In Memoriam: Laurel B. Yates, MD, MPH
Dear colleagues,
It is with great sadness that we share that our colleague and friend Laurel B. Yates, MD, MPH passed away on March 8, 2023. Since joining the Department of Medicine at UCLA Health in 2015, Dr. Yates served as an inspirational teacher, an outstanding clinician, and an esteemed role model for her patients, colleagues, and students.
Dr. Yates was a health sciences assistant clinical professor in the Department of Medicine at UCLA Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM). She touched the lives of countless learners ranging from medical students to senior internal medicine residents in the outpatient clinic and in the DGSOM clinical skills courses she precepted. She was described as a teacher with humility and grace who made learners comfortable and open to new knowledge.
In addition to teaching students, she was known for serving as a teacher to her patients. Described as a doctor with a “strong sense of common humanity and kindness,” Dr. Yates ensured that she listened closely to her patients, advocated for their well-being, and always demonstrated an exceptional attention to detail. She fostered warm relationships with her patients that encouraged strong adherence and behavior changes that allowed them to obtain excellent health outcomes. Her patients shared that she was an outstanding listener who showed immense care and concern when delivering care.
Dr. Yates was an accomplished regionally recognized expert in the physiology of aging. Over the course of her career, she published two books, eight chapters, and both peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed papers in journals that included Bone, the Canadian Journal on Aging, and Proceedings of UCLA Health. She earned her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine, a master of public health from Harvard University School of Public Health, completed residency at St. Mary’s Medical Center, a clinical fellowship in aging at Harvard University, and a research fellowship in preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Yates leaves a lasting impression on the department of medicine, the DGSOM, and the patients she deeply cared for. She will be deeply missed and we extend our condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues. We will plan an event in the near future to honor and celebrate her memory.
Sincerely,
E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD
William S. Adams Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Chair and Executive Medical Director
Department of Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA Health
Sun Yoo, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Internal Medicine Suites
Section Chief, Extensivist and Palliative Care
Department of Medicine | UCLA Health
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