UCSF Fresno Graduates First Hmong Psychiatrist

FRESNO – Michael Thao, M.D., believed to be one of the first Hmong psychiatrists, will graduate from the UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program along with nearly 90 other resident physicians in a ceremony on Thursday.

The other Hmong psychiatrist is Thao’s classmate from medical school, who is completing residency training at Duke University this year.

Michael Thao, M.D.

Thao’s parents emigrated from Laos to the U.S.  in 1979. The youngest of four siblings, Thao was born and raised in Michigan. He has a bachelor’s in sociology, with a sub-concentration in social inequality, from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. He earned an M.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Thao chose UCSF Fresno after completing a medical school rotation here. He also has family in the area and wanted to be near a large Hmong community. Thao completed residency training in psychiatry at UCSF Fresno and will join the VA Central California Health System as a staff psychiatrist and assistant clinical professor at UCSF Fresno.

“I’ve always had a passion to care for the underserved,” Thao said. “During my psychiatry rotation in medical school, I quickly learned that the mentally ill are a particularly vulnerable population. My experience as a Hmong-American has helped me develop perspective that enables me to contribute to cultural competency in medicine.”

“Dr. Thao has been a truly exceptional resident and we are pleased that he will be staying in Fresno to practice,” said Craig Campbell, MD, program director of the UCSF Fresno Psychiatry Residency Program.  “I am certain that he will be an invaluable professional resource to our community.”