‘We make a life by what we give’
Alumnus David Yu, DDS, MS, gives back to the alma mater that has been like family over the years
By Orith Farago
Twenty-plus years after his School of Dentistry residency, alumnus David Yu, DDS, MS, still feels comfortable calling any of the school’s seasoned faculty for advice.
“They pick up the phone like it was just yesterday [when] I graduated,” Yu said. “The thing about UT Health San Antonio is that it’s almost [as if] you’re always part of that family.”
Like any family, being engaged and supportive is important, and Yu has taken this conceptto heart by giving back to the school and to the profession that have been there for him through the years. He has supported the School of Dentistry’s Advanced Education in General Dentistry program and its periodontology residency. He is also passionate about the work of the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation, where he serves as a director.
“Being able to support those programs that have given so much to me is an honor,” Yu said. “They train new doctors to the highest level in order for them to meet and exceed the standards of care for their patients.”
In addition, Yu speaks in the school’s Practice Management Course and invites residents to his Austin-based periodontal practice — Periodontal Surgical Arts — for hands-on teaching, according to Yu’s mentor of more than 20 years, Brian Mealey, DDS, MS, clinical professor of periodontics.
“David will do this for anyone,” Mealey said, adding that Yu’s giving spirit is matched by his calm, gentle demeanor and his inspiring leadership.
A leader in the making
After earning his dental degree from Indiana University School of Dentistry, Yu chose to do his specialty training at UT Health San Antonio because of its well-trained faculty and the breadth of learning that residents receive.
“The facilities, the attending [faculty], the support was clearly unequaled compared to the other programs that I looked at,” Yu said. “I knew it was the only place that I belonged once I met everyone there.”
During his hospital-based general practice residency in the late 1990s, Yu participated in shifts at University Hospital and the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, where the residents learned medicine and more advanced procedures, including intravenous sedation. After that, he received his master’s degree from the university’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and obtained multiple certifications in his field before practicing in Dallas and later starting his own Austin practice in 2003.
During his professional career, Yu has been a member and served on the boards of many dental organizations. He was appointed to the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, where Yu’s methodical and fair approach resulted in his appointment as the dental board’s chair by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2021, Mealey said.
“[Gov. Abbott] saw David’s ability to work across opinion lines to get the job done — not for one group or another — but for all of the patients in Texas,” Mealey said. “Gov. Abbott could not have picked a better person for the job.”
Giving back as a way of life
Now, as a successful periodontal surgical practitioner, Yu welcomes the opportunity to give back and is happy to lend advice to the family of dental students and alumni from his alma mater.
His best advice: Earning a doctorate may open the door to greater opportunities, but in the end, it’s about finding ways to give back.
“I love the quote from Sir Winston Churchill, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give,’” Yu said.
