Peter Kai-Jen Yen was born in Wuhan, China in 1922 and was an early Chinese student at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. He graduated from Western China Dental School in 1945 and taught at Peking University before attending HSDM. After he graduated from HSDM in 1954, Dr. Yen taught at HSDM and practiced dentistry in Lynn, MA. Dr. Yen was married to Chin-ho Yu, who was also a physician. Together, they worked at Taiwan National University in Taipei, Taiwan, and the Norwegian Christian Hospital in Ping Tung from 1962-1964. Dr. Yen returned to the US and taught at HSDM and the Children’s Hospital. He was an associate professor of clinical orthodontics and was awarded by HSDM with a Distinguished Faculty Award and Distinguished Alumnus Medal for his service.
In his native China, Dr. Yen made significant contributions to the advancement of dental education. He published the first orthodontic textbook in Chinese, lectured throughout China, and established five orthodontics departments in the country. He served as chair of the orthodontics department at the newly founded dental school at Hong Kong University and later was chairman of orthodontics at Zhong San Hospital in Guangzhou. His service in China was rewarded over the years with multiple awards.