Eidos’ Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. David (Hyunmin) Yu has been named one of this year’s STAT Wunderkinds at the 2025 STAT Summit in Boston, a national recognition honoring standout early-career researchers making extraordinary contributions to biomedical science. Dr. Yu received the recognition for his research on health equity in health systems and the structural factors shaping culturally competent and LGBTQ+ inclusive care.
Dr. Yu began his career as one of very few male nurses in South Korea, working in ICUs in both South Korea and the United States for more than 15 years. During that time, he not only witnessed firsthand the discrimination LGBTQ+ patients often face in medical settings but also experienced it personally as a gay man and patient himself. Motivated to understand why these inequities exist and how to close them, he pursued his PhD in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania.
Under the mentorship of Dr. José Bauermeister, Director of Penn Nursing’s Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative, Dr. Yu balanced his work as an acute care nurse practitioner at Penn Medicine with his dissertation examining how health system policies and practices shape LGBTQ+ inclusivity and health outcomes, and how state level laws influence these relationships.
His analysis of Healthcare Equality Index data from the Human Rights Campaign revealed clear links between inclusive policies, improved patient experiences, higher staff satisfaction, and more favorable quality of care. Through qualitative interviews with nurse executives and leaders nationwide, he also identified actionable strategies to advance LGBTQ+ inclusivity and policy adoption across health systems. Learn more about his research here.
Dr. Yu’s recognition as a STAT Wunderkind comes at a critical moment, as federal support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and LGBTQ+ health research faces new challenges. As a practicing clinician, he sees how underinvestment in LGBTQ+ health contributes to significant disparities for already marginalized communities, further fueling his commitment to advance this work regardless of federal support.
"I’m truly honored to be named a STAT Wunderkind. It affirms that rigorous, data-driven research can advance LGBTQ+ health equity and measurably improve care for patients and the clinicians who serve them. At Eidos, our goal is simple: turn data into concrete changes that make health systems safer and more affirming for LGBTQ+ people."
Through his research and clinical practice, Dr. Yu exemplifies Eidos’ mission to advance LGBTQ+ health through evidence-based innovation, community collaboration, and training the next generation of leaders in inclusive care.