Yin-Kai Chao
Yin-Kai Chao is a Professor and Chief of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou in Taoyuan, Taiwan. He also serves as the Director of the Robotic Surgery Center and Deputy Director of the Cancer Center.
Dr. Chao earned his MD from Chang Gung University in 2001 and completed his specialist training in thoracic surgery at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in 2006. In 2010, he obtained a PhD in Medical Sciences from Chang Gung University.
Dr. Chao’s early research was instrumental in identifying biomarkers for treatment response prediction and prognostic stratification in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. He also played a key role in developing biodegradable medical devices for managing complex thoracic diseases. Early in his career, he specialized in minimally invasive esophagectomy and has since gained international recognition in this field. In 2015, he was awarded the International Guest Scholarship by the American College of Surgeons. Upon returning to Taiwan, he became Chief of Thoracic Surgery at CGMH in 2016, where he established the country’s largest robotic thoracic surgery program. His unit remains the first and only da Vinci Robotic Epicenter for thoracic surgery in Taiwan.
Dr. Chao is also a pioneer in image-guided video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (iVATS) for single-stage diagnosis and resection of small, impalpable lung cancers. He developed a standardized protocol to enhance iVATS efficacy and safety and currently leads the world’s first iVATS reference center.
Beyond his clinical and surgical innovations, Dr. Chao actively conducts research to improve patient outcomes and hospital efficiency. He is the principal investigator of multiple surgical trials, including:
- A multi-center randomized trial comparing robotic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy (NCT03713749)
- Two pilot studies assessing the feasibility and safety of uniportal robotic surgery for anatomical lung resection (NCT05535712) and anterior mediastinal surgery (NCT05455840)
- A randomized trial comparing iVATS and VATS for the treatment of small lung cancer (NCT03395964)
A 15-time recipient of research awards from various societies, Dr. Chao has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers and has been invited as a lecturer and visiting professor more than 170 times worldwide.
Nationally, he serves as the President (2024/7–2026/7) of the Taiwan Society of Thoracic Surgeons and as Executive Director of the Taiwan Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Internationally, he is actively involved in various surgical societies and sits on the executive board of the Upper GI International Robotics Association (UGIRA), where he previously served as President of the 2023 UGIRA Congress.
As a leading academic thoracic surgical oncologist and expert in minimally invasive thoracic robotic surgery, Dr. Chao has made substantial contributions to the field. His work in esophageal cancer, robotic thoracic surgery, and advanced imaging technologies has had a lasting impact, demonstrating transformative research, academic leadership, instructional excellence, and outstanding clinical outcomes.
