Isaac Yang, MD

Professor and Neurosurgeon specializing in adult brain and spinal cord tumors at UCLA, Dr. Yang is experienced in the surgical treatment for patients with skull base tumors, acoustic neuromas, meningiomas, astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, anaplastic astrocytomas, and glioblastomas. As a principal investigator at the UCLA Brain Tumor Program, his extensive research interests include optimizing brain tumor clinical outcomes, novel nanoparticles against brain tumors, and experimental glioblastoma therapies like brain tumor vaccines.

Isaac Yang M.D. is a Board Certified Neurosurgeon and Director of Medical Student Education in the UCLA Department of Neurosurgery, Professor in Neurosurgery, Head and Neck Surgery, and Radiation Oncology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and a Principal Investigator in the UCLA Brain Tumor Laboratory.  As the son of South Korean immigrants, Dr. Yang grew up in the small town of Lodi, California.  Dr. Yang’s interest in neurobiology started as an undergraduate as he received his bachelor’s degree with Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California Berkeley.  His training followed with a medical degree from the University of California Los Angeles Geffen School of Medicine.  Dr. Yang completed a neurological surgery residency at the University of California San Francisco, as well as an NRSA NIH funded F32 post doctoral brain tumor research fellowship.

Dr. Yang’s clinical focus has been primarily on brain tumors both glioblastoma and skull base tumors.  His research efforts have examined antigen expression and manipulation of the immune response to glioblastoma.  He has previously been recognized with a UCSF Clinical and Translational Scientist Training Award and the CNS Dandy Clinical Research Fellowship.  Dr. Yang has been the recipient of several distinguished regional and national awards including the UCSF Medical Center 2010 Exceptional Physician Award, the AANS Integra Brain Tumor Research Award, San Francisco Neurological Society Edwin Boldrey Award for Basic Science Research, American Academy of Neurological and Orthopedic Surgeons Research Award, Kaiser Award for Clinical Research, the national AANS Leksell Radiosurgery Award, and the Tumor Section Ronald L. Bittner Award on Brain Tumor Research.  

Dr. Yang has published over 200  publications in peer-reviewed journals, authored over a dozen book chapters, and edited over half a dozen published textbooks.  Dr. Yang is highly sought out by peers, patients and the media for his expertise in neurological diseases and brain health. He has made multiple TV appearances on CBS The Doctors, CNN Dr. Drew On Call, and national news outlets. At UCLA, he is currently investigating the utilization of nanoparticles and nanotechnology for the application in brain tumor immunotherapy and vaccines, investigating the role of radiosurgery and Adaptive Hybrid Surgery for skull base tumors, identifying novel biomarkers for meningiomas, and redefining the treatment outcomes for successful skull base surgery in Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence.  His career is dedicated to improving the care and treatment of all patients with skull base pathology and brain tumors, and he is deeply indebted to his wife Nancy for her support and all of his teachers and mentors who have guided him on this path. 

If interested please follow Dr. Yang on Facebook at Isaac Yang UCLA Neurosurgery or find his most recent book Service Minded Physician on Amazon.

PubMed publications >(Link is external) (Link opens in new window)

Peer Reviewed Publications

1. Berg J, Chandrasoma S, Yang I, Lynch JB, Walling A.  Learning about bioterrorism and chemical warfare - Medical students explore key threats.  Western Journal of Medicine, 2002. 176 (1): p. 58-59.
2. Liau LM and Yang I.  Microarrays and the genetic analysis of brain tumors.  Current Genomics, 200  3 (1): p. 33-41.
3. Thakur A, Yang I, Lee MY, Goel A, Ashok A, and Fonkalsrud EW.  Increasing social capital via local networks: Analysis in the context of a surgical practice.  American Surgeon, 2002.  68 (9): p. 776-9.  PMID: 12356148
4. Thakur A, Yang I, Lin A, Buchmiller-Crair T, Fonkalsrud EW.  Management of ovarian cysts in women undergoing restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis.  American Surgeon, 2003.  69 (4): p. 339-42.  PMID: 12716094
5. Yang I, Kremen TJ, Giovannone A, Paik E, Odesa SK, Prins RM, and Liau LM.  Modulation of major histocompatibility class I molecules and MHC-bound immunogenic peptides by interferon-a and interferon-g  treatment of human glioblastomas.  Journal of Neurosurgery, 2004.  100: p. 310-319.  PMID: 15086239
6. Bergsneider M, Yang I, Hu X, McArthur DL, Cook SW, and Boscardin WJ.  Relationship between valve opening pressure, body position, and intracranial pressure in normal pressure hydrocephalus: Paradigm for selection of programmable valve pressure setting.   Neurosurgery, 2004.  55 (4): p. 851-859.  PMID: 15458593
7. Boudreau C, Yang I, and Liau LM.  Gliomas:  Advances in molecular analysis and characterization.  Surgical Neurology, 2005.  64 (4): p. 286-294.  PMID: 16229087
8. Yang I, Barbaro NM.  Advances in the radiosurgical treatment of epilepsy.  Epilepsy Currents, 2007.  7 (2): p. 31-35.  PMID: 17505557
9. DeIpolyi AR, Yang I, Buckley A, Larson DA, Smith V, Barbaro NM, Cheung SW, Parsa AT.  Fluctuating response of a cystic vestibular schwannoma to radiosurgery. Neurosurgery, 2008. 62(5):p. 1164-5.  PMID: 18580785
10. Yang I, Lawton MT. Clipping of complex aneurysms with fenestration tubes: application and assessment of three types of clip techniques. Neurosurgery, 2008. 62 ONS (2): p. 371-9.  PMID:  18596517

More information on Dr. Yang

• Cutting-Edge Skull Surgery for Rare Condition(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) (The Doctors, April 2015)
• Special Olympics Athlete Gives Surgeon His Gold Medal After Life-Saving Brain Surgery(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) (People, July 2016)
• Woman Who Could Hear Her Own Body Sounds Get Life Back (ABC’s Good Morning America, September 2015)
• Indiana woman, has op to cure condition that meant she could hear mechanics of her body(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) (UK's Daily Mail, September 2015)
• Indiana woman who suffered for seven months with a rare disorder that constantly broadcast into her ears the sounds of her eyeballs moving, heart beating, footsteps echoing and food digesting (Fox News 11, September 2015)
• UCLA doctors perform life-changing surgery on woman plagued by internal sounds of her body(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) (UCLA Newsroom, September 2015)
• UCLA Doctors Treat Woman Who Can Hear Her Body Working Due to Rare Condition(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) (KTLA 5, September 2015)
• WEIRD SCIENCE: Woman Can Hear Her Body Working (Bill Carroll Show, September 2015)
• Internal Hearing Surgery (KCBS/KCAL, September 2015)
• Lodi’s Isaac Yang receives award for medical, teaching excellence(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) (lodinews.com(Link is external) (Link opens in new window), March 2015)
• Nationally lauded medical educator invests in success of his students(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) (newsroom.ucla.edu, February 2015)
• UCLA Students rally against Alzheimer's (Aging Today, Jul-Aug 2011)
• Dr. Yang to receive award(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) (Daily Bruin, April 2011)
• UCSF recognizes exceptional physicians(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) (UCSF, May 2010)
• Neurosurgery chief resident receives UCSF Medical Center Exceptional Physician Award (UCSF, April, 2010)
• Winners of 62nd Annual Meeting of the SF Neurological Society in Sonoma, CA(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) San Francisco Neurological Society, February 2010)
• Dr. Isaac Yang honored for breakthrough research(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) (LodiNews.com, May 2009)
• Live-Tweet Surgery(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) (headandnecksurgery.ucla.edu)

Note: News links may expire without notice.

Honors and Special Awards

• Top Doctors, Los Angeles Magazine, 2024
• Super Doctors® Southern California, 2024
• North American Skull Base Society Research Grant, 2020
• UCLA Neurosurgery Gold Batzdorf Resident Teaching Award, 2019
• Southern California Super Doctors, 2013-2021
• Castle Connolly Top Doctors, 2017- 2021
• Andrew T Parsa Mentorship Award,  2019

Presented at the 65th national AMSA meeting Washington D.C.

• UCLA Neurosurgery Batzdorf Resident Teaching Award, 2014
• UCLA DGSOM Outstanding PBL Tutor Award, 2014
• UCLA DGSOM Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, 2014
• American Association of Neurological Surgeons CME Award, 2014
• UCLA AMSA Golden Apple Award, 2014

• uclahealth.org/neurosurgery 
• uclahealth.org/departments/neurosurgery(Link is external)
• uclahealth.org/brain-tumor
• theyanglab1.dgsom.ucla.edu(Link is external)