Dr. William Yao Appointed Chief of Rhinology and Anterior Skull Base Surgery
William C. Yao, MD, associate professor and director of the residency program in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, has been named chief of the Division of Rhinology and Anterior Skull Base Surgery. As division chief, he will guide the continued expansion of the department as a quaternary referral center in the subspecialty.
“As we enter another growth phase, I want to ensure that the rhinology and anterior skull base division develops a more robust clinical program to provide care for all types of rhinologic complaints, including the uncommon, challenging cases that require highly specialized surgical management,” says Dr. Yao, who also is a co-director of the Rhinology and Skull Base Fellowship Program. “We will continue to collaborate with other departments at the medical school, particularly neurosurgery and ophthalmology. Our goal is to further expand our brand of advanced specialized care to local and regional communities as a center that delivers leading-edge medical and surgical care. We’ll do this in conjunction with my ENT partners and the amazing research enterprise created by Dr. Amber Luong.”
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Yao received his medical degree at the University of Colorado Health Science Center School of Medicine, where he was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society in 2008. He completed residency training at Baylor College of Medicine, where he was recognized with the 2014 Resident Teaching Award. He subsequently completed a fellowship in rhinology and anterior skull base surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Yao is fluent in English and Japanese and has a strong interest in surgical technique and residency education, including the development of teaching instruments. He is committed to delivering leading-edge medical and surgical management for chronic rhinosinusitis and paranasal sinus diseases, and performs advanced endoscopic sinus surgery, revision sinus surgery, and skull base and orbital surgery with technical precision.
Dr. Yao has been recognized with the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award from McGovern Medical School numerous times and Faculty Member of the Year in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology on multiple occasions. He has been named a Texas Super Doctor since 2017, as well as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor and Houstonia magazine Top Doctor several times. He has served as a peer reviewer of educational grants, journals, curriculum, and awards, and is committed to using feedback effectively to improve his leadership and teaching style.