Dr. Ted Yang was only 12 years old when he sat at the bedside of his grandfather as he died of cancer. That experience led him to later pursue a medical degree and to become a radiation oncologist, treating patients with the same disease that took his grandfather.

Throughout his medical career, Dr. Yang has been involved in radiation therapy clinical trials. Patients have misconceptions about cancer research, and Dr. Yang frequently finds himself educating them about the purpose and phases of clinical trials and how they are developed.

“I’ve conducted clinical trials for many years and it’s been hard to enlist patients to join them,” Dr. Yang says. “Education really helps people understand what cancer research is all about and helps them to make an informed decision about enlisting.”

Dr. Yang served on the faculty at the University of Texas Medical Branch and led the way in enrolling patients into clinical trials for head and neck cancers and prostate cancers.

Dr. Yang has since moved his practice to an underserved community hospital in Pasadena, Texas, where his goal is to begin clinical trails with patients he sees there. He wants them to have the same opportunities as patients in the larger, more urban areas.

Cycling became a bigger part of Dr. Yang’s life last year, after he heard about the Tour. He began to commute to work on his bike and increased his training in the hopes that the Tour would take place again. This year, he’ll get to combine his love of cycling and passion for oncology on the Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope™, an opportunity that will allow him to enlist the support of everyone he meets. “The cure for cancer is something we have to fight and struggle hard for, but we can’t do it without the participation of the public,” he says.