2025 Ralph T. Manktelow Lectureship in Hand Surgery

Dr. Yao received his ungraduated degree from the Cornell University Medical College and completed his Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and later completing his Hand and Upper Extremity Surgical Fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and the Philadelphia Hand Center. In 2005, Dr. Yao, joined the Hand and Upper Extremity Service at Stanford University Medical Center. He achieved his Orthopaedic Surgery Board Certification in 2007 and Certificate of Added Qualification in Surgery of the Hand in 2009. He was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery in 2012 and the rank of Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery in 2020 at Stanford University.

Currently, Dr. Yao is the Fellowship Director of Orthopaedic Hand and Upper Limb at the Stanford University Medical Center. He is the Editor-in-chief of the Yearbook of Hand and Upper Limb Surgery as well as the Editorial Board of Hand. He is the editor for textbooks on the topics of Scaphoid Fractures and Nonunions, Ulnar Wrist Disorders and Carpal Instability. He is also the editor of two special issues of Hand Clinics and Current Orthopaedic Practice.

Dr. Yao is specifically trained in the minimally-invasive and arthroscopic treatment of common upper extremity problems including fractures, arthritis, tendon and ligament injuries and nerve compression disorders. Dr Yao’s research interests include the evolution of arthroscopic and minimally-invasive surgical techniques for the management of common upper limb disorders. He is also involved in utilizing stem cells in the treatment of tendon and bone injuries. Dr Yao has and continues to travel to many medical centers nationally and internationally for the mutual exchange of clinical and research ideas. He was awarded the prestigious Sterling Bunnell Traveling Fellowship by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) in September 2015.