Biography:

Dr. Wah Yang is currently a surgical specialist and investigator in the Department of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (International Bariatric Center) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China, one of the largest bariatric centers in China. He is also the Vice-president of Jinan University Institute of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders. He trained as a laparoscopic general and bariatric surgeon under the supervision of Prof. Cunchuan Wang, a pioneer of laparoscopic surgery in China and the current President of the Chinese Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (CSMBS) and the President of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders – Asia Pacific Chapter (IFSO-APC).

Dr. Yang is trained for his Ph.D. degree at the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. He has authored articles in peer-reviewed high-impact factor journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Gastroenterology, Obesity Surgery, etc. He has authored guidelines and consensus statements in metabolic and bariatric surgery in Chinese and English journals. He also authored in written book chapters in obesity surgery, laparoscopic surgery, thyroid surgery, and obesity nutrition. He is an editor and reviewer of the journal Obesity Surgery, and he just received the Editors’ Recognition Award for Distinction in Reviewing 2020. He is also the Associate Editor of the journal Mini-invasive Surgery and helped publish a special issue on Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. He also served as an editorial board member and reviewer in several other English and Chinese journals.

Dr. Yang has set up the Chinese Obesity and Metabolic Surgery (COMES) Collaborative and the COMES Database. He is the founder and president of Worldwide Group Corporation Limited, Guangzhou Beyond Biotechnology Company Limited, and BEYOND Bariatric & Metabolic Institute (BYBMI), focusing on research, training, and global collaborations in metabolic and bariatric surgery. He also has patents on medical equipment and bariatric supplements, which are widely applied in clinical practice. He is also the Committee Member in several national academic organizations.

Dr. Yang has been invited to present, moderate and have live surgery demonstrations at national and international conferences. For many years, he has organized the Annual Conference of Chinese Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (CSMBS). He was also organized the IFSO-APC Meeting 2019 which was held in Guangzhou, China as the Congress Secretary. He won the IFSO Scholarship 2017 (only awarded to 4 investigators under age 40 in the world each year) and IFSO-APC Scholarship 2018. He is now the President-elect of Young IFSO.

review and assessment of articles submitted to JMR and refereeing editorial decisions

yangwah@qq.com