#MeetUsMonday - Meet PhD Student and Children's Book Author Yao
Meet Yao.
Hiker. Children’s book author. Loves peach picking at Carter’s Mountain Orchard and hosting traditional Chinese tea ceremonies for friends. Future nurse scientist or non-profit leader who’s studying advance care planning among patients with ALS and co-taught the English for Academic Purposes class last summer after taking and loving the class in 2024. Second-year PhD in nursing student. Yale School of Public Health master's grad.
“When I did some internships in pediatrics, I cared for children with chronic diseases, things like nephritis. These kids needed to take hormone medicines for a while as part of their treatment, and I saw how some girls suffered from medication side effects, things like swelling and puffiness, which made them feel a little bit inferior. I began to think, ‘What can I do for them?’ That was the inspiration for the nephritis book."
PhD student Yao Tang
PATH TO NURSING
“When I lived in China, part of the reason I chose nursing was that it is a safe choice for mediocre girls. But the first nursing class I took in China showed us how to make a bed. That disappointed me a lot and made me dislike nursing for a while. But college was always an expectation.
“I stayed with nursing school. As I started to do clinical rotations in the hospital, I began to realize how important nursing is, and to explore parts of healthcare that I hadn’t considered before. When I was 19, I began writing some picture books for children with chronic diseases, children with leukemia, nephritis, and children who are undergoing operations, such as getting their tonsils out. I wrote the whole story and collaborated with illustrators under the guidance of my Chinese advisor. It ended up being two book series: the first was written for kids with chronic disease; the second, which was sponsored by the World Bank, was for children with disabilities, such as Down’s Syndrome. I did that for five or six years . . . it was very interesting.”
HOW THE BOOKS CAME TO BE
“When I did some internships in pediatrics, I cared for children with chronic diseases, things like nephritis. These kids needed to take hormone medicines for a while as part of their treatment, and I saw how some girls suffered from medication side effects, things like swelling and puffiness, which made them feel a little bit inferior. I began to think, ‘What can I do for them?’ That was the inspiration for the nephritis book.
“The second book was designed for school-aged children undergoing tonsillectomy, one of the most common procedures for kids. I’d seen a lot of kids scared by operations arriving in the OR. I observed anesthesiologists administering IV sedation to help children stay calm when necessary. It made me think about how nurses might also support patients through behavioral or cognitive-behavioral techniques. I thought, ‘I can write a picture book to let them know what will happen before the operation, during the operation, after it, and show examples in the picture book.’ For this book, I used two rabbits as the main characters to let kids understand the whole process. I used a lot of metaphors, too, which was fun … the oxygen mask became the hero mask. The blood pressure cuff was part of the kids’ hero suit, the electronic monitors were like amulets, a lucky charm. I used those metaphors to help children understand.
“In China, there aren’t many picture books designed in this way. We earned funding from several sources for the books and, after they were published, we bought and donated them to hospitals affiliated with my university. They’re the leading hospitals in the region: Xiangya Hospital, Xiangya Second Hospital, and Xiangya Third Hospital. This series of picture books were in Chinese, but another series, which was sponsored by the World Bank and focused on kids with disabilities, was also in English.
“Later, I’d see kids reading the books before going to the OR and began interacting with them. One kid, she’s six or seven, when I brought her to the OR, she said to me, ‘Now I can explore the adventure.’ I knew she’d read the book because the name of it is, The Adventure of the Small Dark Room. I was very excited to hear the children’s feedback. It’s a scary experience, having surgery, but that little girl was excited. On another unit, the kids used the books in reading groups every month. I’d see copies and know kids were reading them because their pages were all curled.
“My master’s thesis was based on the books. I really enjoyed exploring creative ways of thinking throughout the process.”
"I really enjoy switching back and forth between the two languages. It feels like I can live in two worlds: one in Chinese and one in English."
WHAT THE PHD PROGRAM IS LIKE
“I met TC [senior assistant dean of student Theresa Carroll], who is a high energy person, and I was highly impacted by her passion. Also, Kathryn Laughon, the PhD director, was very supportive. I’ve found my professors are professional and friendly. Once I started my PhD courses, I very much benefited from the nursing philosophy class, and the nursing history class, taught by Dominique Tobbell, who is awesome. I learned so much in that class: about the Civil Rights Movement and nursing history in the U.S. and I have the sense of how US healthcare system was shaped by history.
“Outside of the program, there are also many places to explore in Charlottesville—for example, going peach picking at Carter’s Mountain Orchard. It gave me some sense of the life in Charlottesville, that you can explore nature, be close to nature.”
LEARNING IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE
“When learning a second language, I think it’s really important to understand the underlying differences between the two languages. For example, in Chinese and English, the use of articles and singular or plural forms can be very different. A friend of mine who studies linguistics once told me that the use of articles in English is like a kind of mathematical mapping. In Chinese, we might just say ‘我喜欢苹果’, which literally means ‘I like apple.’ But an English speaker might wonder, ‘Which apple?’ By using a, an, or the, English makes it clear which apple or which group of apples you’re talking about.
“I really enjoy switching back and forth between the two languages. It feels like I can live in two worlds: one in Chinese and one in English. As the poem says, “Within me, there are multitudes.”
FOR FUN
“I’m a big fan of Chinese tea, and I love inviting my friends over for tea. There are six main types of Chinese tea, each with its own unique flavor, and each one can also be seen as a carrier of Chinese culture. Tea culture gives me a strong sense of cultural belonging and connection to my roots.
“I also really enjoy hiking and spending time in nature. I have been to Humpback Rock and Shenandoah several times. When I hike alone, it feels almost like meditating, peaceful and reflective. But when I hike with friends, it becomes a time to talk, laugh, and share stories.”
RESEARCH PLANS
“I don’t want to limit any possibilities as a nursing PhD student, because the versatile environment I’m in. I may consider going into academia but also going into nonprofit healthcare organizations. I’m looking at how cultural factors impact on advanced care planning in patients with ALS. ALS is a rare disease. Unlike Alzheimer’s, people with ALS gradually lose control of their muscles and ability to move, but their minds usually remain clear. This gives advance care planning a very unique space for reflection.
“End-of-life care is a fascinating topic to me. Socrates once said that philosophy is about practicing death again and again, and in a way, learning about palliative care feels the same. It’s like practicing how to understand and face death, over and over. I’m also very interested in cultural factors, because our lives are shaped by culture. Culture gives us a way to think about who we are and where we come from.
“I love nursing because it allows me to think critically and philosophically, while also giving me a grounded way to help real patients in practice.”
THE SCHOOL IN A WORD
“INSPIRATION. There are two Chinese words for this: it’s línggǎn, 灵感, which is like ah-ha moments. The other one translates to, ‘I was inspired by.’ 激励, jī lì. I think the School of Nursing has given me a lot of 'ah ha' moments concerning my research topic. But I’ve also been inspired by my advisor, Jessie Gibson, and a lot of other role models, too, like Beth Epstein and Dominique Tobbell. They’re awesome. They’re always kind and have time for you.”
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