Carol H. Yan, MD

Carol Yan, MD, is a board-certified head and neck surgeon who specializes in treating sinonasal disease and skull base tumors. She treats a wide range of conditions, including sinus infections (sinusitis), nasal polyps, nasal obstruction, deviated septum, enlarged turbinates, rhinitis, smell loss, and cerebrospinal fluid leak. She also treats patients with tumors and cancers of the nose and sinuses, as well as skull base tumors.

Dr. Yan performs primary and revision endoscopic sinus and nasal surgery, as well as endoscopic skull base surgery in collaboration with the neurosurgical team at UC San Diego Health. Dr. Yan's goal is to deliver state of the art research and evidence-based care to people who suffer from sinonasal disease and tumors. In an effort to continue to improve patient care, Dr. Yan actively conducts research on inflammatory profiles in chronic rhinosinusitis patients and novel treatments for patients with olfactory dysfunction (loss of sense of smell). She is involved in the national academic rhinologic group, the American Rhinologic Society, and serves in several committees.

As an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, Dr. Yan trains medical students, residents and fellows at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Her work has been widely published in professional journals and book chapters.

Dr. Yan completed a rhinology and skull base surgery fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine where she completed both a research and clinical fellowship, training under internationally recognized surgeons. She completed a residency in otorhinolaryngology at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, where she also earned her medical degree.

Dr. Yan is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and dog, hiking, skiing, swimming and traveling. Dr. Yan is fluent in Shanghainese (Chinese dialect) and has conversational ability in Mandarin.

UC San Diego Health Links
For more information, see Otolaryngology.