Pao Vang, M.D.

I am a firm believer that listening to the patient is the best form of medicine. Often, patients know what is wrong with them or they know that something is not right. They just need someone to listen to them and help treat their illness. It is this principle that has guided me as a physician and propelled me to pursue a career in in medicine.

I was attracted to the practice of ear, nose and throat (ENT) medicine because of a personal experience. In junior high school, my younger brother needed ear surgery, and since my parents didn’t speak English, I had to do a lot of reading on it so I could interpret for them. I was absolutely amazed when his hearing improved dramatically after the surgery.

After medical school, I started in general surgery to be a transplant surgeon. The idea of taking a human organ from one person and putting it into another fascinated me (and it still does). I changed course and went into ENT instead.

Today, I am the first and only Hmong ENT surgeon in this country, and I am proud to be a part of the Mayo Clinic Health System.

In my free time, I enjoy biking and hiking. My favorite pastime is to go out into the countryside, pick a road and bike on it to see where it goes. It’s amazing the people I come across and the things I see when I take the time to look around. I once biked from Providence, RI, to Denver, CO. It was breath-taking to see the things I saw on that trip. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Education

• University of Minnesota Medical School

Internship

• University of Nebraska Medical School

Residency

• ENT, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education

Memberships

• American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
• American Board of Otolaryngology

• Airway surgery
• Ear surgery
• Endocrine surgery
• General otolaryngology
• Head and neck cancer
• Pediatric otolaryngology
• Sinus surgery
• Voice disorders