Top endocrinologist leaves 16-year US career for China's Westlake University

On July 21, Westlake University in Hangzhou announced the appointment of Shen Yang, a renowned endocrinologist, as a teaching-track professor at its newly launched school of medicine. The move marks Shen's departure from a 16-year-long clinical practice in the United States.

Shen's career in medicine began after witnessing a life-saving emergency while suffering a cardiac arrest during a basketball game. This experience inspired her to pursue a career in the medical field. After earning degrees in sociology and biostatistics from the State University of New York at Albany and completing her medical degree at the University of Chicago, Shen embarked on her clinical career.

Over the span of 16 years, Shen practiced at various prestigious hospitals in California, including UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and Huntington Health in Pasadena. She specialized in treating Type 2 diabetes in adults and children, as well as thyroid and parathyroid ultrasound imaging, and cranial ultrasound evaluation. Her clinical work also involved conducting research and teaching.

Board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine and endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, Shen had been recognized as one of Los Angeles Magazine's Top Doctors in endocrinology for several consecutive years. She graduated from Fudan University's sociology department in Shanghai in 1997 and later earned master's degrees in sociology and biostatistics.

Westlake University, established in Hangzhou in 2018, aims to train physician-scientists through its school of medicine, which launched in November 2023. Shen's appointment as the first overseas teaching-track professor at the institution is a significant development for the university. The school officially took over Hangzhou First People's Hospital in November 2023, which serves as the directly affiliated hospital for the medical program.