Y. Tony Yang

Y. Tony Yang
Yang in 2025
Born	Taipei, Taiwan
Education	National Taiwan University (LLB) University of Pennsylvania (LLM) Harvard University (MPH, DSc)
Occupations	Health policy scholar professor
Scientific career
Fields	Public health
Institutions	George Washington University
Thesis	Malpractice pressure, defensive medicine, and obstetric care  (2006)

Y. Tony Yang is an American health policy scholar. He is an endowed professor of health policy at George Washington University, where he is also the associate dean for health policy and population science in the School of Nursing and at the Milken Institute School of Public Health. He is also the Program Lead for Cancer Control and Health Equity at the George Washington University Cancer Center. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Early life and education

Yang was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He attended law school at National Taiwan University, where he graduated with an LL.B., ^[4] and earned an LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He then completed graduate studies in public health and health policy at Harvard University, where he earned a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) and a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in 2006, both from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. ^[2] His doctoral dissertation was titled, "Malpractice pressure, defensive medicine, and obstetric care". ^[5]

After receiving his doctorate, Yang completed research as a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and later served as an FDA Regulatory Science Fellow, a joint program of the National Academy of Medicine (United States), and as a CDC Health Policy Fellow, a joint program of AcademyHealth. ^[6]

Career

At George Washington University (GW), Yang previously served as Executive Director of the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement and as a member of the Innovation Committee for Strategic Framework. ^[1]

His research and commentary have been cited in major media outlets, including CNN, Fox News, NPR, The New York Times , The Wall Street Journal , The Washington Post , Los Angeles Times , and USA Today . ^[2]

Yang is a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on clinical and policy considerations for new tuberculosis vaccines. ^[7] He serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Health Policy and Technology (published by Elsevier). ^[8]

He is also a member of the AcademyHealth Education Council, serves as Treasurer and Board member of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, and as a Trustee of the Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine. ^{[9] [10]}

Research

Yang's research examines how legal and policy frameworks influence health outcomes and health disparities. He has served as principal investigator on federal research projects with combined funding exceeding US$7 million. ^[1]

He has also led studies supported by major U.S. foundations, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Policy for Action, Interdisciplinary Research Leaders, and Public Health Law Research programs. ^{[2] [11]}

Honors and recognition

Yang has received multiple professional honors, including the 2025 Helen Rodríguez-Trías Social Justice Award from the American Public Health Association for his leadership in advancing health equity and vaccine access. ^[12]

He is also a recipient of the Trachtenberg Prize for Scholarship and Research at the George Washington University. ^[13]

Yang is a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice. ^[14]

In 2023, he was identified as a future research leader in climate and health by the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine. ^[15]

Publications

Books

• Yang, Y. T. (2023). Vaccine Law and Policy. Springer. ISBN 978-3-031-36988-9. This book examines the legal and policy dimensions of vaccines in the United States—covering regulatory oversight, mandates, exemptions, intellectual property, and vaccine injury compensation programs. ^[16]
• Yang, Y. T. (2024). Achieving Health Equity: The Role of Law and Policy. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1394263752. The work discusses how laws and policies interact with social, economic, and environmental factors to influence health equity across populations. ^[17]
• Yang, Y. T. (2026). The Art of War for Health & Longevity: The Warrior’s Way to Wellness (Tuttle, 2026). Applies Sun Tzu’s five pillars to personal wellness, turning strategies into actionable “battle plans” for nutrition, exercise, recovery, work–life balance, and prevention. Includes chapter charts, assessments, and case-study regimens to operationalize goals such as better sleep and stress resilience. ^[18]

Selected first-author publications

• Yang, Y. T., Mello, M. M., Subramanian, S. V., & Studdert, D. M. (2009). Relationship between malpractice litigation pressure and rates of cesarean section and vaginal birth after cesarean section. Medical Care 47(2):234–242. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0b013e31818475de
• Yang, Y. T., & Silverman, R. D. (2014). Mobile health applications: the patchwork of legal and liability issues suggests strategies to improve oversight. Health Affairs (Project Hope), 33(2), 222–227. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0958
• Yang, Y. T., & Silverman, R. D. (2015). Legislative prescriptions for controlling nonmedical vaccine exemptions. JAMA , 313(3), 247–248. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.16286
• Yang, Y. T., Delamater, P. L., Leslie, T. F., & Mello, M. M. (2016). Sociodemographic Predictors of Vaccination Exemptions on the Basis of Personal Belief in California. American journal of public health, 106(1), 172–177. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302926
• Yang, Y. T., Nagai, S., Chen, B. K., Qureshi, Z. P., Lebby, A. A., Kessler, S., Georgantopoulos, P., Raisch, D. W., Sartor, O., Hermanson, T., Kane, R. C., Hrushesky, W. J., Riente, J. J., Norris, L. B., Bobolts, L. R., Armitage, J. O., & Bennett, C. L. (2016). Generic oncology drugs: are they all safe?. The Lancet. Oncology, 17(11), e493–e501. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(16)30384-9

References

1. "Yang, Y. Tony | School of Nursing | The George Washington University". School of Nursing.
2. "Yang, Y. Tony | Milken Institute School of Public Health | The George Washington University". Milken Institute School of Public Health.
3. "Tony Yang, ScD, LLM, MPH". GW Cancer Center.
4. Yang, Y. Tony (2025-06-03). "The end of Taiwan's strategic flexiblity". Asia Times. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
5. Yang, Yu-Wei Tony (2006). "Malpractice pressure, defensive medicine, and obstetric care" (D.Sc. Thesis). Harvard University . Retrieved 11 November 2025.
6. "NCHS/AcademyHealth Health Policy Fellows | AcademyHealth". academyhealth.org.
7. "Technical Advisory Group on Evidence for Clinical and Policy Considerations for New Tuberculosis (TB) Vaccines". www.who.int.
8. "Editorial board - Health Policy and Technology | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier". www.sciencedirect.com.
9. "ASLME – The American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics".
10. "Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine – Trustees".
11. "Grantees". RWJF.
12. "APHA announces 2025 Awards for Excellence in Public Health". American Public Health Association. 2025. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
13. "Trachtenberg Prize for Scholarship and Research". George Washington University. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
14. "Distinguished Fellows". National Academies of Practice. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
15. "Global Forum on Climate Change and Health". National Academy of Medicine. 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
16. Springer – Vaccine Law and Policy
17. Wiley – Achieving Health Equity
18. Yang, Y. T. (2026). The Art of War for Health & Longevity: The Warrior's Way to Wellness. Tuttle Publishing.