Michelle Thi Cao

Pulmonary critical care specialist, Sleep specialist


Clinical Professor, Medicine - Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine

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Additional Languages Spoken:
Vietnamese

Biography


Dr. Michelle Cao is board certified in pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine, and sleep medicine. Dr. Cao's clinical expertise are in the subspecialties of home mechanical ventilation, noninvasive ventilation, and complex pulmonary and sleep related respiratory disorders including obstructive and central sleep apnea syndromes.

Professional Summary


Education & Certifications
  • Fellowship: Stanford University CAPS Postdoctoral Fellowship (2008) CA
  • Fellowship: Harbor UCLA Medical Center (2007) CA
  • Residency: Loma Linda University - School of Medicine (2003) CA
  • Medical Education: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (2000) CA
  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease (2006)
  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Critical Care Medicine (2007)
  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Sleep Medicine (2009)

Memberships
  • Chair, American Academy of Sleep Medicine; Sleep Technologist & Respiratory Therapist Education Committee (2022 - Present)
  • Vice Chair, American College of Chest Physicians - Scientific Presentations and Awards Committee (2021 - Present)
  • President, California Thoracic Society (2022 - 2023)
  • Chair, American College of Chest Physicians - Home Mechanical Ventilation and Neuromuscular Disease NetWork (2019 - 2021)
  • Member, American Thoracic Society (2008 - Present)
  • Fellow, American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2007 - Present)
  • Fellow, American College of Chest Physicians (2004 - Present)

Publications

Specializing In

  • Respiratory Disorders in Neuromuscular Disease

Practice Locations


Chest Clinic in Palo Alto Stanford, CA
Stanford, CA

300 Pasteur Drive, 1st Floor, Room A175

Stanford , CA 94305

(650) 725-7061

Make An Appointment More Clinic Information » Getting Here »

Chest Clinic in Emeryville Emeryville, CA
Emeryville, CA

5800 Hollis Street

Emeryville , CA 94608

(510) 806-2100

Make An Appointment More Clinic Information » Getting Here »

Patient Ratings

(13 Ratings)

Overall Rating
4.8/5

View Ratings by Category

4.8/5
Friendliness
Friendliness/courtesy of the care provider
4.8/5
Explanations
Explanations the care provider gave you about your problem or condition
4.8/5
Listens
Concern the care provider showed for your questions or worries
4.8/5
Care provider's efforts to include you in decisions about your care
Care provider's efforts to include you in decisions about your treatment
4.8/5
Recommended to others
Likelihood of your recommending this care provider to others
0.0/5
Wait times
Wait time at clinic (from arriving to leaving)

How Our Ratings Work

The Patients Ratings and comments are gathered from our Patient Satisfaction Survey and displayed in their entirety.

Patient Satisfaction Survey Disclaimer

Patient Reviews

(176 reviews)

I find Dr. Cao to be very effective and responsive to my medical needs. She's pro-active and makes sure to follow up on all pending issues.
as noted previously I like her and feel she is a very skilled expert
Dr. Cao is an excellent doctor. She is very concerned for her patients and continues to talk to us to be able to understand what our needs are and what she needs for us to understand. I never feel rushed with her. I truly appreciate her. Thank you so very much.
Excellent & professional & informative - Thank you Dr.
She is super nice and very helpful.
I found her very helpful and knowlagible and kind.
Dr Cao is top notch.
Helpful, unassuming, good listener
Michelle was awesome. Outstanding physician in whom I have a lot of confidence.
Very competent.
She is excellent
Dr. Cao is a superb physician — very professional, organized, and empathetic. I highly recommend her.
Thank you for years of excellent care!
we appreciated her patience and listening.
She is a very good doctor, listen very careful on my sleep problem , and gave very clear instruction . I really appreciate her helps today
Excellent doctor.
Dr. Cao is a great caring doctor and and very up-to-date with what is happening in sleep medicine field.
She is very knowledgeable and concerned about my condition.
Understood the issue. Provided good information.
I liked her personality.
She was helpful, calm, and clear in her assessment of my condition. Future steps were presented that were clear and appropriate. She answered questions and was patient. Overall it was a positive visit and outcome.
This was my introduction to her and I was very impressed. She has a very organized and efficient method. We covered a lot of information and I felt confident in the outcome and future actions.
Dr Cao was great! She was friendly and approachable which made me feel very comfortable with her. She was thorough and answered all my questions. I would highly recommend her!
Explained everything & clear...
She was very pleasant, but I felt like she had not reviewed my chart before the meeting otherwise she would have realized the appointment was not necessary. The last time we chatted it was decided not to do the c- pac
Dr. Cao is caring and very competent.
Great Doctor good care
Thank You for your Service
Good, kind, and competent care and advice.
Dr. Cao is knowledgeable, thorough pleasant and professional and she follows through with ongoing concerns.
Dr. Cao is knowledgeable and compassionate.
Dr. Cao is excellent. Glad I am her patient
Very caring and understanding professional. Very good first impression.
Michelle is on top of my sleep issues and if we are lucky will also become my pulmonologist.
she is good, somehow i feel like being rush a bit.
very helpful
Dr. Cao truly listens to her patients and provides thorough explanations.
Michelle Cao is very thorough and easy to talk to. I look forward to quitting with her.
Always very personable, easy to talk to. Answers any and all questions
She's a great doctor!
She is knowledgeable and personable. She made me feel relaxed and I did not feel rushed. I appreciated this interview very much.
I feel lucky to have found her.
Dr. Cao is warm and very competent. She has taken great care of me.
I like her very much and look forward to having her as my sleep and pulmonologist along with a new Stanford pulmonary hypertension MD some time in 2022.
She gave good advice
Excellent, thoughtful and caring. Extremely thorough. 10/10
She is a caring doctor and good listener. Always answers all of my questions and concerns.
She's great
Took time to get medical history and understand what lifestyle we live. Helped us to understand what living with ALS will be like.
Great doctor! Very helpful and very knowledgeable!
She's a good doctor. Very knowledgeable about who's working in the pulmonology field, and who best to refer folks to.
She gave me a thorough report on where I stand now and the best next steps. She went over possibilities that might occur if we did something more invasive sooner. She spoke clearly, covered all basis and although this was scary information she really did deliver the information in a kind and caring way.
Micheiie Cao, is wonderfull,very caring, Dr,Michelle Cao pays attention and listens to you I think she's cool,
She is very nice and helpful Thank u so mush about everything u do it for my daughter
Very personable. Uses "everyday" language for those not in the medical field.
Dr Cao is a superb physician.
I look forward to our next visit at her convenience!
Very informative visit.
Dr Cao was qt clear, to explain the things.
She's great. Very candid, genuine and I feel confident that she's giving me the best care.
Thank you for your generous wishes and best wishes to you for your future
You are the best thank you Dr. Cao for helping us keep our father alive.
exceptional, caring doctor! Has gone above and beyond for me over the years and helped me enormously
For approx 5 years Dr Cao has been my Sleep Doctor at Stanford Sleep Clinic. Always excellent Doctor.
Listens, offers information freely, answers questions patiently, offers recomendations and solutions to issues as needed. Has a plan to replace (if possible) the current Philips breathing machine and will notify as soon as she has answers.
Dr Cao is a great doctor. She is clear and factual, is analytical and logical, and communicates well. She also obviously has great technical competence and good bedside manner, and gives clear, honest, direct and practical advice.
Answers all my questions.
Dr. Cao is an excellent and caring doctor.
She is a great doctor
A great doctor, experienced expert.
She’s is alway professional and pleasant.
She is a very thorough and thoughtful doctor. I appreciate her thoroughness and how she makes sure to follow up with all my other doctors.
Very helpful, nice, professional and thorough.
She's great and answered all my questions and addressed all my concerns
It's always a pleasure meeting with Dr. Cao. She is very attentive, cares about me and my condition and is always available to provide guidance and information for me to be more educated about my condition and treatment. Great doctor!
The Best!!
Very good visit with information I needed to hear thank you
Competent, pleasant doctor.
An excellent doc. Answers my questions in detail. Is very approachable.
Michelle Cao is kind, professional and very efficient.
All went well.Michelle is very kind.
Dr. Cao was informative and thorough. She provided good examples to understand some of the medical issues that may be presenting.
She was great!
Dr. Cao is superb.
Dr. Cao is excellent in every way and I say that as a retired physician
dr. Cao is the best.
The dr. was very nice & concerned about my care. Fellow was a bit stand off but busy making sure everything was correct w/visit.
i have already recommended dr cao to others. michelle is extremely bright, effective, customer-oriented, trustworthy and professional. i could not imagine a doctor i trusted respected and appreciated more.
great physician
My Dr./Care Provider was great & cared about me & my concerns! Very grateful!
Dr. Cao was excellent. She discussed the issues thoroughly, gave good opinions, and expressed her thoughts with kindness.
I appreciated that Michelle matched my personality and communication style. I like lots of explanation and details, she realized this very quickly and explained everything very thoroughly.
Dr. Cao always goes beyond & plus! To give my wonderful husband her time knowledge & care she is AMAZING!!
Extraordinary care, great kindness, great knowledge of the problems Dr. Cao did a wonderful job. I am delighted with her care. Robert B. Matthews, MD.
My experience was very good. #1. A doctor.
Dr. Cao is an amazing doc.
Very good doctor.
Wonderful experience.
This doctor was very nice! However, I have been there 3 times and never see the same person. Therefore, I have to reexplain everything to each person. I don't feel there is any continuity of care.
Dr. Cao always takes her time with my boys. She has been an amazing provider for years.
Dr. Cao is wonderful! I'm very grateful and happy to have Dr. Cao on my case.
My experience at Stanford was outstanding. The people were kind cring and most efficient
Doctors were very nice and attentive.
Dr Cao is excellent.
The doctor was attentive and gave us time to think of any questions we might have.
I am always so happy to go there because I know I won't get treated like at some private dr.'s offices.
I would recommend Dr. Cao in a heartbeat. At this point, I could not recommend going to Stanford
very satisfied!
My experience with your new facility in Redwood City has been amazing. Everyone whether on the phone or in person has been extremely friendly & will go out of their way to help you.
Dr Cao is an amazing physician. She is caring compassionate and truly understands sleep medicine along with other medical conditions. She escorted me out and helped me to get the process going for getting approval for a sleep study with my insurance company. The scheduler found an appointment for me sooner than I thought, which was great. Wonderful customer service.
Dr. Cao is an excellent doctor.
Dr Day is the best doctor I've encountered in my 68 years. It is wonderful to have a world leader in his field right here in Palo Alto.
good
Dr. Cao spoke too fast.
Dr. M Cao was largely speaking to her medical counter parts rather than to me - I did not feel I was heard. I most certainly felt talked AT vs a part of the process. Heard so much about Stanford - quite disappointed.
Provider helped me through the whole test to get me to do it right.
Dr. Cao was great!!!
Thanks! God bless you!
Doctor spent a good amount of time talking about the tests and treatment options.
I love the are I get from Stanford the BEST
Dr. Cao & Dr. Singh take EXCELLENT care of me. Thank you SO MUCH!
DR. CAO is an amazing doctor.
Dr. Cao is magnificent. Extremely knowledgeable & experienced. She thoroughly looks at my sleep data and discusses them with me. I completely trust her. Responds very timely to questions (emails) despite being very busy.
my doctor was very clear in explaining the current nature of how I was adjusting to my sleep machine. She gave me instructions on how to improve my sleep behavior.
This was my first appt. with Dr. Cao. She listened to me and had feedback for my questions that made me comfortable - I trust her care. Gave me great info. regarding sleep apnea.
All good!
I am from out of state, Dr. Cao took me from miss managed care to a place where I will receive the proper care assuming that my home state can follow the plan. I can always email Dr. Cao.
Everything was explained & was treated as a person and not a number.
I really liked how I felt like there was enough time to answer questions.
Great bedside manner and conern. Very professional....and answered question that I had in a confident way. I have great trust on her care.
clear, concise explanation and good concern in answering my questions
Dr. Z was exemplary and Dr. Cao was great too.
Dr. Cao is incredible! She accurately diagnosed a neurological issue related to my diabetes that was missed by both my endocrinologist and primary care doctor and got me in to see a neurologist, and a new endocrinologist at Stanford. I am SO grateful.
Everytime when I came all people were welcome.
Dr. Z is very professional and empathetic.
Dr. Cso is absolutely superlative in every respect
Both Dr. Cao and Dr. Nguyen were excellent.
Dr. Cao in my opinion was not impress with my health issues. She seemed uninterested shown by her body language. Her fellow Dr."D." was excellent, friendly, courteous and professional.
I have been treated by Dr. Michelle Cao for many years. Quite simply she is the best. She is extremely knowledgeable and caring. Takes a lot of time w/me explains issues. The best!
Dr. Michelle Cao is truly outstanding. She takes time to explain everything, to answer all my questions, and to devise a plan for better sleep for me.
My doctor had left Stanford and I was concerned. The people I interacted with were professional, knowledgeable and put me at ease.
Very courteous, very interested, listened & discussed very well. Gave clear explanations, showed real concern for my well being.
my doctors are the most informative I have ever encountered
This doctor gave me hope that my sleep problems can be helped. She was the first to consider some issues that previous doctors in the sleep clinic either hadn't thought of, or hadn't mentioned.
Got the advice we needed.
Dr Cao is an excellent physician. She takes time to explain things, is pleasant, and overall is very professional. Highly recommended!
I have had the pleasure of being a patient of Dr. Michele Cao for many years. She is a fantastic doctor. She is extremely knowledgeable about my sleep related issues. She is always patient with me and answers all my questions. She takes extra time to give me advice on other medically related areas, i.e. weight loss and how it would help with my overall health and sleep issues. She is a tremendous asset to Stanford and a great doctor.
Very good!
Very hospitable staff. From start, to finish. Everyone shows a lot of compassion for your comfort.
Dr. Michelle Cao is one of the best doctors I have ever seen.
Good.
Doctor was great and helped me schedule next appt.
Extremely knowledgeable & professional. She gave excellent information & asked good questions.
Dr. Michelle Cao is quite frankly fantastic. She is extremely smart, talented, extremely knowledgeable. Outstanding dr. who provides me with input regarding not just my sleep related issues, but other health related topics. The best.
Not sure about what F/U entails. Do I need to bring CPAP machine,...? Dr. Cao runs hot & cold, but I like & trust her.
Excellent; gave us more time than allotted very personable & friendly.
Dr. Cao is just plain terrific
She was more likely to snicker at my problems. Was hard to discern sincerity.
When I told Dr. Cao of the problems MY HUSBAND was having with his CPAP, she immediately arranged for him to come in for a mask fitting (which we did not know was an option). He has had that and it has made tremendous difference in his sleep!!
Dr. Cao understood my issues and was clear in her explanations. She was also very helpful in describing the next steps for me, and helped me get an appointment with Dr. Mamber.
Dr. Michelle Cao is a tremendous doctor who is very caring regarding my issues - very knowledgeable.
Pleasant surprised at Dr. Cao's caring attitude and concern about my sleep issue - I thought she might rush or push me into doing a sleep study but she did not. I appreciated this -
Dr Cao is an excellent Doctor. Good listener and communicator. She was very thorough in her explanations.
She came in with arms crossed in front of her chest, standing. She never changed her posture or her gesture until she walked out. She talked like a mother to a child; talked as if she had authority ("Listen, I'm right.") She showed no sympathy that most physicians show to patients.
Dr. Chow saw me for an hour and then the second MD came in for less than 5 minutes. The hour was too long and he gave me a brochure on snoring and sleep apnea. This was not my first visit so this was unnecessary information.
The doctor could have better bedside manner. Seemed more interested in facts.
Most of my time was with the Fellow as opposed to the named provider.
Dr. Jonelis was excellent and was very thorough. I only saw Dr. Cao for a short time, but she was also excellent.
I spent a lot of time with the resident who was very good and asked lots of good questions and then the doctor came in for two minutes and asked many of the same questions already asked. seemed inefficient and not well coordinated
Not enough time with doc. Intern is great, though.
Very pleased.
A - OK.
Good, no problems!
She was very professional but it took a while to establish a rapport. I ended up feeling good about her but was a little put off at first.
Dr. Cao is "the best" extremely knowledgeable & caring towards her patients.
Good.

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