After Yeh graduated from NTU's College of Medicine in 1968, he joined its Graduate Institute of Public Health. On completing his military service, he applied to the Department of Internal Medicine at NTUH, and was recruited as the top-ranked candidate.
一九六八年，葉金川自台大醫學系畢業後，受到有「台灣公衛之父」之稱的陳拱北教授影響，進入公衛研究所，兵役完成後，他申請進入台大醫院內科，以第一名優先錄取。