Dr Yang completed her B.S. degree from the Fudan University in Shanghai, China. She received her postgraduate research training in the U.S. at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute, and Harvard University. She was the  head of the Developmental Genetics Section, National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and she is now professor of Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine.  Yang has made groundbreaking contributions to understanding the roles of Wnt and Hedgehog signaling in embryonic morphogenesis, skeletal biology and skeletal diseases. Her research has successfully bridged discoveries of fundamental mechanisms with characterization and treatment of diseases including severe birth defects, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and heterotopic bone formation.  Yang has published extensively in professional journals. She serves or has served on the editorial boards of several major journals including Cell Research, the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research and the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology.