Sun M. Yoo, MD, MPH to Depart DoM to Pursue New Leadership Opportunity
The UCLA Department of Medicine (DoM) announces that Sun M. Yoo, MD, MPH, will be departing UCLA Health to assume the role of a founding chief medical officer and primary care physician at Atria Health and Research Institute in Los Angeles. We extend our sincere congratulations to Dr. Yoo on this exciting next chapter and our deepest gratitude for her extraordinary service to the department.
Since her appointment as DoM chief wellness officer, Dr. Yoo has played a critical role in advancing and promoting the well-being of all members of our department. She provided strategic leadership to assess physician well-being, address drivers of burnout, measure the impact of targeted interventions on faculty retention, and partner with departmental and health system leaders to support an organizational culture that places our people at the center of what we do.
As chair of the DoM Well-Being Committee, Dr. Yoo engaged physician representatives from across divisions and regions, creating a strong and inclusive infrastructure for wellness leadership. Under her guidance, the department developed and launched the annual DoM wellness surveys, implemented regional wellness town halls to enhance communication between leadership and faculty and staff, advocated for division wellness funds to strengthen social connection, and created division- and unit-level wellness reports to support locally driven action plans. Dr. Yoo also led our department’s response to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires by connecting those affected with resources and organizing emotional and mental health support for all. Her leadership has reinforced the understanding that by prioritizing the well-being of our faculty and staff, we are strongly positioned to continue to drive innovation, transform care, and advance health for all.
In addition to her department-wide leadership, Dr. Yoo has served in numerous clinical and educational roles, including section chief of extensivist and palliative care services. She started the UCLA Extensivist Program in 2017, and built a medical home to care for patients with complex medical conditions. In her role as section chief, she oversaw the extensivist group, palliative care, addiction medicine, and physical medicine & rehabilitation. She served as medical director of the internal medicine suites, director of the DoM Internal Medicine Suites Resident Clinic Continuity Clinic, and was the co-founder of the UCLA Internal Medicine Residency Program Health Systems and Management Pathway.
We are grateful for Dr. Yoo’s vision, compassion, and tireless advocacy for faculty and staff in the DoM. While we will miss her greatly, we are proud to see her take on her executive role at Atria Health and Research Institute and are confident she will bring the same thoughtful, people-centered leadership to this new position.
Please join us in thanking Dr. Yoo for her outstanding contributions to the DoM and in wishing her every success in her future endeavors. Following Dr. Yoo’s departure on March 31, 2026, Joshua N. Khalili, MD, will assume the role of DoM chief wellness officer. William J. Carroll, MD will assume the role of chief of palliative care and extensivist medicine. We will also be sharing additional information in the coming weeks regarding leadership transition plans for Dr. Yoo’s other leadership roles.
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