Katherine Yung, MD, FACS

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Dr. Yung grew up in Houston, Texas in a medical family that emphasized and nurtured a love of music. Violin, string bass, and choir occupied much of her time outside of school. During her college years, she studied voice under mezzo-soprano Jennifer Lane and sang in the Stanford Chamber Chorale, the Stanford Department of Music’s most select choir.

While pursuing her medical studies at Washington University, Dr. Yung (she/her) fell in love with the field of Laryngology, which perfectly meshed her interest in voice, music, and medicine. After residency training, she completed a fellowship in Laryngology and Care of the Professional Voice at the University of California-San Francisco under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Courey MD, a pioneer and leader in the field, who then recruited her to join the faculty of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

During her 10-year long tenure at the UCSF Voice and Swallowing Center, Dr. Yung gained prominence as a clinician, surgeon, educator, and researcher. She was subsequently promoted to Associate Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology, became the acting Director of the UCSF Voice and Swallowing Center, and was also rewarded the highly regarded Sooy Award for Clinical Excellence. She has been invited to give lectures and scientific presentations nationally and internationally and has published numerous manuscripts on her research. She is currently involved in studies on laryngotracheal stenosis, early laryngeal cancer, unilateral vocal fold paralysis, and laryngeal ultrasound, amongst others.

Dr. Yung is a member of the American Medical Women’s Association, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Laryngological Society, the American Broncho-Esophagological Association, and is a fellow in the American College of Surgeons.

She is married to Kevin, an emergency medicine physician, and together they have two adorable children.

Education

Undergraduate

• B.S. with distinction and honors, Stanford University

Medical School

• M.D., Washington University School of Medicine

Internship

• General Surgery, Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Internship and Residency

• Otolaryngology, Washington University

Fellowship

• Laryngology and Care of the Professional Voice, University of California-San Francisco

Awards

• Phi Beta Kappa
• National Institutes of Health Summer Research Fellowship
• Letter of Commendation for outstanding performance in the academic year
• Alpha Omega Alpha
• American Medical Women’s Association Janet M. Glasgow Memorial Achievement Citation
• Letter of Commendation for outstanding reviewer for The Laryngoscope
• AAO-HNS Model Committee Award for Distinguished Services on the WIO-Research and Survey Committee
• Francis A. Sooy, MD Award for Clinical Excellence
• American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Honors Award

Publications

• Lane CM, Guo XY, Macaluso LH, Yung KC and Deisseroth AB. “Presence of P210 bcr/abl is associated with decreased expression of a beta chemokine C10 gene on a P210 bcr/abl – positive myeloid leukemia cell line.” Mol Med. 5(1):55-61, 1999.
• Yung KC, and Piccirillo JF. “The Incidence and Impact of Comorbidity Diagnosed after the Onset of Head and Neck Cancer.” Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 134(10):1045-9, 2008.
• Yung KC, Lacey PD, and Piccirillo JF. “The Classification and Staging of Larynx Cancer.” The Larynx, 3rd edition. Fried M., Ferlito A. ed., Plural Publishing, San Diego, 2008.
• Yung KC (contributor). “Ear, Nose, and Throat Disorders.” Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 2010, 49th edition. McPhee S., Papadakis M. ed., McGraw-Hill/Medical, 2010.
• Yung KC. “Ear, Nose, and Throat.” Pocket Guide to the Essentials of Diagnosis & Treatment, 4th edition. Tierney L., Saint S., Whooley M. ed., McGraw-Hill/Medical, 2010.
• Ekbom DC, Garrett CG, Yung KC, Johnson FL, Billante CR, Zealear DL, and Courey MC. “Botulinum Toxin Injections for New Onset Bilateral Vocal Fold Motion Impairment in Adults.” Laryngoscope, 120:758-763, 2010.
• Yung, KC, Courey MS. “The Effect of Office Based Flexible Endoscopic Surgery on Hemodynamic Stability.” Laryngoscope, 120(11):2231-6, 2010.
• Yung KC, Likhterov I, Courey MS. “Effect of temporary vocal fold injection medialization on the rate of permanent medialization laryngoplasty in unilateral vocal fold paralysis patients.” Laryngoscope. 121(10):2191-4, 2011.
• Ongkasuwan J, Yung KC, Courey MS. “Pharyngeal stasis of secretions in patients with Zenker diverticulum.” Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2012 Mar;146(3):426-9.
• Ongkasuwan J, Yung KC, Courey MS. “The physiologic impact of transnasal flexible endoscopy.” Laryngoscope. 2012 Jun;122(6):1331-4.
• Prendes BL, Yung KC, Likhterov I, Schneider SL, Al-Jurf SA, Courey MS. “Long Term Effects of Injection Laryngoplasty with a Temporary Agent on Voice Quality and Vocal Fold Position” Laryngoscope, 2012 Oct;122(10):2227-33.
• Chang J, Fang TJ, Yung K, van Zante A, Miller T, Al-Jurf S, Schneider S, Courey M. “Clinical and histologic predictors of voice and disease outcome in patients with early glottic cancer.” Laryngoscope. 2012 Oct;122(10):2240-7.
• Huoh KC, Yung KC. Retained Denture in Oropharynx. Otolaryngology. 2012 Dec; 2:121.
• Chang J, Courey MS, Al-Jurf SA, Schneider SL, Yung KC. Injection laryngoplasty outcomes in irradiated and non-irradiated unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Laryngoscope. 2014 Aug;124(8):1895-9.
• Chang J, Yung KC. Dysphonia and Vocal Fold Telangiectasia in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2014 Nov;123(11):769-70.
• Faden DL, Orloff LA, Ayeni TI, Fink DS, Yung K. Identification of Optimal Intraoperative Nerve Stimulation Values For Prediction Of Post-operative Vocal Fold Function In Thyroid Surgery. Laryngoscope. 2015 May;125(5):1265-70.
• Rosen CA, Mau T, Remacle M, Hess M, Sulica L, Eckel HE, Young VN, Hantsakos A, Yung KC, Dikkers FG. Nomenclature Proposal to Describe Vocal Fold Motion Impairment. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2015 Jun 3. [Epub ahead of print]
• Yung KC, Courey MS. Factors important in laryngology fellow and laryngology fellowship selection. Laryngoscope. 2015 Nov;125(11):2543-6.
• Naunheim ML, Yung KC, Courey MS. Timing of hemodynamic change during transnasal endoscopic surgery. Laryngoscope. 2016 Sep;126(9):2047-50.
• Curtis JA, Laus J, Yung KC, Courey MS. Static endoscopic evaluation of swallowing: Transoral endoscopy during clinical swallow evaluations. Laryngoscope. 2016 Oct;126(10):2291-4.
• Chang J, Schneider SL, Curtis JA, Langenstein J, Courey MS, Yung KC. Outcomes of Medialization Laryngoplasty with and without Arytenoid Adduction. Laryngoscope, 2017 Nov;127(11):2591-2595.
• Formeister EJ, Courey, MS, Yung KC. Perceptions of the Laryngology Match: A Survey of Program Directors and Recent Trainees. Laryngoscope, 2017 Dec;127(12):2818-2822.
• McLaughlin CW, Swendseid B, Courey MS, Schneider SL, Gartner-Schmidt JL, Yung KC. Long- term Outcomes in Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis Patients. Laryngoscope, 2018 Feb;128(2):430-436.
• Naunheim ML, Yung KC, Schneider SL, Henderson-Sabes J, Kothare H, Mizuiri D, Klein DJ, Houde JF, Nagarajan SS, Cheung, SW. Vocal Motor Control and Central Auditory Impairments in Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis. Laryngoscope. 2019 Sep; 129(9): 2112-2117.
• Naunheim ML, Yung KC, Schneider SL, Henderson-Sabes J, Kothare H, Hinkley LB, Mizuiri D, Klein DJ, Houde JF, Nagarajan SS, Cheung SW. Cortical networks for speech motor control in unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Laryngoscope. 2019 Sep; 129(9): 2125-2130.
• Perez PL, Cueva KL, Rosen CA, Young VN, Naunheim ML, Yung KC, Schneider SL, Mizuiri D, Klein DJ, Houde JF, Hinkley LB, Nagarajan SS, Cheung SW. Cortical-basal ganglia-cerebellar networks in unilateral vocal fold paralysis: a pilot study. Laryngoscope. 2020 Feb; 130(2): 460-464.
• Yung KC, Chang J, Courey MS. A randomized controlled trial of adjuvant mitomycin-c in endoscopic surgery for laryngotracheal stenosis. Laryngoscope. 2020 Mar; 130(3): 706-711.
• Yung KC, Chang J, Courey MS. In reply to Mitomycin-C Is Ineffective in Laryngotracheal Surgery If Used Incorrectly. Laryngoscope. 2021 Jan;131(1):E206.

Locations

• Union Square Office