{"id":3564,"date":"2025-02-07T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T10:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazines.uthscsa.edu\/schools\/?p=3564"},"modified":"2025-02-14T18:01:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T18:01:41","slug":"we-make-a-life-by-what-we-give","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazines.uthscsa.edu\/schools\/2025\/02\/07\/we-make-a-life-by-what-we-give\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We make a life by what we give’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alumnus David Yu, DDS, MS, gives back to the alma mater that has been like family over the years<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By Orith Farago<\/em><\/p>\n

Twenty-plus years after his School of Dentistry<\/a> residency, alumnus David Yu, DDS, MS, still feels comfortable calling any of the school\u2019s seasoned faculty for advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey pick up the phone like it was just yesterday [when] I graduated,\u201d Yu said. \u201cThe thing about UT Health San Antonio is that it\u2019s almost [as if] you\u2019re always part of that family.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Advanced Education in General Dentistry<\/a> program and its periodontology residency<\/a>. He is also passionate about the work of the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation, where he serves as a director.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to support those programs that have given so much to me is an honor,\u201d Yu said. \u201cThey train new doctors to the highest level in order for them to meet and exceed the standards of care for their patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, Yu speaks in the school\u2019s Practice Management Course and invites residents to his Austin-based periodontal practice \u2014 Periodontal Surgical Arts \u2014 for hands-on teaching, according to Yu\u2019s mentor of more than 20 years, Brian Mealey, DDS, MS<\/a>, clinical professor of periodontics.<\/p>\n

\u201cDavid will do this for anyone,\u201d Mealey said, adding that Yu\u2019s giving spirit is matched by his calm, gentle demeanor and his inspiring leadership.<\/p>\n

A leader in the making<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe facilities, the attending [faculty], the support was clearly unequaled compared to the other programs that I looked at,\u201d Yu said. \u201cI knew it was the only place that I belonged once I met everyone there.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019 Hospital, where the residents learned medicine and more advanced procedures, including intravenous sedation. After that, he received his master\u2019s degree from the university\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"David
David Yu with his wife, Wendy, son, Kevin, and daughter, Katelyn, in front of The University of Texas at Austin\u2019s historic tower. Both of Yu\u2019s children attend The University of Texas at Austin, where Kevin is majoring in mechanical engineering and Katelyn is a pre-dental biology major.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u2019s methodical and fair approach resulted in his appointment as the dental board\u2019s chair by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2021, Mealey said.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Gov. Abbott] saw David\u2019s ability to work across opinion lines to get the job done \u2014 not for one group or another \u2014 but for all of the patients in Texas,\u201d Mealey said. \u201cGov. Abbott could not have picked a better person for the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giving back as a way of life<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

His best advice: Earning a doctorate may open the door to greater opportunities, but in the end, it\u2019s about finding ways to give back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the quote from Sir Winston Churchill, \u2018We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give,\u2019\u201d Yu said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For alumnus David Yu, DDS, MS, the bond with the School of Dentistry is lifelong. 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