Yin Ren, MD, PHD
Physician, Assistant Professor
Otolaryngology
Make an appointment
614-366-3687
Accepting new patients
Conditions and expertise
- Otolaryngology
- Vestibular Diseases
- Hearing Aids
- Tympanoplasty
- Stapes Surgery
- Vestibular Neuronitis
Locations
- Outpatient Care Dublin
- Ear, Nose and Throat / Allergy
Academics and research
Department: Otolaryngology
About
- Gender
- Male
- Additional languages
- Chinese, Mandarin, Spanish
Biography
A person’s ability to communicate defines who they are – and hearing is one of the most fundamental aspects of communication. That’s what drives my passion as an otolaryngology head and neck surgeon with a special focus on patients with hearing loss.
I specialize in treatment of disorders of the outer, middle and inner ear, as well as tumors of the temporal bone and skull base. I strive to deliver individualized, state-of-the-art and compassionate care to each patient. My goal is to get to know each patient so that together we can come up with the highest quality treatment plan using the most up-to-date technology.
I treat a range of conditions, including all conditions related to hearing and balance. Among these are infections of the ear (acute and chronic otitis media); cholesteatoma (abnormal skin growths in the ear); otosclerosis (fixation of the hearing bone resulting in hearing loss); vestibular schwannoma (a benign tumor growth on the hearing and balance nerve); Meniere’s disease; and superior semicircular canal dehiscence.
In addition, I have a PhD in medical engineering and medical physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a strong research interest in skull base tumor biology, neurofibromatosis type 2, nanotechnology for biomarker development and drug delivery, and clinical outcomes for patients after ear and skull base surgery. I’ve won multiple national awards and grants related to my research.
In my free time, I like to exercise, run, take photographs and travel.
Highlights
- Member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
- Reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals in the field of otolaryngology
- Research focus on biomarkers and novel treatments for skull base tumor
Conditions and expertise
- Acoustic Tumors
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea
- Cholesteatoma
- Cochlear Implants
- Ear Diseases
- Hearing Aids
- Hearing Disorders
- Hearing Loss
- Labyrinthitis
- Meniere Disease
- Neurotology
- Otitis Media
- Otolaryngology
- Otosclerosis
- Skull Base Tumors
- Stapes Surgery
- Tympanoplasty
- Vestibular Diseases
- Vestibular Neuronitis
Locations
Ear, Nose and Throat / Allergy
in Eye and Ear Institute
915 Olentangy River Road
4th Floor Suite 4000
Columbus, OH 43212
4th Floor Suite 4000
Columbus, OH 43212
614-366-3687
Please note: Not all physicians schedule patients at each listed location.
Credentials
Education
- Fellowship - Neurotology
- University Of California San Diego Hillcrest Medical Center, La Jolla, CA
7/1/2019 - 6/30/2021 - Residency - Otolaryngology
- Mass Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
7/1/2015 - 6/30/2019 - Internship - Surgery (General Surgery)
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
6/13/2014 - 6/30/2015 - Doctor of Medicine (MD)
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
7/1/2006 - 5/29/2014
Certifications
-
American Board of Otolaryngology/Neurotology
5/9/2022 -
American Board of Otolaryngology
3/19/2021
Academics and research
I am a fellowship-trained otolaryngologist and lateral skull base surgeon, who specializes in treating patients diagnosed with hearing loss and disorders of ear and cranial base, such as vestibular schwannomas (also known as acoustic neuromas) and meningiomas. I am also a surgeon-scientist investigating new diagnostic biomarkers and therapies for skull base tumors. The goal of my research is to develop multi-functional nanomaterials that can specifically target tumor cells, query the tumor microenvironment, and deliver RNA therapeutics to suppress tumor growth. My work has been published in many prestigious journals including Science Translational Medicine, Cell, PNAS, and Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.
Research interests
- Education
- Exercise
- Nanotechnology
- Surgery
- Therapeutics
Additional Research Interests
- Biomarkers for classification of vestibular schwannomas and neurofibromatosis type 2
- Nanotechnologies for tumor-targeted drug delivery
- Gene therapy to the inner ear to treat hearing loss
- Intraoperative surgical navigation using fluorescence markers
- Hearing preservation after skull base surgery
Research Projects
Engineering synthetic protease biomarkers for vestibular schwannoma and NF2
This project aims to establish proteases as new activity-based biomarkers for classifying vestibular schwannomas.
Nanotechnology for tumor-targeted drug delivery
The aim of this project is to develop tumor-targeted nanoparticles that can deliver drugs selectively to tumor cells.
Cochlear gene therapy for hearing loss
The aim of this collaborative project is to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of direct delivery of neurotrophic factors to the cochlea for the treatment of hearing loss in animal models.
Additional Research
Additional research programs include using tumor-associated fluorescence as an intraoperative guide to assist skull base surgeons during tumor resection, as well as a series of clinical projects investigating the natural history of vestibular schwannomas, identifying clinical and radiographic factors associated with hearing preservation after surgery, and improving patient’s quality of life.
Awards and Honors
- 2004 First Place, MIT “6.270” Autonomous Robot Design Competition
- 2006 Medical Scientist Training Program Fellowship
- 2010 Repligen – MIT Koch Institute for Cancer Research Fellowship
- 2012 National ProQuest/Council of Graduate Schools for best PhD thesis at MIT
- 2016 New England Otolaryngological Society Resident Research Award
- 2016 Resident Research Award, Centralized Otolaryngology Research Efforts (CORE)
- American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation
- 2017 Second Place Resident Award, New England Otolaryngological Society Meeting
- 2017 First Place Poster Prize, American Otologic Society annual meeting
- 2017 Resident Leadership Grant, American Academy of Otolaryngology Foundation
- 2018 Humanitarian Travel Grant, American Academy of Otolaryngology Foundation
- 2018 Second Place Poster Prize, Triological Society Combined Sections Meeting
- 2019 First Place, Annual Mastoid Bowl, Massachusetts Eye and Ear
- 2019 The Jeffrey P. Harris MD, PhD Prize for Excellence in Research awarded to graduating chief resident, Harvard Medical School
Academic information
- Department:
- Otolaryngology
- Division:
- Otolaryngology
More about my research
News and media
My news coverage
Ratings and reviews
The overall patient satisfaction rating is an average of all patient responses to the six doctor communication related questions shown below from the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. For additional information about the patient satisfaction survey, please visit our Patient Satisfaction Survey page.
The comments are submitted by patients and reflect their view and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.
189 Patient Satisfaction Reviews
Patient Comments
Consulting and Related Relationships
At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, we support a faculty member’s research and consulting in collaboration with medical device, research and/or drug companies because a faculty member’s expertise can guide important advancements in the practice of medicine and improve patient care. In order to provide effective management of these relationships, the University requires annual disclosures from all faculty members with external interests related to their University responsibilities.
As of 11/3/2025, Dr. Ren has reported no relationships with companies or entities.
Dr. REN is a wonderful doctor. Very respectful.
Thorough in explaining what was causing my symptoms and answering all my questions. Nice demeanor.
Awesome
Professional, patient, and sensitive to our concerns. Took the time necessary to answer all our questions and made sure we understood the surgical process. I would highly recommend Dr Ren to family and friends!
Everything was good
What he told me about my test results doesn't seem to agree with the results when I looked at the results.
Dr. Ren is a great doctor I am lucky to have him,
Good
Good exp: they made sure that I understood the state of my medical condition
Dr. Ren is excellent.
Very attentive when present, knowledgeable and kind.
Very good
Very lovely
Excellent
Very professional
He knows what his doing
Uninterested in listening or solving my issue
Was prepared and knowledgeable about why I was there
Excellent provider, kind and patient
The doctor provided good service
Very good
Fantastic
All good
None, he was very nice!
Dr Ren is a good and caring doctor.
Friendly and professional
All good
Dr. Ren took the time to describe the options for treating my condition to my wife and I. He was very thorough.
The doctor asked questions and checked both ears and commented that he was pleased with the outcome of the surgery that was done on the right ear 14 months ago.
He was efficient yet very friendly.
Thorough visit
Very nice..
He was great he listened to all I had to say and asked may questions and was great at explaining the procedure pros and cons, what would happen during the surgery and answered all my questions.
Ok
Very busy but is genuine
Dr Ren is a extremely caring. I had a cochlear implant replacement and he is also an excellent surgeon.
Very knowledgeable and listened to what I had to say with respect. Was a very friendly and caring physician!
She was great
Excellent care
Excellent care. Excellent plan to monitor my problem
We came with questions concerning loss of hearing due to exposure to neuro toxin and wanted to know about the health of the ear/injury to cochlea; all med info was sent to office but not referred to in appt; had to push and prod asking blunt questions to get very short blunt answers; I'm sure as a surgeon for cochlear implant he would be excellent just takes a lot out of a patient to have a health related question
Dr. Ren was excellent.
Dr. Ren showed concern for my condition and made recommendations as how to proceed. Showed compassion for my concerns.
We were very pleased with dr. REN .He is outstanding.
They listen to all comments from me and addressed them all
Great
Good
All good
Very understanding. Answered all questions. Explained everything to my understanding.
Very good
He was knowledgeable, setting up a surgery is daunting, he somewhat explained the procedure
He was very understanding and supportive of my issues. Great listener and problem solver. Made me feel important and someone could could help.
Very thorough
Very friendly. Definitely appeared to have a grasp on the situation.
He was very friendly, knowledgeable and got to the bottom of my problem quickly.
Good
Wonderful
Listened and wasn't rushed
All was great!.
Dr. Ren asked questions to fill himself in on my medical history and how it could affect my issue. He went through all the options with us in a clear manner and answered any questions we had about them. Out of the three options he gave us he allowed us to pick the one that we wanted even if it was not what he thought would be best - it was. He also had a resident with him that showed the same level of professionalism.
Very good
Good
Cut me off, laughed at one of my questions, didn't know my one allergy, and spoke rudely about CVS providers
The provider was very knowledgable and able to explain things to be in a way that was easy to understand. He was professional, patient, and provided a lot of information.
All good
Listened to me & did a procedure that day so I wouldn't have to come back, since I had all ready had a few cancelled appts from them in the past.
At return check up I was not sure about not hearing out of my ear, that had surgery. He checked me out and reassured me it will get better, and it has.
Overall very good and have a long history with my condition and treatments
Very upfront, clear concise explanation and answers.