Biography


Dr Yao joined the Hand and Upper Extremity Service at Stanford University Medical Center in 2005. He graduated from Cornell University Medical College in 1999. His Orthopaedic Surgery residency was completed at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine / NSUH-LIJ Health System in New York in 2004, where he was voted the Surgical Intern of the Year in 2000 and the Orthopaedic Surgery Resident of the Year in 2001. He completed the Hand and Upper Extremity surgical fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and the Philadelphia Hand Center in 2005. He earned his Orthopaedic Surgery Board Certification in 2007. He learned his Certificate of Added Qualification in Surgery of the Hand in 2009. He was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Stanford University in 2012, and the rank of Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Stanford University in 2020.

Dr Yao has clinical training and interest in the treatment of disorders of the entire upper extremity/limb, including the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder. He 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. This minimally-invasive approach is unique and highly sought after by patients. His clinical volume is quite extensive as he sees over 3000 patients per year.

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 injuries. He has presented his research with over 400 podium presentations at numerous regional, national and international meetings and is active in the education of other surgeons, fellows, residents and medical students. He has served as a visiting professor at several academic medical centers, both nationally and internationally at sites including Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Brazil, Columbia, Peru, Chile, Canada, South Africa, Italy, Germany, England, Mexico, Australia, Korea, Poland, Peru, Hungary, Fiji, Spain, India and France.

Dr Yao was awarded the Sumner Koch national research award in 2009 and the Emmanuel B Kaplan national research award in 2012. He was also awarded the prestigious JOA-AOA traveling fellowship in 2010 and spent one month in Japan teaching at a number of institutions. He was awarded the prestigious Sterling Bunnell Traveling Fellowship by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) in September 2015. This honor is bestowed upon just one member of the ASSH per year and is one of the Society’s most prestigious and competitive awards. As the 2016 Bunnell Fellow, Dr Yao traveled to many medical centers nationally and internationally for the mutual exchange of clinical and research ideas. He is currently the Hand and Upper Limb Hand Fellowship Director at the Stanford University Medical Center.

He has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Yearbook of Hand and Upper Limb Surgery and was also on the editorial board of HAND and reviews manuscripts for many other journals for their suitability for publication. He has authored over 110 peer-reviewed publications in the field of hand and upper extremity surgery. He is the editor for a textbook on Scaphoid Fractures and Nonunions and two special issues of Hand Clinics and Current Orthopaedic Practice.

Dr Yao is an active member of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the American Association of Hand Surgery, the International Wrist Arthroscopy Society, The International Wrist Investigators’ Workshop, the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the Western Orthopaedic Association.

Professional Summary


Education & Certifications
  • Residency: Long Island Jewish Medical Center (2004) NY
  • Internship: Long Island Jewish Medical Center (2000) NY
  • Medical Education: New York Presbyterial Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical College (1999) NY
  • Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Surgery of the Hand (2009)
  • Fellowship: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (2005) PA
  • CAQ, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Added Qualification in Hand Surgery (2009)
  • Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery (2007)
  • MD, Philadelphia Hand Center - Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Hand Surgery (2005)
  • MD, Albert Einstein Med College NSUH-LIJ, Orthopaedic Surgery (2004)
  • MD, Cornell University Med College, Medicine (1999)

Honors & Awards
  • AFSH Basic Science Research Grant, American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand (2009-2010)
  • Annual Research Competition, Philadelphia Hand Society (June, 2005)
  • AOA-JOA Exchange Traveling Fellow, American Orthopaedic Association (May 2010)
  • Best Paper of the AAOS Award, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (March 2013)
  • Distinguished Visiting Professorship, Albert Einstein College of Medicine NSUH-LIJ Health System, New Hyde Park, NY (June 2009)
  • Distinguished Visiting Professorship, University of California San Francisco - Fresno Campus (February 2013)
  • Distinguished Visiting Professorship, Wilcox Memorial Medical Center, Kauai, HI (Aug 2008)
  • Emanuel B. Kaplan Award, American Society for Surgery of the Hand (September 2012)
  • Orthopaedic Surgery Resident of the Year, Albert Einstein College of Medicine / NSUH-LIJ Health System (2001)
  • Resident Competition and Symposium, Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) (May, 2002)
  • Sterling Bunnell Traveling Fellowship, American Society for Surgery of the Hand (Sept 2015-Aug 2016)
  • Sterling Bunnell Traveling Fellowship Award, American Society for Surgery of the Hand (September 2016-2017)
  • Sumner L. Koch Award, American Society for Surgery of the Hand (September 2009)
  • Surgical Intern of the Year, Albert Einstein College of Medicine / NSUH-LIJ Health System (2000)

Administrative Appointments
  • Contributing Editor, Yearbook of Hand and Upper Limb Surgery (2005 - 2008)
  • Deputy Editor, Hand (2009 - Present)
  • Director, Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Fellowship, Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University Medical Center (2020 - Present)
  • Editor-in-Chief, Yearbook of Hand and Upper Limb Surgery (2009 - Present)
  • Fellow, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2009 - Present)
  • Founding Member, Manus National Hand Surgery Society (2006 - Present)
  • Guest Editor, Current Orthopaedic Practice (2011 - Present)
  • Guest Editor, Hand Clinics (2012 - 2012)
  • Manuscript Reviewer, Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine (2005 - Present)
  • Manuscript Reviewer, The Physician and Sports Medicine (2005 - Present)
  • Manuscript Reviewer, Journal of Orthopaedic Research (2006 - Present)
  • Manuscript Reviewer, Hand (2007 - Present)
  • Manuscript Reviewer, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (2007 - Present)
  • Manuscript Reviewer, Annals of Plastic Surgery (2008 - Present)
  • Manuscript Reviewer, Tissue Engineering (2009 - Present)
  • Manuscript Reviewer, The Journal of Hand Surgery (2011 - Present)
  • Member, American Society for Surgery of the Hand (2004 - Present)
  • Member, American Association for Hand Surgery (2008 - Present)
  • Member, International Wrist Investigators Workshop (2009 - Present)
  • Member, Arthroscopy Association of North America (2010 - Present)
  • Member, Western Orthopaedic Association (2012 - Present)

Publications

Clinical Trials

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Open trials refer to studies currently accepting participants. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but may open in the future.


Practice Locations


Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in Redwood City Redwood City, CA
Redwood City, CA

450 Broadway Street

Redwood City , CA 94063

(650) 723-5643

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Patient Ratings

(329 Ratings)

Overall Rating
4.8/5

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4.9/5
Friendliness
Friendliness/courtesy of the care provider
4.8/5
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Explanations the care provider gave you about your problem or condition
4.8/5
Listens
Concern the care provider showed for your questions or worries
4.8/5
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4.8/5
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Patient Reviews

(178 reviews)

Dr. Yao is a very attentive Dr. he pays close attention to what you are saying and answers your questions in a manner that is easy to understand. His staff is also amazing.
I appreciate Dr. Yap’s consult concerning my cyst in my left hand. He was friendly and I appreciated his comments of the cyst on my hand. I chose to have the cyst remove. I will make an appointment with Rhommel
I like him very much! He is an excellent surgeon as I've had great results and he has a warm and friendly manner and is easy to talk with.
Totally satisfied with Dr. Yao.
Excellent
Dr. Yao is the most professional and compassionate doctor. I have had 2 surgeries with him and have had great results! I wouldn’t go to anyone else!! He’s the best!
The doctor and his assistants are patient, helpful and informative
Dr Yao appears knowledgeable and efficient (I had a routine follow up and he dealt with it quickly)
Dr. Yao was warm and personable, and seemed very confident he could resolve the problem with my wrist. He cited specific data on possible outcomes, which I really liked.
My experience has been outstanding!
Excellent patient experience.
Professional, very patient, efficient with less wait time, nice environment
The appointment was early and everyone was friendly and efficient.
Everyone was courteous, helpful and positive! Dr. Yao and his team were great, very professional .
Great service and great Dr
Dr. Yao listens well and responds appropriately and doesn't seem rushed.
Dr Yao, the resident doctor and the care team were all very friendly and professional.
fast and organized
Dr Yao was highly recommended by one of his past patients for my broken wrist. I have as very impressed with his expertise and am hopeful or a full recovery.
Both Dr. McKnight & Dr. Yao, spent time & allowed for lots of questions! Thank you
Dr. Yao is great.
Everone very helpful. Thank you!
Everyone from asking directions in lobby, check in staff, assistants and doctors were kind and concerned.
Always the best experience. Friendly, professional staff whose only goal is five star care.
dr yao and his female assistant np were very good
Very professional explain the options I have very carefully
Focused, humane, clear, and professional care from both the doctors
I have a great deal of respect and confidence in Dr Yao and his team.
I am an artist so the use of my dominant hand is of utmost importance to me. Dr. Yao and staff attentively listen to my concerns and have worked with me to make sure I can keep drawing and painting.
Checked my elbow recovery from Elbow reduction procedure, done after dislocation of elbow.
Excellent care and efficient
Excellent care!
Dr. Yao was very attentive and heard what I had to say. He was very clear with all his input about the problems with my wrist. I am extremely grateful he was my doctor.
Dr. Yao is a great physician. He treats his patients with care, and thinks through the best possible course of action for each individual.
Everyone was very communicative on what was going on, which was great!
I'm pretty anxious when visiting doctors. Particularly new ones. EVERYONE was exceptional. They were on time, they were kind, they looked me in the eye. They answered every single question I had. I was very, very impressed.
Dr Yao is excellent and the staff very helpful.
Great, caring staff. Dr. Yao and Ana were attentive and informative.
Dr. Yao is just a fantastic clinician.
Dr. Yao and the whole team have been fantastic.
He was excellent and so was his student assistant. I would definitely recommend him and return to him if I need more care.
I’ve seen Dr Yao many times over the past 12 years and have always been pleased with his care.
Excellent r
Very personable and efficient
Dr Yao is great at explaining things and is very kind!
Highly professional and courteous.
Got the treatment I need
The staff and doctors showed compassion and caring, greatly appreciated
Dr. Yahoo and his assistant, I don’t remember her name right now. Or fabulous. Very professional, charming and explained everything in a clear and efficient manner. I feel very fortunate to have been able to see them. I hate
Great team, I'm ready for my surgery
Excellent Provider and fantastic Staff
The office is super efficient and timely, and Dr Yao is top notch.
Very professional, smart and friendly. I felt in very good hands
The doctor and physician assistant were both excellent.
Dr. Yao was very professional and personable. He does very well in diagnosis. Therefore I would strongly refer my friends and family members to seek medical advice from him.
Dr. Yao is amazing. He’s the first doctor in my core for my elbow that I feel truly heard, cared about, and not rushed. He respected my thoughts and concerns and talked about his clinical reasoning and surgical decision thought process with me out loud so that we could make a decision together. He and his team were wonderful on surgery day, I felt very taken care of! I couldn’t recommend him enough.
Dr Yao is simply a treasure. With tightrope arthroplasty surgery is skills are extraordinary. His level of professional achievement is not available in surgeons in Arizona. Words cannot express appreciation for him being available during my time of need..
excellent
Dr. Yao is a very understanding doctor. He listens, explains things and answers questions.. I fully trust Dr. Yao to help me with the medical problem of my hand.
Dr Yao and his staff are wonderful!!
Dr Yao and staff are very nice and attentive. Also Today, I met dr Heffner and he has excellent bedside manner by taking great care in explaining the X-ray and the mechanics of the steel plates.
Excellent. Efficient. Comprehensive.
My doctor it’s the best ,all the team are really good thank you for all the excellent work
Very thorough
Excellent!
Exceptional patient care.
My appointment with Dr. Yao went smoothly from start to finish - excellent care
He's simply a genius at what he does! Dr. Yao is very patient and has great bedside manners!
Excellent care. Great communication.
Very organized and very little waiting ... Tnx
Dr. Yao, his assistant Ann and the rest of the office staff were excellent in terms of their professioinal skill and thoughtful and caring in terms of the services they provided.
Great Doctor!
My visit is always great ,Thank you to all the staff and MD my doctor Yao Jeffrey he is the best
Excellent doctor and med staff. Scheduling person Kimberly was fantastic, understanding and helpful
I have been a patient of Dr. Yao's for a few conditions over several years. He has always been superb.
Dr. Yao is an exceptional physician who balances his knowledge with his kindness. I am very happy to have him as my physician and surgeon.
Eccellente
Both the Fellow and Dr. Yao were very professional, efficient and extremely knowledgeable!
Dr. Yao is extremely accomplished and experienced, and he balances that with being a very kind individual.
Personable, thorough and good communication
Great, thorough meeting.
Best Cortisone shot ever
He is personable, knowledgeable and willing to patiently answer questions and concerns.
I was very happy with the appointment with Dr. Yao. He spent time examining my hand, talking to me and explaining what needed to be done next.
Dr. Yao was awesome. Very detailed and spent a lot of time with me
Dr. Yao always makes each visit very easy to speak with him back and forth. He answers all my questions and doesn't make me feel rushed.
Dr Yao is exceptional
Very professional and detailed what was needed to help my problem.
If I know anyone with hand, wrist issues, I would most certainly recommend Dr Yao!
I think Dr. Yao was an excellent doctor and I was very pleased with his ability to relate to me personally, which not all doctors have..
Very professional and helpful.
I received great confidence and care from my doctor - Dr. Yao and his team is terrific
Professional, easy to talk to, made me feel fully confident in his abilities to take care of my issues
Thank you so much for your time and care!!
SHORT, SWEET, AND TO THE POINT.
Dr. Yao was great. He communicates his knowledge in a very easy & kind way.
Thank you to Dr. Yao & his team for their care!
Was able to schedule my surgery for the following day!
Wonderful MD!
I have complete confidence in Dr. Yao and am very glad that he is my doctor. He's been wonderful to work with throughout this entire process, and I would recommend him to everyone.
I received excellent service and care
very profesional
First rate doctor
Dr. Yao is great. some front end processes that need some work.
Dr. Yao was very clear with expectations as my injury was very severe. His surgery/care with my determination exceeded those expectations.
Dr Yao is always amazing and I've seen him for multiple hand, wrist, arm, elbow and shoulder problems. He is kind, patient, confident and smart. I have and will continue to trust his knowledge and determinations. He is excellent at explaining things in an understandable way without an ounce of arrogance.
My single concern is that despite having a torn ligament, no physical therapy to strengthen the surrounding muscles was advised and it seems like that would be sensible. The only other item is, the doctor never accounted for the change in pain following my wrist being hit in March. The ligament tear is 40 years old, but the pain and reduced movement is only 5 months old and that is what I really wanted help with.
Both Dr. Yao and Dr. Shapiro provided excellent care with much compassion and concern. The BEST!
Good doctor
Dr. Yao and all of the staff that I I encountered on my visits were professional, kind, considerate and friendly.
Dr. Yao's team work so well together and makes me feel not anxious about my needed surgeries. Great bedside manner, warm and friendly while maintaining professional integrity.
I have many many times recommended Dr Yao. He is always kind, gracious, clear, and calm. He is always relaxed and confident and is one of my favorite Drs ever.
Always a nice experience.
Dr. Yao made me feel very comfortable. His friendly, professional manner gave me confidence in his diagnosis and prognosis regarding my condition.
Having experienced many serious health problems in the past, I have become very in tune with my body and proactive in my health care and I always feel I am being listened to and heard by my Stanford care givers.
Jeffrey Yao, MD is one of the leading hand surgeons in the US. we are so lucky to have him working at Stanford here in the Bay Area
I'm most confident of Dr. Yao's assessment of my condition and have every belief that the surgery this Friday will be a success. He has good "bedside" manner and makes me feel comfortable asking him lots of questions and voice my concerns.
Dr. Yao and his staff are excellent. Personable, very knowledgeable, and skilled. Great sense of humor.
The care provider was knowledgeable, friendly, and supportive.
Dr. Yao is an amazing surgeon, great communicator!
The doctor came relatively quickly and asked about my hand (thumb). The doctor very nice and kind ensured I would be OK with the information presented.
Dr. Yao is great
Stanford staff is the very best in my experience.
Dr. Yao was on time and courteous. I really appreciated his frankness about the need for surgery. The staff who greet you could not be more polite. It is so important that a patients experience starts off well and Stanford excels with this!!!
Dr Yao is a very nice person. Showed interest in explaning the process and procedure.
Both Dr Yao and his fellow (sorry, forgot her name) were very good in explaining the findings, next steps, options, and were a step ahead on each question I was going to ask. I also appreciated their honesty in telling me better not to do certain things I was hoping to do. Very direct, but friendly answers.
Excellent & professional.
interface with Dr. Yao, and earlier interaction with Dr. Shapiro put me at ease in making the decision to have surgery.
Dr Yao is wonderful
Stanford physicians are the best of the best which is why I continue to seek medical assistance here.
Very good
terrific
Trustworthy.
Have already Dr. Jeffrey had to others. Recommended.
Two weeks post surgery and I could not be happier about the results so far!!
very good service
wow. I like a doc who knows what he is doing. I was sure my hand would never straighten out. but several "pops" later, there it was, straight as you please. I know I have to exercise and wear the splint at night, but wow, I see a working hand in my future. and the whole team couldn't be nicer, from putting me at ease, to being confidently cheerful, to getting the job done. thanks
everyone was great! super knowledgeable and overall excellent patient care
Dr Yao is awesome.
Dr. Jeffrey Yao is excellent and very professional.
Did not seem to take my remaining pain very seriously. Almost verbatim told me "that's what you're stuck with" and it took explicit note that pain is worse than before surgery for some concern.
I like how he works with me to come up with treatment options
Doctors explained everything carefully
Everyone should want to have Dr. Yao as their hand doctor. He takes good care of his patients and I feel like takes really good care of his fellow as well. He continually talked her through his observations as he examined me and then would explain his thoughts in more lay terms to me
It was a pleasure to see Dr Yao. He is experienced, professional and kind
Dr. Yao is very professional. He gives me honest advice and how to care my hands. I trust Dr. Yao so I return to see him for my hand problem.
Extremely competent
I am in general happy with Dr. Yao, but I did feel a sort of anti-climactic ending in which I was just sort of sent off and told only to follow up if I had a problem. I guess I feel as though there was not much concern in knowing how my recovery goes/care for the patient as an individual. That being said, I have received excellent care for the most part and up until this odd ending, felt really good about Dr. Yao. The other thing I would say is that I never received any clear expectations of how my recovery would go. It would have been a lot easier to navigate this period if the doctor told me all along I would continue to have pain and irritation for the months to come. My therapist told me that i should expect 9-12 months to return to normal, but this expectation was definitely not expressed by my doctor, and until receiving this more conservative evaluation of what to expect from my therapist, I was constantly worried about my ongoing symptoms. I would urge Dr. Yao to be more explicit that you will get flare ups and pain and inflammation for some time to come in order to dispel patient's worries.
Left with no conclusion of what lump on hand is. Told to return when it gets larger(exactly what I was trying to avoid). This visit was not a good use of my time.
Dr. Yao is smart, talented and professional. He relates very well to patients and is a very valuable public relations asset to the Stanford Medical School and Stanford University.
I highly recommend Stanford to all my friends and family.
Really Dr. Yao spent very little time with me. He had not reviewed my informtion except to talk to the NP who really did not understand my injury. He did not even know I had Xrays. I was really hoping for in depth understanding on the tradeoffs and a discussion about why or why not surgery could help me. I tried some follow up questions but they were met with short answers. I am sure he knows what he is doing but I guess since I did not need surgery I did not merit his full attention
Dr. spent less than 3 mins with me on both visits.
Dr Yao is fantastic!
Very unconcerned. Very unhelpful. I am already discouraging people from visiting the clinic.
Exemplary care.
good
I don't particularly like having to go thru detail with nurse, then intern, then doctor. Intern personality seemed stern and by the book, doctor came across a lot friendlier and caring, I chalk that up to experience.
the intern was excellent and helpful. she was very considerate
Have had only very good experiences.
Care was excellent; it was my first visit, so I don't have much experience to rate my confidence in the provider yet.
lack of specific instructions regarding my use of fractured hand, other than my asking if i could lift weights.i felt like cattle being moved thru a shoot( very de-personalized attention)
I unfortunately was not quick enough to ask the questions I really wanted to ask. I would have appreciated a little more information regarding what is involved in having a cast.
Dr Yao and Ann are great consistently :)
I design surgical tools & know Dr. Yao from clinical trials. Most of these questions do not really aplply to me.
Dr Yao is amazing in all ways. I am very lucky that my primary care doctor (Christian Fulmer) recommended him! Dr Yao was only going to give me one shot but gave me 2 when I told him how bad I needed it and I am now pain free :) in both hands.
Very pleased with surgeon's skills. Would recommend him unequivocally.
I learned after the fact who to contact and what do do if there were problems with the cast. There was no instruction about what to expect and the available resources (for example - that my hand could be re-casted if the cast hurt).
the doc, his assistant & the student (walk along) were amazing. explained everything in detail and was sensible to all my needs. amazing crew :)'im a crabby business owner, it's nice to see good smart people taking care of me!!!
Directions from Dr. Yao about what to expect after my cast was removed and self-care were scant (use hand, use splint mostly at night). I thought the hand therapist would provide more, but she quickly produced a splint, then sent me on my way to schedule and appointment two weeks later. The rushed attitude of the had therapist was disappointing and less than encouraging.
Informative consult - took the time to answer all questions/concerns.
I want to thank Dr. Yao & his assistant, Ann Owen for their kindness & concern where their care.
I felt the dr. was rushed...trying to make up for some delays earlier. He was thorough, but I just felt my issued was unimportant. He provided good info, though. Knew his stuff.
I tell everyone who might benefit a visit to Dr. Yao of his care of patients and perfection in his surgeries.
All doctor should be this GOOD.
Dr. Jeffrey Yao was/is excellent on every level! Very knowledgeable and professional and very easy to talk/communicate with -
Dr. Yao was kind, thorough and I am fully confident in him as my surgeon for upcoming surgery.
Everything in person was good but I wish I had follow up once I had the MRI done. I had to call to get results.

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