Faculty & Staff

Dr. Yanez is an educator, researcher, and clinician with over a decade of experience across acute care, acute rehabilitation, outpatient, home health, telehealth, and administrative settings. She earned her MSOT from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and her PhD from Texas Woman’s University. She spent many years at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, contributing to direct patient care, program development, research, and mentorship to enhance clinical practice. She also co-founded and directed a private practice specializing in pediatric and adult rehabilitation, expanding access for underserved communities in San Antonio, Texas.

Deeply committed to bridging research and practice, Dr. Yanez strives to reduce the 17-year delay between emerging evidence and real-world implementation, so cancer survivors receive timely, evidence-based, and equitable care. She contributes to the field through numerous university guest lectures, continuing education courses, publications, and presentations at state, national, and international conferences. She also serves in a national leadership role as co-facilitator of the AOTA Cancer Care Community of Practice, supporting collaboration and professional development among students, clinicians, and researchers. Her scholarship and interests focus on hematological malignancies, hematopoietic cell transplants (HCTs), psychosocial care, occupation-based practice, lifestyle medicine, sexuality, and health equity. Throughout her career, she has mentored hundreds of students in their clinical rotations and remains deeply committed to creating a learning environment where students feel safe, supported, and empowered to flourish as future clinicians, leaders, and scholars.