to help break down seemingly complex topics into simple ones. One example that I fondly recall occurred during residency in which I struggled answering a complex question. However, my mentor at that time helped me reach the answer by breaking down the question in to several simpler steps. My past experiences such as these have help shape my educational philosophy in the OR and in the clinic. My educational style is mainly Socratic in which I will start with a complex question and if the student is unable to answer the question, I will subsequently ask several seemingly unrelated questions that will allow the student to apply critical thinking skills to develop a pathway to answer the original prompt. Further, I utilize the student response to help evaluate the student’s critical thinking ability as it shows that the resident/student has an ability to not only retain information but more importantly; apply their basic fund of knowledge in a clinical real-life setting. Perhaps more importantly, the Socratic dialogue benefits myself by enlightening me on different thought processes/pathways to the answers that others have.

 Past & Current Educational Activities:

  • Otorhinolaryngology Residency Program Director
  • UT ORL Grand Rounds Planning Committee Chair
  • Co-director of Neurorhinology fellowship
  • Design Education Curriculum

Areas of Expertise and Personal Interest:

  • Neurorhinology – Advanced Endoscopic Sinonasal Surgery; Anterior Skullbase Surgery; Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery; Endoscopic Orbital Surgery
  • Design Education Curriculum
  • Resident and Fellow Education
  • Advancement of Surgical technique

Honors/Awards/Appointments:

  • Phi Beta Kappa Society (2004)
  • American Heart Association Western States Affiliate Medical Student Research Award (2006)
  • Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Society (2008)
  • 1st place poster in Otology/Neurotology at the Triologic Society Combined Sections Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ, 1/2013
  • Baylor College of Medicine Resident Teaching Award 2014
  • UT McGovern Medical School Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019; 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023
  • UT McGovern Medical School Department of Otorhinolaryngology Faculty Member of the Year Award 2016-2017, 2020-2021
  • Super Doctor Rising Star, Key Professional Media, Inc. 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
  • Houstonia Magazine Top Doctors, 2018, 2021, 2022
  • Castle Connolly Rising Star 2021-
  • Castle Connolly Top Doctors 2022, 2023

Selected Publications:

  • Yao WC, Regone R, Huyhn N, Butler EB, Takashima M. 3D image reconstruction of CT scans as an adjunct to assist in medical student/resident education in Spatial Orientation of Paranasal Anatomy. 2014 Mar; 124(3):596-601.
  • Tyler MA, Zhang CC, Saini A, Yao WC. Cutting edge Endonasal Surgical Approaches to Thyroid Ophthalmopathy. Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology. Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngol. 2018 Feb 26;3(2):100-104
  • Jensen BT, Holbrook EH, Chen PG, Luong A, Marino MJ, Yao WC. The Intraoperative Accuracy of Maxillary Balloon Dilation: A Blinded Trial. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2019 May;9(5):452-457.
  • Christopherson DA, Yao WC, Lu M, Vijayakumar R, Sedaghat AR. High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filters in the Era of COVID-19: Function and Efficacy. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 Dec;163(6):1153-1155.
  • LeConte B, Low GMI, Citardi MJ, Yao WC, Eguia AA, Luong AU. Aerosol generation with common rhinologic devices: cadaveric study conducted in a surgical suite. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2020 Nov;10(11):1261-1263.
  • Gong SW, Ahmadi S, Blackburn SL, Ulin L, Citardi MJ, Luong AU, Yao WC. Sniffin Sticks to Measure Olfactory Function and Recovery Following Bilateral Superior Turbinate Resection. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2021 Jun;130(6):636-642.
  • Schmale IL, Vandelaar LJ, Luong AU, Citardi MJ, Yao WC. Image Guided Surgery and Intraoperative Imaging in Rhinology: Clinical Update and Current State of the Art. Ear Nose Throat J. 2021 Dec;100(10):NP475-NP486.
  • Ahmad JG, Citardi AJ, Luong AU, Yao WC. Three-Dimensional Printed Models to Accelerate Resident Surgical Learning Curve for Standard Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Techniques. Ear Nose Throat J. 2022 Aug 11
  • Asi KW, Cameron BH, Radabaugh JP, Citardi MJ, Luong AU, Yao WC. Dural Venous Sinus Narrowing in Patients with Spontaneous Anterior Skull Base Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak. Accepted to Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngol. 2023;8(3):621‐626.
  • Yao WC, Pritikin J, Sillers MJ, Barham HP. Two-year outcomes of temperature-controlled radiofrequency device treatment of the nasal valve for patients with nasal airway obstruction. September 2021. Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngol. 2023;1-8.