David F. Yao, MD
- Urology
About
Dr. David F. Yao is the head of general urology at UCLA Health.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Yao is very happy to return home in California. He went to college at Johns Hopkins University and received his medical degree at Boston University. His General Surgery internship and Urology residency were completed at Harvard Medical School (Brigham and Women's Hospital). He completed his fellowship at UCLA, then stayed on as faculty.
As a physician, Dr. Yao wants to be directly involved in his patient's care, have a full range of labs or tests available for his patients, and be part of a team of experts that share these interests in their patients. Here at UCLA, he is proud to be a part of that. As a general adult urologist, he is a surgical specialist trained to deal with many issues involving the kidneys, ureters, bladder, prostate, penis, scrotum, and testicles.
Dr. Yao values each patient as an individual who has special concerns and unique needs. He takes pride in trying to treat each patient as he would want to be treated. Whatever your urologic condition involves, his goal is to ensure that the relationship is a positive one.
Dr. Yao is also interested in medical education and has given lectures to medical students, urology residents, and primary care providers, at UCLA School of Medicine. He has been a medical student preceptor for several years. He has been an applicant interviewer for both the UCLA School of Medicine and the UCLA Department of Urology.
In his personal life, Dr. Yao enjoys traveling locally and abroad with his wife, son, and labradoodle. Baseball and baseball history are of special interest to him. He is an avid fan of the San Francisco Giants.
Professional Memberships
- American Urological Association
- Western Section of the American Urological Association
Licensure
- American Board of Urology, Diplomat
- American Heart Association, BLS Provider
- California Department of Public Health, Fluoroscopy, X-ray Supervisor and Operator
- Medical Board of California, Physician and Surgeon
- National Board of Medical Examiners, Diplomat
Academic & Medical Staff Appointments
- Attending Urologist, Santa Monica – UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, CA
- Attending Urologist, Ronald Reagan – UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certification
Fellowship
Residency
Internship
Degree
Recognitions
- Super doctors, Southern California, 2025
- Super Doctors® Southern California, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
- Top Doctors, Los Angeles Magazine, 2021
- American Urology Association National Meeting 2025 – Best Moderated Poster for Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer, 2025
- See More
Locations
Medical Services
Areas of Focus
Videos
Research
Publications
Publications
1. Grant RS, Scotland KB, Thaker KN, Watson C, Motwani Y, Sim MS, Lavold A, Yao DF, Pannell S. Assessing the Correlation of At-home Audio Testing and In-office Uroflowmetry: Moving Towards a New Gold-standard. Urology. 2026 Feb;208:155-158.
2. Yao DF, Mills J. Male infertility: lifestyle factors and holistic, complementary, and alternative therapies. Asian J Androl. 2016;18(3): 410-8.
3. Costa DN, Bloch BN, Yao DF, Sanda MG, Ngo L, Genega EM, Pedrosa I, DeWolf WC, Rofsky NM. Diagnosis of relevant prostate cancer using supplementary cores from magnetic resonance imaging-prompted areas following multiple failed biopsies. Magn Reson Imaging. 2013;31(6): 947-52.
4. Yao DF, Weinberg AC, Penna FJ, Huang L, Freilich DA, Minnillo BJ, Shoag J, Retik AB, Nguyen HT. Quality of life in children with vesicoureteral reflux as perceived by children and parents. J Pediatr Urol. 2011;7(3): 261-5.
5. Yao D, Steele G: Benign prostatic hypertrophy. In Mushlin SB, Greene HL (eds): Decision Making in Medicine, ed 3. Philadelphia, Mosby Elsevier, 2010.
6. Yao D, Steele G: Prostatitis. In Mushlin SB, Greene HL (eds): Decision Making in Medicine, ed 3. Philadelphia, Mosby Elsevier, 2010.
Abstracts
1. Phillipi M, Appleton A, Hagopian T, Watson C, Yao DF. The Effects of Prostate Cancer Germline Genetic Testing on New and Existing Life Insurance Policies in California. National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Annual Conference 2026.
2. Sonni I, Niknam K, Puente C, Liddell A, Grogan T, Vaidya N, Danes B, DiPippo V, Zeitlin S, Wong G, Yao DF, Berenji GR, Aronson WJ. Prospective, randomized trial comparing PSMA PET/CT and MRI-guided vs MRI only-guided prostate biopsy for identification of clinically significant prostate cancer. Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2025.
3. Wong T, Pannell SC, Jayadevan R, Donin NM, Wong GL, Kwan LC, Xin J, Garraway IP, Yao DF. A 24-year Comprehensive Survey of Restaging TURBT in the VA Healthcare System. American Urology Association National Meeting 2025.
4. Sonni I, Niknam K, Puente C, Liddell A, Grogan T, Vaidya N, Danes B, DiPippo V, Zeitlin S, Wong G, Yao DF, Berenji GR, Aronson WJ. Prospective, randomized trial comparing PSMA PET/CT and MRI-guided vs MRI only-guided prostate biopsy for identification of clinically significant prostate cancer. UCSF-UCLA-Prostate Cancer Foundation PSMA and Beyond Conference 2025.
5. Sonni I, Niknam K, Puente C, Liddell A, Grogan T, Vaidya N, Danes B, DiPippo V, Zeitlin S, Wong G, Yao DF, Berenji GR, Aronson WJ. Prospective, randomized trial comparing PSMA PET/CT and MRI-guided vs MRI only-guided prostate biopsy for identification of clinically significant prostate cancer. UCSF-UCLA-Prostate Cancer Foundation PSMA and Beyond Conference 2025.
6. Wong T, Pannell SC, Wong GL, Donin NM, Jayadevan R, Kwan LC, Xin J, Garraway IP, Yao DF. Second-look TURBT in Staging Bladder Cancer in U.S. Veterans. American Urological Association Western Section 2024.
7. Yao DF, Penna FJ, Weinberg AC, Nguyen HT. Open ureteral reimplantation does not affect the quality of life in children with vesicoureteral reflux: assessment of health-related quality-of-life using the pediatric quality of life inventory. American Urological Association New England Section 2009.
8. Yao DF, Dewolf WC, Sanda MG, Bloch BN, Genega EM, Berry AM, Ngo L, Rofsky NM. Use of new high spatial resolution 3T MRI technique to identify prostate cancer missed on routine biopsy. American Urological Association New England Section 2009.
9. Yao DF, Dewolf WC, Sanda MG, Bloch BN, Genega EM, Berry AM, Ngo L, Rofsky NM. Increased Positive Yield of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer with MRI Prompted Biopsies. American Urological Association National 2009.
10. Yao DF, Lolis AM, Cinman NM, Cu H, Shen L, Teh BT, Liou LS. Differential expression of Vitamin D Receptor in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. American Association for Cancer Research National Meeting 2006.
Reviewer
The Journal of Urology
In the News
- Interviewed in Women’s Health: How To Make Yourself Pee If It's Just Not Happening, According To Doctors - Women's Health, May 2023.
- Should I Green-Light Laser Therapy for my BPH? - Giddy, February 2022
- Tainted Love: Some Sexual Supplements Have Hidden Ingredients - Giddy, January 2022.
- 6 Questions to Ask Your Doctor If BPH Is a Concern – Giddy, September 2021.
- We Have Questions: Prostatitis - Giddy, July 2021
- 'I've gained my life back': New tests may help those with persistent urinary tract infections - The Washington Post, June 2019
Insurance
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Centivo
- Cigna
- First Health
- Health Net of California
- Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
- Medicare Advantage
- MultiPlan
- UFCM Health System
- Prime Health Services
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare
The list of health care plans above may not be comprehensive and could change.
Please contact your benefits coordinator or health insurance company directly to verify coverage.
Visit our health insurance information page for more details.
Recognitions
- Super Doctors® Southern California, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
- Top Doctors, Los Angeles Magazine, 2021
- American Urology Association National Meeting 2025 – Best Moderated Poster for Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer, 2025
- Winston Faculty Research Grant, 2024
- Rising Star Award, Southern California Super Doctors, 2016-2018
- Physician Recognition Award, Kaiser Permanente, 2014
- High Flyer recognition for member and patient satisfaction, Kaiser Permanente, 2014
- Excellence in Teaching in the Surgical Clerkship, Faulkner Hospital (Harvard Medical School), 2007
- GLOW recognition for “making a difference with our patients”, Kaiser Permanente, 2013
- Excellence in Teaching in the Surgical Clerkship, Harvard Medical School, 2007
- Henry J Bakst Award in Community Medicine, 2006
- American Cancer Society Research Grant, 2003
- Howard Hughes Research Fellowship, 2001
- Johns Hopkins University Second Decade Society Research Award, 2000
- Gates Millennium Scholars Scholarship, 2000