Death of Tsai-Fan Yu

On 2 March 2007, Tsai-Fan Yu died in Manhattan, New York City, from complications related to a stroke, ending a career that had transformed the clinical understanding and treatment of gout worldwide.

Yu’s death at Mount Sinai Hospital—the institution where she had spent decades as a researcher, clinician, and the first woman full professor—symbolically closed a chapter in American academic medicine. By the time of her passing, she had authored more than 220 scientific articles, established one of the earliest specialized gout clinics in the United States, and helped move gout care from a largely ineffective, often disabling prognosis to a manageable chronic condition through drugs such as probenecid, colchicine, and allopurinol.

Her passing prompted obituaries and tributes that emphasized not only her scientific impact but also her role as a barrier‑breaking woman and immigrant in U.S. medicine. Colleagues and professional societies highlighted how her NIH‑funded research and meticulous clinical work shaped practice guidelines and improved the lives of thousands of patients.

In women’s and medical history, the date of Yu’s death marks the loss of a pioneering rheumatologist whose legacy endures in everyday clinical protocols, in the presence of women in senior academic posts, and in ongoing research into metabolic and inflammatory joint diseases inspired by her work.