In Memoriam

George W. Yu, M.D., passed away unexpectedly August 24, 2024, aged 76. Dr. Yu was a dedicated physician whose medical expertise helped to improve the lives of numerous patients both in the US and around the world during his 50+ year career. This included those he touched on Medical Missionary work in Cameroon, Malawi and Honduras.

Dr. Yu spent his teenage years growing up in Mount Hermon, MA where he attended Mount Hermon-Northfield Preparatory School, prior to attending Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN. He obtained his medical degree at Tufts University School of Medicine in 1973 and subsequently completed a surgical residency at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (later Brigham and Women’s Hospital) followed by a urology residency at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center. He joined the Department of Urology at George Washington Medical Center in 1981 (where he rose to Clinical Professor) and become a partner in Aegis Medical and Research Associates where he was affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area as a surgeon and urologist based in Annapolis, Maryland and Washington, DC.

Dr. Yu was passionate about bringing the latest medical advances to his patients. In addition to his clinical duties, Dr. Yu invented and patented a number of surgical instruments  including an internal open and laparoscopic Y-clip; the Yu-Holtgrewe prostate retraction blade for radical retropubic prostatectomy; a new Foley catheter for males; designed a new catheter (for females) for space travel; a retractor system for perineal prostatectomy; a cryosurgery probe for prostate and grid design; and design of a ureteral stent to prevent bladder spasm. These inventions and his clinical research led to the publication of a number of significant scientific papers.

Dr. Yu spread his enthusiasm for medical science through presentations at national and international medical conferences, public presentations, media interviews, and interactions with colleagues. Accordingly, he established the George W. Yu Foundation for Nutrition and Health in 2006 to focus on research and public awareness of medical advances related to extending healthy longevity. George was an engaging speaker who reveled in passing on his knowledge of urology, endocrinology, age-related diseases and aging.

In the last 2 decades, much of his clinical and scientific activity focused on strategies to re-balance sex hormones to promote healthy aging. In this respect, Dr. Yu’s enthusiasm for the Reproductive-Cell Cycle Theory of Aging facilitated the founding of JangoBio, a biotechnology company established to develop stem cell-based therapies to restore hormone balance and mitigate diseases of aging. He served as Chief Medical Officer of JangoBio from 2015-2024.

Dr. Yu was a talented surgeon, endocrinologist, inventor and scientist whose contagious enthusiasm for sharing knowledge will be missed by his patients, colleagues and friends in the biomedical world.