John H. Yim, M.D.

Dr. Yim is a brilliant surgeon.
- Patient
John Hosei Yim, M.D., joined City of Hope in 2008 after eight years at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he developed a breast and endocrine surgery practice and maintained an active laboratory research program. His practice at City of Hope is focused on breast and endocrine diseases, as he continues his research studies through Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope.
Dr. Yim is developing new methods of molecular diagnosis for breast and thyroid nodules to see what treatments, including watchful waiting, are appropriate. He is pioneering the effort to treat cancer patients with baicalein, a natural product derived from a Chinese herb. Formulations of the baicalein are synthesized at City of Hope and clinical trial plans are underway.
A graduate of Yale University and Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Yim is praised by his patients for the time he spends educating each patient about their treatment options, as well as his superior surgical skills. He's been named one of the “Best Doctors in America” by Best Doctors Inc., a “Top Doctor” in Pasadena magazine and a “Southern California Super Doctor” in Los Angeles magazine.
Duarte - Main Campus
Duarte, CA 91010
Board-certified, American Board of Surgery 2001, Recertified 2024, General Surgery
1992, M.D., Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
1986, B.S., Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT
1994-1997, Research Fellow, Surgical Oncology Training Grant, Dr. Gerard M. Doherty, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
1997-2000, Resident, General Surgery, Dr. Timothy J. Eberlein, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
1993-1994, Resident, General Surgery, Dr. Samuel A. Wells, Jr., Barnes Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
1992-1993, Intern, General Surgery, Dr. Samuel A. Wells Jr., Barnes Hospital, Saint Louis, MO
2019-present, Associate Professor, Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
2008-2019, Associate Professor, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
2000-2008, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh/UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA
Awards
- National Cancer Institute (NIH) R01 Grant, Validation of Epigenomic Biomarkers for Thyroid Cancer Diagnostics
- American Heart Association Fellowship
- FAES Summer Student Fellowship
- Cum Laude, Yale University
- Stanford Medical Scholars Award, Stanford University School of Medicine
- James Ewing Foundation Trainee Award, Society of Surgical Oncology
- Samuel A. Wells Jr. Resident Research Award, Washington University Department of Surgery
- Aspen Cancer Conference Young Investigator Fellowship
- SUS Foundation Junior Faculty Award Finalist
- ASCI/AAP Joint Meeting Travel Award
- Marquis Who’s Who in America
- Best Doctors in America, Best Doctors, Inc.
- America’s Top Surgeons, Consumers’ Research Council of America
- Pasadena Magazine Top Doctor
- Southern California Super Doctor (Los Angeles Magazine)
Memberships
- American Association of Endocrine Surgeons
- Central Surgical Association
- American College of Surgeons, Fellow
- Southwestern Pennsylvania ACS
- Society of University Surgeons, Committee on Social and Legislative Issues
- Association for Academic Surgery, Program
- Committee
- Allegheny County Medical Society
- Pennsylvania Medical Society
- ACS Oncology Group, Ethics, Endocrine Oncology Working Group
- Southern California ACS
- Los Angeles Surgical Society
- Associate Editor, BMC - Cancer
- Special Issue Editor, The Molecular Basis of Thyroid Cancer, Journal Cancers
Information listed here is obtained from Pubmed, a public database; City of Hope is not responsible for its accuracy.
- Limbach KE, Wen W, Xing Q, Yan J, Yim JH. Baicalein activates 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin, and exhibits antiproliferative effects in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in vitro and in vivo. Surgery. 2023 Jan;173(1):12-18. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2022.07.030. Epub 2022 Oct 4. PMID: 36207198.
- Egelston CA, Guo W, Tan J, Avalos C, Simons DL, Lim MH, Huang YJ, Nelson MS, Chowdhury A, Schmolze DB, Yim JH, Kruper L, Melstrom L, Margolin K, Mortimer JE, Yuan Y, Waisman JR, Lee PP. Tumor-infiltrating exhausted CD8+ T cells dictate reduced survival in premenopausal estrogen receptor-postive breast cancer JCI Insight 2022 Feb;7(3):e153963
- Yuan Y, Lee JS, Yost SE, Li SM, Frankel PH, Ruel C, Schmolze D, Robinson K, Tang A, Martinez N, Stewart D, Waisman J, Kruper L, Jones V, Menicucci A, Uygun S, Yoder E, van der Baan B, Yim JH, Yeon C, Somlo G, Mortimer J. Phase II Trial of Neoadjuvant Carboplatin and Nab-Paclitaxel in Patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Oncologist. 2021 Mar;26(3):e382-e393. PMID: 33098195
- Wen W, Han ES, Dellinger TH, Lu LX, Wu J, Jove R, Yim JH. Synergistic Anti-Tumor Activity by Targeting Multiple Signaling Pathways in Ovarian Cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Sep 10;12(9):2586. doi: 10.3390/cancers12092586. Cancers (Basel). 2020. PMID: 32927828
- Phan T, Nguyen VH, A'lincourt Salazar M, Wong P, Diamond DJ, Yim JH, Melstrom LG. Inhibition of Autophagy Amplifies Baicalein-Induced Apoptosis in Human Colorectal Cancer. Mol Ther Oncolytics. 2020 Aug 29;19:1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.omto.2020.08.016. PMID: 33024814.
- Wang L, Simons DL, Lu X, Tu TY, Avalos C, Chang AY, Dirbas FM, Yim JH, Waisman J, Lee PP. Breast cancer induces systemic immune changes on cytokine signaling in peripheral blood monocytes and lymphocytes. EBioMedicine. 2020 Feb;52:102631. PMID: 31981982
- Nelson RA, Bostanci Z, Jones V, Mortimer J, Polverini A, Taylor L, Yee L, Yim JH, Kruper L. Cervical Cancer Treatment Program in California. Ann Surg Oncol. 2020 Jan 21. doi: 10.1245/s10434-019-08116-x.
- Wen W, Han ES, Dellinger TH, Wu J, Guo Y, Buettner R, Horne DA, Jove R, Yim JH. Increasing Antitumor Activity of JAK Inhibitor by Simultaneous Blocking Multiple Survival Signaling Pathways in Human Ovarian Cancer. Transl Oncol. 2019 Aug;12(8):1015-1025. doi: 10.1016/j.tranon.2019.05.003. Epub 2019 May 26. PMCID: PMC6542771
- Lee JS, Yost SE, Blanchard S, Schmolze D, Yin HH, Pillai R, Robinson K, Tang A, Martinez N, Portnow J, Wen W, Yim JH, Brauer HA, Ren Y, Luu T, Mortimer J, Yuan Y. Phase I clinical trial of the combination of eribulin and everolimus in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. 2019 Nov 8;21(1):119. doi: 10.1186/s13058-019-1202-4.
- Egelston CA, Avalos C, Tu TY, Rosario A, Wang R, Solomon S, Srinivasan G, Nelson MS, Huang Y, Lim MH, Simons DL, He TF, Yim JH, Kruper L, Mortimer J, Yost S, Guo W, Ruel C, Frankel PH, Yuan Y, Lee PP. Resident memory CD8+ T cells within cancer islands mediate survival in breast cancer patients. JCI Insight. 2019 Oct 3;4(19). pii: 130000. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.130000.