Meet Dr. Michael Yeh

About Dr. Michael Yeh

Dr. Michael W. Yeh

Chief of Endocrine Surgery, UCLA

Dr. Michael Yeh is the Chief of Endocrine Surgery at UCLA Endocrine Center. A native of Los Angeles, he received his BS degree in biology with honors and distinction at Stanford University. He then received his medical degree at Harvard Medical School, graduating cum laude. Dr. Yeh trained in general surgery at the University of California San Francisco, where he was inspired to enter the field of endocrine surgery by his mentors Dr. Orlo Clark and Quan-Yang Duh. Dr. Yeh then traveled to Sydney, Australia, to complete the prestigious T.S. Reeve international fellowship in endocrine surgery under the mentorship of Drs. Leigh Delbridge, Stan Sidhu, and Mark Sywak. The specialized skills gained during this year abroad served as the springboard for Dr. Yeh to launch a new center for the treatment of endocrine diseases in Los Angeles.

“But it was not just his surgical skill that left a profound impact on my life. Dr. Yeh's compassion and caring demeanor provided comfort during my recovery. He ensured that I was well-informed and addressed any concerns I had, walking with me every step of the way.”

In 2006, Dr. Michael Yeh was recruited to UCLA by chair Dr. Ronald Busuttil with the charge of founding and developing a center of excellence for the treatment of thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal conditions to serve a local population of 20 million people. At that time, no such center existed in Southern California. Under Dr. Yeh’s leadership, UCLA Endocrine Surgery rapidly became the highest-volume specialty center for endocrine surgery in Los Angeles. In 2015, Dr. Yeh established the multidisciplinary Endocrine Center at UCLA, creating an integrated service line to provide comprehensive care to patients with the entire spectrum of endocrine tumors, including recurrent and metastatic endocrine cancers.

Today, the UCLA Endocrine Center evaluates thousands of patients annually, at the flagship Westwood location and 7 satellite centers spanning 3500 square miles throughout Southern California. More than 1000 major endocrine operations are performed at UCLA annually, making UCLA Endocrine Surgery one of the highest-volume specialty centers in the nation and in the world.

Patient Care

Dr. Michael Yeh is an internationally reputed endocrine surgeon for diseases of the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands. He believes that it is ethically imperative for surgeons to help patients to avoid surgery when safely possible, with surgery being reserved for instances when scientific evidence supports a level of benefit that exceeds the risks. In a typical year, Dr. Yeh performs approximately 500 endocrine operations, with many patients traveling from out of state or out of the country to seek his expertise. He is perhaps best known for performing complex re-operative surgery in patients who have experienced thyroid cancer recurrences, and in those who have had prior failed operations for thyroid and parathyroid disease. Other areas of expertise include endoscopic (laparoscopic and retroperitoneoscopic) approaches to adrenal tumors, and the management of familial endocrine tumor syndromes, such as multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 1 and type 2. As an active researcher and developer of national guidelines for best practice in endocrine diseases, Dr. Yeh brings the latest scientific evidence to every patient encounter. He is eager to listen to the stories and needs of his patients and to engage in shared decision-making with them. Having been at UCLA for 18 years as of 2023, Dr. Yeh finds the greatest satisfaction in his long-term relationships with patients and their families, and in watching his patients of all ages thrive both personally and professionally. The trust placed in him each day brings a sense of profound responsibility, inspiration, motivation, and joy.

Leadership

Aside from his role as Chief of Endocrine Surgery, Dr. Michael Yeh has held several leadership positions locally and nationally. At UCLA, he served as Medical Director of Optimal Care from 2011-2020, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs from 2015-2017, and Surgical Director of Operative Services from 2020-2023. Since 2012, he has served as physician lead for the UCLA Health discharge pharmacy “Meds to Beds” program, spearheaded the adoption of electronic surgical consents, and championed the adoption of telemedicine.

National and International Guidelines

In collaboration with other established experts in endocrine diseases, Dr. Michael Yeh has published guideline/best practice statements on:

1. Imaging in thyroid cancer
2. Outpatient thyroid surgery
3. Surgical management of primary hyperparathyroidism
4. Management of thyroid cancer

Dr. Yeh currently serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network thyroid cancer panel and the American Thyroid Association thyroid nodules guidelines taskforce.

Mentoring

Dr. Michael Yeh is proud to have mentored many students, residents, and fellows along their paths to becoming physicians and surgeons. These young people have come from a broad range of backgrounds: more than half are women, and many are from groups that have been historically under-represented in medicine in the United States. 

Dr. Yeh’s notable mentees include:

• Dr. Lilah Morris Wiseman
• Dr. Sha ’Shonda Revels
• Dr. Mignote Yilma
• Dr. Masha Livhits
• Dr. Kyle Zanocco
• Dr. Mostafa Al-Alusi
• Dr. Oliver Fackelmayer
• Dr. Joana Ochoa
• Dr. Lauren Orr
• Dr. Feibi Zheng
• Dr. Yasmine Assadipour
• Dr. Eric Kuo
• Dr. Aditya Shirali

Personal Life

Dr. Michael Yeh lives in Los Angeles with his wife and family. Each day, he aims to deliver acts of service and kindness to his patients, colleagues, and loved ones.