The Laboratory of Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, MD

About the Lab

The clinical and translational research of Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, MD, in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital aims to improve care for patients with lung cancer and other diseases of the chest. Dr. Yang’s team comprises clinicians, scientists, engineers and biostatisticians with wide-ranging interests. He is co-principal investigator of Wearables, an NIH R01-funded clinical trial, and INSPIRE, an AHRQ R18-funded trial. His research goal is to answer important clinical questions and produce meaningful findings that can be used to help patients, and potentially save lives.

For more details regarding his lab, please visit here.

View Dr. Yang's Harvard Catalyst profile

Research and Publications

Lung Cancer Screening Research

Dr. Yang has led studies evaluating the impact of guideline changes on screening eligibility for lung cancer and survival in patients with lung cancer. This work has been published in the British Medical Journal and JAMA Oncology and presented to the Center of Medicaid and Medicare Services to support removing the “15 years since quitting” criteria from the lung cancer screening guidelines. This work has also been used to support European Union Cancer Screening Recommendations and the World Economic Forum Cancer Screening Guidelines. In 2024, he senior-authored a research study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showing that pack-years is an inadequate and biased measure to determine lung cancer screening eligibility. He is currently leading the INSPIRE study to evaluate Black women who are at high-risk of developing lung cancer.

Evaluating Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery

Dr. Yang evaluates outcomes between minimally invasive surgical techniques versus traditional open procedures for thoracic cancers. The studies that he has led elucidate the role of minimally invasive thoracic surgery and have aided clinicians in selecting the most appropriate course of treatment.

Evaluating Treatments for Limited-stage Small-cell Lung Cancer

Dr. Yang’s grandfather passed away from small-cell lung cancer, and evaluating the role of different treatments for small-cell lung cancer has always been a top research priority. His work has been used to support national guidelines for the roles of surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation in the treatment of limited-stage small-cell lung cancer. He is also actively designing clinical trials testing the latest and most cutting-edge treatments for small-cell lung cancer.

Using Advanced Statistical Modeling to Answer Key Questions in Thoracic Surgery

Dr. Yang is experienced in using advanced statistical modeling to address important questions in thoracic surgery (e.g., optimal timing of lobectomy, impact of extended delay of surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic).

Research in Older Adults (70 Years and Above) with Cancer

An important area of focus for Dr. Yang is the evaluation of practice patterns and outcomes for patients 70 years and older who have different types of thoracic cancers. This work has led to a better understanding of the role of surgery for older adults. The future goals of Dr. Yang’s team include the design of innovative perioperative interventions for older adults undergoing surgery for thoracic cancers.

Evaluating Outcomes of Surgical Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dr. Yang's clinical experience taking care of and operating on patients with COVID-19 has impacted his research focus during the pandemic. He has led national analyses that have helped clarify the optimal timing of surgery for patients who have developed and recovered from COVID-19 as well as helped elucidate the impact of delayed treatment for patients with lung cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prospective Trials to Improve Clinical Practice and Patient Outcomes

Dr. Yang previously led a multidisciplinary team that evaluated sleep in patients with leukemia, and surgical outcomes for patients receiving ipilimumab prior to surgery, which was the first-ever study of surgical outcomes after immunotherapy for lung cancer. The team’s goals are to lead innovative clinical trials and prospective studies that can change surgical practice and improve patient outcomes. Dr. Yang is currently performing the following prospective studies:

• Evaluating lung cancer screening for Black women at high-risk of developing lung cancer (the INSPIRE study)
• Using machine learning analysis of physiologic data collected from wearables to quantify recovery and to predict postoperative complications before symptom onset (the Wearables study)
• Using a virtual reality and olfactory stimuli multimodal intervention to reduce postoperative pain and anxiety

Clinical Teaching and Research Mentorship

Dr. Yang has been recognized for his clinical teaching at Duke University, where he received the Appleseed Teaching Award in 2018, and at Harvard Medical School, where he received the Charles McCabe Faculty Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2021.

With regard to research training, Dr. Yang is excited to work with surgical residents, post-doctoral fellows, medical students and undergraduate students. He has mentored over 20 research students or fellows. Each of his mentees has published, as co-author, at least one full-length research study in a respected journal. Since his time at Mass General starting in 2020, his mentees have given over 40 podium presentations at the highest impact thoracic surgery and oncology conferences, including 29 podium presentations at the annual meetings of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, American Surgical Association, and the World Conference on Lung Cancer. His mentees have published, as first-author, in prestigious journals such as the British Medical Journal, Nature Medicine, JAMA Oncology, Annals of Surgery, Journal of Thoracic Oncology and Chest. His mentees have given plenary presentations at the annual meetings for the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Highlights are listed below in the related publications section.

About Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, MD

Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, MD, is an attending thoracic surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Founding Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence, Innovation Research and Equity (CAIIRE).

Dr. Yang leads several clinical studies. He is co-principal investigator and project leader of a $3.5 million NIH R01-funded study evaluating postoperative complications and recovery in cardiothoracic patients. He is also the co-principal investigator and project leader of a $1.5 million AHRQ R18-funded study evaluating lung cancer screening in Black women. Dr. Yang serves as Vice Chair of the Alliance Thoracic Surgery Group. Dr. Yang has been the lead or senior author on several high impact papers published in the British Medical Journal, Journal of Clinical Oncology, JAMA Oncology, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Journal of Thoracic Oncology, Annals of Surgery, and Chest. He has written over 160 publications, including over 90 as first-, co-first or senior author. Dr. Yang is an editorial board member of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the Journal of Thoracic Diseases, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Online Curriculum. He is also an associate editor for Pearson’s General Thoracic Surgery.

Dr. Yang is focused on raising awareness of lung cancer screening. He started the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, which has worked with communities across 50 states to highlight the importance of lung screening. In recognition of his efforts, he received the Harvard Medical School Dean's Community Service Faculty Award in 2021 and the Harvard Medical School Equity, Social Justice and Advocacy Award in 2024.

When Dr. Yang is not at Mass General, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Phoebe, two daughters and his dog.