Strongsville- Gerard V. Yu, 51, a nationally respected podiatric surgeon, suffered a fatal heart attack Monday at his home in Strongsville.
He was the director of podiatric surgical residency training at St. Vincent Charity Hospital and had been chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine.
He also was a leader in several national professional organizations and for 17 years was on the unpaid faculty of the Podiatric Institute, an international group of doctors who completed residencies at what is now Northlake Regional Medical Center in Tucker, Ga. The institute's educational programs are attended by thousands of podiatrists in several countries each year.
"There's not a single person out there practicing who has not learned from him," Thomas Chang, a San Francisco podiatrist, said Friday.
Chang, a relative who had been influenced by Yu to enter the profession, said that in annual surveys of thousands of podiatrists across the country, Yu is always cited as the most popular speaker in the field.
Yu, born in Beltsville, Md., was a talented accordionist and competitive swimmer as a youth. He graduated from the University of Maryland and the Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine, now known as the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine. He then served a three-year residency in trauma and reconstructive surgery of the foot, ankle and lower leg at Doctors Hospital in Georgia, now known as Northlake.
He was the author of numerous articles and served as an editor for the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association and the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery. He was an oral examiner for the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and chairman of its Rear Foot and Ankle Examinations Committee. He also was on the board of directors.
In addition to adjunct faculty appointments across the country, Yu was a clinical instructor in the Department of Family Practice of Case Western Reserve University School of Med icine and was chief of the podiatry section in the Department of Sur gery at Huron Road Hospital in East Cleve land.
He also was a diplo mat of the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.
Despite his busy professional life, Yu found time for fishing, gourmet cooking and photography. He lived in Strongsville for more than 20 years.
Yu is survived by his wife, Barbara; a son, Jason; daughters, Ashley, Nicole, Cheryl, and Sandra; his parents, Michael and Maria Yu of Beltsville, Md.; two brothers; and three sisters.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Gerard Yu Memorial Fund, c/o The Podiatry Institute, 1459 Montreal Road, Suite 206, Tucker, Ga. 30084.
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