Ysabel Ilagan-Ying ’14, ’20 MD came to Yale thinking she would major in art. But after her lola, a grandaunt who helped raise her, passed away suddenly from misdiagnosed ovarian cancer, she enrolled in a reproductive biology class looking for answers.
Her professor, Hugh Taylor ’83, recruited Ilagan-Ying into his lab, where she researched the role of endocrine disruptors on the female reproductive system. Through that work, she discovered a passion for hepatology, hoping to explore the endocrine functions of the liver.
The research was supported by the Science, Technology and Research Scholars (STARS) Program, administered by the Yale College Dean’s Office, which is designed to support women, minority, underprivileged, and other underrepresented students in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics.
“Before working in Dr. Taylor’s lab, I had never even held a pipette,” Ilagan-Ying says. “But STARS set me up for success, covering my summer housing costs and providing the mentorship that prepared me for medical school. I don’t think I could have published papers or gotten into a top medical school without the support from STARS. It changed my life.”
That summer proved life-changing in other ways, too. Ilagan-Ying met her now-husband, Lee Ying ’18 PhD, ’20 MD, at a party at Toad’s Place. A soon-to-be Yale School of Medicine student, he encouraged her to pursue a medical education.
The pair stayed together long distance as Ilagan-Ying went to University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. Partway through, they decided to prioritize being in the same place, and Ilagan-Ying returned to New Haven to finish her medical education.
“One of the great things about Yale School of Medicine is that everyone is open to new perspectives, and eager to learn from people who bring knowledge from other institutions,” Ilagan-Ying says. “Yale also really prioritizes keeping families together, which meant so much to me through medical school and residency.”
Now married, both are doctors at Yale New Haven Hospital, Ying finishing up his general surgery residency and Ilagan-Ying completing a clinical fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology in the Yale Department of Digestive Diseases.
“I love what I do every single day,” Ilagan-Ying says. “I love GI because we are part of both diagnosis and treatment, so I get to build relationships with patients and provide continuity of care and help manage long-term diseases. I cannot imagine myself doing anything else, and I am so thankful to have found my calling.”