Dr. William Yao Celebrates 10 Years of Service to UTHealth Houston
William C. Yao, MD, chief of rhinology, residency program director, and an associate professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at McGovern Medical School, was recognized for 10 years of service at UTHealth Houston in the 2025-2026 academic year. Dr. Yao, who also is co-director of the Texas Sinus Institute neurorhinology Fellowship, focuses his clinical practice on disorders of the nose, sinus, and skull base and delivers cutting-edge medical and surgical management of chronic rhinosinusitis and paranasal sinus diseases, as well as advanced endoscopic sinus surgery, revision sinus surgery, skull base, and orbital surgery.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Yao received his medical degree at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, where he was inducted in Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society in 2008. He completed residency training in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, where he developed an interest in rhinology in his third year. He went on to complete a fellowship in rhinology and anterior skull base surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School.
“I discovered I enjoyed operating on microscopic areas of the nose and at times expanding into the macro realm of the skull base,” he says. “We tend to gravitate toward our strengths, and I was good at processing a 2D image on the video monitor into a 3D map for my hand. Pursuit of perfection is important in rhinologic surgery. The anatomy we deal with is in a very small area in close proximity to the brain, the eye, the optic nerve, and major blood vessels so there is little room for error. I like striving toward technical perfection, and the fast pace of endoscopic advances during my training made perfection achievable. The better the job you do, the better the patient’s outcome.”
Dr. Yao also has a strong interest in residency education, including the development of teaching instruments. He’s currently creating an otolaryngology resident education fund to develop a pathway for residents interested in pursuing their own research through industry and philanthropic grants.
Fluent in English and Japanese, he is the author of chapters in many textbooks, as well as numerous articles published in peer-reviewed journals. He has been awarded the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award at McGovern Medical School every year since 2016 and was named among the award’s Esteemed Educators in 2025. He has been recognized as Otorhinolaryngology Faculty Member of the Year on multiple occasions and named among Castle Connolly Top Doctors since 2021.
“The academic accolades and external recognitions are great, but it all comes down to the smile I see on a patient’s face after a good outcome,” he says. “That’s the best feeling ever. Every patient is different, even those with the same disorder. We look for the solution that will give our patients the best result based on their constraints in life. Not everyone can rinse their nose five times a day and take medications around the clock. I work with my patients’ life circumstances to maximize their sinonasal health.
“Over the time I’ve practiced here, medicine has become more patient directed,” he adds. “Patients are much more likely to find a doctor themselves by searching online, instead of waiting for a referral. If I can’t deliver the top-notch, state-of-the-art care they’re looking for, I’m just the coach telling the quarterback which play to make. I want to be the athlete who’s out there on the field getting the job done.”