Yvonne J. Heung, MD, MS, FACP
Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine, Division of Cancer Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, & Integrative Medicine, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Fellowship Program Associate Director, Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2011 | Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA, MD, Medicine |
| 2008 | Union Graduate College, Schenectady, NY, USA, MS, Healthcare Management |
| 2007 | Union College, Schenectady, NY, USA, BS, Biology, Music, Leadership in Medicine |
Postgraduate Training
| 2014-2015 | Clinical Fellowship, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
| 2012-2014 | Clinical Residency, Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai St. Luke's-Roosevelt, New York, NY |
| 2011-2012 | Clinical Internship, Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai St. Luke's-Roosevelt, New York, NY |
Board Certifications
| 2018 | Hospice and Palliative Medicine |
| 2016 | American Board of Internal Medicine |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, 2016 - 2017
Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, 2016 - 2017
Instructor, Department of Family Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, 2015 - 2016
Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Supportive Care Center Continuity of Care Initiative Committee, 2022 - Present
Member, MD Anderson Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program Evaluation Committee (PEC), 2021 - Present
Member, MD Anderson Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Clinical Competency Committee (CCC), 2021 - Present
Member, MD Anderson Cancer Center Goals of Care Operational Priority, 2020 - 2021
Member, MD Anderson Cancer Center Emergency Center Transformation Workstream, 2020 - Present
Member, MD Anderson Cancer Center Goals of Care Palliative Care Interventions Workgroup, 2020 - Present
Senator, MD Anderson Cancer Center Division of Cancer Medicine Faculty Senate, 2019 - 2022
Member, MD Anderson Cancer Center Junior Faculty Committee, 2019 - Present
Member, MD Anderson Cancer Center Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Supportive Care, Hospice and Palliative Medicine Conference Planning Committee, 2017 - Present
Member, Loma Linda University Cancer Center Committee, 2015 - 2017
Member, Albany Medical College Admission Committee, 2007 - 2011
Honors & Awards
| 2011 | Kenneth B. Olsen Prize, Albany Medical College |
| 2003 | Union College Presidential Scholarship, Union College |
| 2003 | Union College Dean's List, Union College |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Heung Y, Clark M, Tschanz J, Bruera E. Opioid Prescription Denials by Community Pharmacies for Cancer-Related Pain: A Case Series. J Pain Symptom Manage 66(3):e431-e435, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37356595.
- Tang M, Heung Y, Fellman B, Bruera E. Frequency of vaccine hesitancy among patients with advanced cancer. Palliat Support Care:1-7. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37525556.
- Zhukovsky DS, Soliman P, Liu D, Meyer M, Haider A, Heung Y, Gaeta S, Lu K, Stepan K, Stanton P, Rodriguez A, Bruera E. Patient Engagement with Early Stage Advance Care Planning at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Oncologist 28(6):542-550, 2023. PMID: 36848260.
- Heung Y, Zhukovsky D, Hui D, Lu Z, Andersen C, Bruera E. Quality of End-of-Life Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Cancers (Basel) 15(8), 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37190130.
- Zhukovsky DS, Heung Y, Enriquez P, Itzep N, Lu Z, Nortje N, Stanton P, Wong A, Bruera E. Just-in-Time Decision Making: Preliminary Findings of a Goals of Care Rapid Response Team. J Pain Symptom Manage 65(4):e337-e343, 2023. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36496112.
- Erdogan-Ongel E, Heung Y, Rozman de Moraes A, Geng Y, Bruera E. Inhalation of Isopropyl Alcohol for the Management of Nausea and Vomiting: A Systematic Review. J Palliat Med 26(1):94-100, 2023. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36178929.
- Patel S, Hoge G, Fellman B, Kaur S, Heung Y, Bruera E, Hui D. Timing of referral to outpatient palliative care for patients with haematologic malignancies. Br J Haematol 198(6):974-982, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35866185.
- Hui D, Heung Y, Bruera E. Timely Palliative Care: Personalizing the Process of Referral. Cancers (Basel) 14(4), 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35205793.
- Hui D, De La Rosa A, Chen J, Delgado Guay M, Heung Y, Dibaj S, Liu D, Bruera E. Palliative care education and research at US cancer centers: A national survey. Cancer 127(12):2139-2147, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33662148.
- Heung Y, Azhar A, Ali Akbar Naqvi SM, Williams J, Park M, Hui D, Dibaj S, Liu D, Bruera E. Frequency and Characteristics of First-Time Palliative Care Referrals During the Last Day of Life. J Pain Symptom Manage 61(2):358-363, 2021. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32822749.
- Hui D, De La Rosa A, Wilson A, Nguyen T, Wu J, Delgado-Guay M, Azhar A, Arthur J, Epner D, Haider A, De La Cruz M, Heung Y, Tanco K, Dalal S, Reddy A, Williams J, Amin S, Armstrong TS, Breitbart W, Bruera E. Neuroleptic strategies for terminal agitation in patients with cancer and delirium at an acute palliative care unit: a single-centre, double-blind, parallel-group, randomised trial. Lancet Oncol 21(7):989-998, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32479786.
- Heung Y, Reddy A. How to Use Methadone in an Era of an Opioid Epidemic. Curr Treat Options Oncol 21(4):30, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32193644.
- Hui D, Abdelghani E, Chen J, Dibaj S, Zhukovsky D, Dev R, Tanco K, Haider A, Azhar A, Reddy A, Epner D, Arthur J, Dalal S, Heung Y, Reddy S, De La Cruz M, Liu D, Bruera E. Chronic Non-Malignant Pain in Patients with Cancer Seen at a Timely Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic. Cancers (Basel) 12(1), 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 31952220.
- Hui D, De La Rosa A, Chen J, Dibaj S, Delgado Guay M, Heung Y, Liu D, Bruera E. State of Palliative Care Services at US Cancer Centers: An Updated National Survey. Cancer 126(9):2013-2023, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32049358.
- Reddy A, Vidal M, Stephen S, Baumgartner K, Dost S, Nguyen A, Heung Y, Kwan S, Wong A, Pangemanan I, Azhar A, Tayjasanant S, Rodriguez E, Waletich J, Lim KH, Wu J, Liu D, Williams J, Yennurajalingam S, Bruera E. The Conversion Ratio From Intravenous Hydromorphone to Oral Opioids in Cancer Patients. J Pain Symptom Manage 54(3):280-288, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28711751.
- Reddy A, Tayjasanant S, Haider A, Heung Y, Wu J, Liu D, Yennurajalingam S, Reddy S, de la Cruz M, Rodriguez EM, Waletich J, Vidal M, Arthur J, Holmes C, Tallie K, Wong A, Dev R, Williams J, Bruera E. The opioid rotation ratio of strong opioids to transdermal fentanyl in cancer patients. Cancer 122(1):149-56, 2016. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26451687.
- Xue L, Zhou B, Liu X, Heung Y, Chau J, Chu E, Li S, Jiang C, Un F, Yen Y. Ribonucleotide reductase small subunit p53R2 facilitates p21 induction of G1 arrest under UV irradiation. Cancer Res 67(1):16-21, 2007. PMID: 17210678.
- Xue L, Zhou B, Liu X, Wang T, Shih J, Qi C, Heung Y, Yen Y. Structurally dependent redox property of ribonucleotide reductase subunit p53R2. Cancer Res 66(4):1900-5, 2006. PMID: 16488986.
Editorials
- Heung Y, Bruera E. End-of-life care quality metrics in patients with cancer: challenges and opportunities. Int J Gynecol Cancer. PMID: 35483737.
Abstracts
- Heung Y, Erdogan-Ongel E, Rozman de Moraes A, Geng Y, Bruera E. Inhalation of isopropyl alcohol for the management of nausea and vomiting: A systematic review. Supportive Care in Cancer 31(Supplement 1):S5, 2023.
- Heung Y, Zhukovsky D, Hui D, Lu Z, Anderson C, Jennings K, Bruera E. Characteristics of Inpatient Death During the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Supportive Care in Cancer 30(Supplement 1):S23, 2022.
- Zhukovsky D, Enriquez P, Nortje N, Heung Y, Itzep N, Wong A, Lu Z, Stanton P, Bruera E. Goals of Care Rapid Response Team at a Comprehensive Cancer Center: Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 63(5):926, 2022.
- Subbiah IM, Xu C, Lu SC, Haider A, Azhar A, Swan A, Amaram-Davila J, Tang M, Heung Y, Shih K, Bruera E, Sidey-Gibbons C. Development of patient reported outcomes-based machine learning algorithm for the six-month mortality prediction in patients with advanced cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology 39(28), 2021.
- Hui D, De La Rosa A, Shelal Z, Maxwell J, Hosain M, De La Cruz M, Vidal M, Reddy A, Azhar A, Dev R, Tanco K, Wong A, Heung Y, Delgado-Guay M, Zhukovsky D, Arthur J, Reddy S, Yennu S, Bruera E. The impact of a web-based prognostic intervention on physicians’ prognostic confidence. Journal of Clinical Oncology 39(15):12106-12106, 2021.
- Heung Y, Azhar A, Ali Akbar Naqvi SM, Williams J, Park M, Hui D, Dibaj S, Liu D, Bruera E. Frequency and Characteristics of First-Time Palliative Care Referrals During the Last Day of Life. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 60(1):271-272, 2020.
- Hui D, De La Rosa A, Wilson A, Nguyen T, Wu J, Delgado-Guay M, Azhar A, Arthur J, Epner D, Haider A, De La Cruz M, Heung Y, Tanco K, Dalal S, Armstrong T, Breitbart W, Bruera E. Neuroleptic rotation for refractory agitation in cancer patients with delirium in the acute palliative care unit: A double-blind randomized clinical trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology 38(15):12006-12006, 2020.
- Heung Y, Azhar A, Park M, Williams J, Liu D, Bruera E. Frequency and Characteristics of First-Time Palliative Care Referrals During the Last Day of Life. Supportive Care in Cancer 27(Supplement 2):S192, 2019.
- Hui D, De La Rosa A, Chen J, Delgado-Guay M, Heung Y, Liu D, Hess K, Bruera E. Growth of palliative care (PC) in United States cancer centers: A national survey. Journal of Clinical Oncology 37(15):11601-11601, 2019.
Book Chapters
- Heung Y, Reddy A, Reddy S. Introduction to Pain. In: Supportive and Palliative Care Handbook. 6th, 11-16, 2018.
- Heung Y, Reddy A, Reddy S. Pain Management. In: Supportive and Palliative Care Handbook. 6th, 17-40, 2018.
- Heung Y, Reddy A, Reddy S. Introduction to Pain. In: Supportive and Palliative Care Handbook. 5th, 11-16, 2015.
- Heung Y, Reddy A, Reddy S. Pain Management. In: Supportive and Palliative Care Handbook. 5th, 16-38, 2015.
Letters to the Editor
- Reddy A, Heung Y, Bruera E. Caution, Vigilance, and Personalization: A Must for Any Opioid Conversion. J Pain Symptom Manage 56: e3-e5, 2018.