Research
Dr. Liu's research interests have evolved from pure mathematics (number theory at the Research Science Institute at MIT) to artificial intelligence (Open Mind Common Sense project at MIT Media Lab) to computational genomics (nucleosome pattern recognition in yeast genome microarrays at the Harvard Center for Genomics Research) to surgical outcomes (free flap outcomes and quantitative breast surgery in the Section of Plastic Surgery at Yale University). Each step represented a transition to a field with more immediate human applications while applying experience and skills accumulated during his education. Combining his experience in data analysis and pattern recognition with a thorough training in surgery, Dr. Liu optimizes patient outcomes in evidence-based surgery.
Specific Interests
- Surgical outcomes
- 3D modeling
- Computational biology
- Artificial intelligence
Projects and Publications
Dr. Liu studied the aesthetics of breast shape under Dr. J. Grant Thomson in the Section of Plastic Surgery at Yale. He determined the relationship between breast volume, surface area, and anthropomorphic measurements that results in the most aesthetically pleasing shape, with the ultimate goal of optimizing patient satisfaction in cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgeries. He is primary or secondary author in the following publications:
- Ideal anthropomorphic values of the female breast: correlation of pluralistic aesthetic evaluations with objective measurements.
Liu YJ, Thomson JG.
Annals of Plastic Surgery, 2011 Jul;67(1):7-11.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
- Reply. Re: Surface area measurement of the female breast: phase I. Validation of a novel optical technique.
Liu YJ, Thomson JG.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2009 Dec;124(6):2194-5.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
- Surface area measurement of the female breast: phase I. Validation of a novel optical technique.
Thomson JG, Liu YJ, Restifo RJ, Rinker BD, Reis A.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2009 May;123(5):1588-96.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
In addition, Dr. Liu worked with Dr. Thomson to correlate free flap survival with intra-operative patient temperatures, showing mild intra-operative hypothermia to be beneficial in free flap transfers. The results were published in this paper:
- Mild intra-operative hypothermia reduces free tissue transfer thrombosis.
Liu YJ, Hirsch BP, Shah AA, Reid MA, Thomson JG.
Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery, 2011 Feb;27(2):121-6.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
Dr. Liu also studied the molecular history of pseudogenes in Mark Gerstein's lab in the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale. He is primary author or co-author in the following publications:
- Comprehensive analysis of the pseudogenes of glycolytic enzymes in vertebrates: the anomalously high number of GAPDH pseudogenes highlights a recent burst of retrotranspositional activity.
Liu YJ, Zheng D, Balasubramanian S, Carriero N, Khurana E, Robilotto R, Gerstein MB.
BMC Genomics, 2009 Oct 16;10(1):480.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
- Comparative analysis of processed ribosomal protein pseudogenes in four mammalian genomes.
Balasubramanian S, Zheng D, Liu YJ, Fang G, Frankish A, Carriero N, Robilotto R, Cayting P, Gerstein M.
Genome Biology, 2009 Jan 5;10(1):R2.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
During college, Dr. Liu worked in Steve Altschuler and Lani Wu's lab for three years at the Harvard Center for Genomics Research. He developed computational models to simulate gene networks and applied hidden Markov models to tiled genomic microarray data. He is second author in the following publication:
- Genome-scale identification of nucleosome positions in S. cerevisiae.
Yuan GC, Liu YJ, Dion MF, Slack MD, Wu LF, Altschuler SJ, Rando OJ.
Science, 2005 Jul 22; 309(5734):626-30.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
During college, Dr. Liu also worked in Marvin Minsky's lab at the MIT Media Labs on the Open Mind Common Sense Project, building data structures to represent common sense knowledge and enabling a computer to understand concepts that humans often take for granted.
In high school, Dr. Liu explored an unsolved problem in number theory at the Research Science Institute (RSI 1999) and analyzed gastrointestinal creatine absorption by infrared spectroscopy.
Theses
- Aesthetics of the Female Breast: Correlation of Pluralistic Evaluations with Volume and Surface Area.
Submitted to the Yale University School of Medicine in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. 2009.
PDF Link - An Oligonucleotide Microarray-Based Method for Determining Nucleosome Positioning in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Presented to the Departments of Computer Science and Biochemical Sciences in partial fulfillment of the honors requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2004.
PDF Link
Book Chapters
- Laser Burn Scar Revision.
Hultman CS, Liu YJ
Chapter in Operative Techniques in Pediatric Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2020.
- Fat Grafting for Nerve Entrapment Within Burn Scars.
Hultman CS, Liu YJ
Chapter in Operative Techniques in Pediatric Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2020.
- Laser Burn Scar Revision.
Hultman CS, Liu YJ
Chapter in Operative Techniques in Plastic Surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2019.
- Fat Grafting for Nerve Entrapment Within Burn Scars.
Hultman CS, Liu YJ
Chapter in Operative Techniques in Plastic Surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2019.
- The Theory and Practical Use of the Z-Incision for the Relief of Scar Contractures.
Liu YJ
Chapter in 50 Studies Every Plastic Surgeon Should Know, ed. Hultman CS. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 2014.
Other Publications
- Differential pulley release in trigger finger: a prospective, randomized clinical trial.
Wu RT, Walker ME, Peck CJ, Liu YJ, Hetzler P, Le NK, Smetona J, Thomson JG.
Hand (NY), 2021 Mar 1.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
- Quality of patient decisions about breast reconstruction after mastectomy.
Lee CN, Deal AM, Huh R, Ubel PA, Liu YJ, Blizard L, Hunt C, Pignone MP.
JAMA Surgery, 2017 May 3.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
- The impact of geographic, ethnic, and demographic dynamics on the perception of beauty.
Broer PN, Juran S, Liu YJ, Walker ME, Ng R, Persing JA.
Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, 2014 Mar;25(2):e157-61.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
- Aesthetic breast shape preferences amongst plastic surgeons.
Broer PN, Walker ME, Shah A, Liu YJ, Patel A, Patel R, Agroskin S, Ng R, Tanna N, Juran S, Persing JA.
Annals of Plastic Surgery, 2014 May 14. [Epub ahead of print]
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
- Optimal placement of a brachioplasty scar: a survey evaluation.
Samra S, Samra F, Liu YJ, Sawh-Martinez R, Persing J.
Annals of Plastic Surgery, 2013 Oct; 71(4):329-32.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
- Phlegmonous gastritis presenting as portal venous pneumatosis.
Liu YJ, Siracuse JJ, Gage T, Hauser CJ.
Surgical Infections, 2013 Apr; 14(2):221-4.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
- Nasal aesthetics: a cross-cultural analysis.
Broer PN, Buonocore S, Morillas A, Liu J, Tanna N, Walker M, Ng R, Persing JA.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2012 Dec; 130(6):843e-850e.
PubMed Citation | Publication Link
Yuen-Jong Liu, M.D.
The Aesthetic Center
722 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820
(203) 656-9999
