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Specializing In
- Addiction Disorders
- Addiction Medicine
- Preventative Health
- Senior Health
- Senior Health
- Women's Health
- Women's Health
Biography
Dr. Cynthia Tsai, MD, is a board certified internal medicine physician who practices at Stanford Primary Care in Los Altos. She also serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Stanford within the Division of Primary Care and Population Health. She completed medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, and she completed residency training in internal medicine and primary care in the UCSF Primary Care/General Internal Medicine (UCPC-GIM) track of the Internal Medicine residency program. A Bay Area native, she is eager to provide primary care for a complex patient panel here in the Bay Area. Her clinical interests include preventative healthcare, the care of older adults, addiction medicine, and behavioral medicine. She grew up in a bicultural and bilingual home and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and she provides language concordant care to Mandarin speaking patients. Outside of patient care, she has interests in ambulatory medical education and the cultivation of early trainee interest in primary care. She also has strong interest in the medical humanities and narrative medicine, and has published personal perspective pieces in publications such as JAMA and the San Francisco Chronicle.
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Professional Summary
Education & Certifications
- Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (2021)
- A.B., Harvard College, Psychology (2013)
- Medical Education: University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine (2018) CA
- Residency: UCSF Graduate Medical Education Office (2021) CA
Honors & Awards
- Alanna McKelvey Stone Compassion Award, University of California, San Francisco - Department of Medicine (2021)
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion, University of California, San Francisco (2019)
- Phi Beta Kappa, Harvard College (2013)
Memberships
- Member, American College of Physicians (2019 - Present)
- Member, Society of General Internal Medicine (2020 - Present)
- Member, American Medical Association (2021 - Present)
Publications
-
Personal Risk and Societal Obligation Amidst COVID-19.
Tsai, C. (2020). Personal Risk and Societal Obligation Amidst COVID-19. JAMA, 323(16), 1555–1556. -
Effects of emotionally valenced working memory taxation on negative memories
Tsai, C., & McNally, R. J. (2014). Effects of emotionally valenced working memory taxation on negative memories. JOURNAL OF BEHAVIOR THERAPY AND EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHIATRY, 45(1), 15–19. -
Attention bias modification for reducing speech anxiety
McNally, R. J., Enock, P. M., Tsai, C., & Tousian, M. (2013). Attention bias modification for reducing speech anxiety. BEHAVIOUR RESEARCH AND THERAPY, 51(12), 882–888. -
Surprises and Expectations: On Patient Loss in Medicine
Tsai, C. (2020). Surprises and Expectations: On Patient Loss in Medicine. Doximity Network. Retrieved from https://opmed.doximity.com/articles/surprises-and-expectations -
Humanity toward a struggling man and his canine companion
Tsai, C. (2020). Humanity toward a struggling man and his canine companion. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved from https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Humanity-toward-a-struggling-man-and-his-canine-15033909.php -
The Vaccinated and the Anxious: Lessons from the Pandemic
Tsai, C. (2020). The Vaccinated and the Anxious: Lessons from the Pandemic. KevinMD.com. Retrieved from https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/12/the-vaccinated-and-the-anxious-lessons-from-the-pandemic.html
Practice Locations
Stanford Primary Care in Los Altos Los Altos, CA
Los Altos, CA
Stanford Primary Care in Los Altos
960 N. San Antonio Road, Suite 101
Los Altos , CA 94022
Make An Appointment More Clinic Information » Getting Here »Important Information about Our Organizations and Physician Affiliation
Stanford Health Care, Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, and Stanford Medicine Partners are each independent nonprofit organizations that are affiliated with but separate from each other and from Stanford University. The physicians who provide care at facilities operated by Stanford Health Care, Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, and Stanford Medicine Partners are faculty, foundation, or community physicians who are not employees, representatives, or agents of Stanford Health Care, Stanford Health Care Tri- Valley, or Stanford Medicine Partners. Stanford Health Care, Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, and Stanford Medicine Partners do not exercise control over the care provided by such faculty, foundation, and community physicians and are not responsible for their actions.
Patient Reviews
(236 reviews)
Dr. Tsai is an excellent physician—organized, very knowledgeable, thorough, well prepared, and empathetic. I highly recommend her.
Thank you for the excellent care you provide me.
Had an excellent visit. Dr. Tsai listened, was very helpful and very proactive in her suggestions.
Prepared. Thorough and knowledgeable.
Dr. Tsai is a very pleasant and caring physician. She shows genuine interest in listening and understanding patient's needs and concerns. She provided timely and clear medical advice and consultation with impeccable communication skills.
Dr Tsai is an excellent Dr and covers everything you could possibly ask for
I am blessed to have Dr. Tsai as my PCP.
Excellent doctor
Excellent service always! Dr. Cynthia Tsai is the best primary care physician that I have met at Stanford Healthcare.
She is fantastic- so grateful to have such a wonderful Doctor.
So please to have such a wonderful doctor who knows me and understand how to treat my concerns. Very knowledgeable, easy to talk to, very capable of understanding my health matters and age group. Excellent ability to address my health matters with a kind and supportive approach.
Excellence in medicine is found in Cynthia Tsai. I have never had such confidence in a doctor.
Truly wonderful, caring, and compassionate
Excellent physician
Cynthia Tsai is a very good doctor & very. Professional i would recommend het to my group of friends in the future.
She is very helpful caring excellent doctor, this is my first doctor that really care and listen to her patients. I definitely recommend her.
Very friendly and caring,
she take time to listen and explain very well...
The best family doctor taking care patient.
Dr. Tsai is the utmost professional and kind as well. Her care is greatly appreciated.
Dr Tsai was very good at explaining things in ways that were very easy for me to understand.
Dr. Tsai is a very good doctor! She listens to your concerns and problems and trying to find the solution for you. She is considerate and patient person, I am really appreciative of her care and help! Thanks a lot!
I am so grateful to have Dr. Tsai as my Primary Care physician. She is very patient, knowledgeable, listens well and comes up with a mutually agreed plan of action to address matters. She is a superb physician and I and thankful for all her efforts.
An excellent, thoughtful discussion with a reasonable plan going forward
Doctor Tsai is very friendly and sincere. She gave me helpful advise and guidance for both short-term and long-term goals and treatment.
Best doctor ever!
Outstanding, understanding, detailed knowledge, well prepared, had reviewed my medical chart prior to the video visit and had complete knowledge of my complex medical issues. Outstanding preparation and detail in my judgment.
Seen on time. Everyone so professional competent and nice. What a pleasure to go to the doctor, something I thought I would never say.
She is an exceptional doctor. She is brilliant, caring, and quick to do any and everything in the medical profession to help me.
She is a terrific doctor. I feel so lucky she is my doctor and safer because of having her for my primary. She listens carefully and does not forget details of what I tell her and have told her in the past and follows through with medical concerns to get to the best answer about what is going on.
Superb doctor. Personable, professional, knowledgeable and great listener/ communicator. Able to work through complex health issues and come up with effective strategies and action plans. Grateful to have her as my Primary Care Physician.
Doctor is awesome
She is thorough, does not rush me and hears everything I say and follows up on my medical needs well. I feel heard and I feel well taken care of medically. My direct experiences have been good. She is smart, thorough and thoughtful and usually very compassionate.
She’s excellent Doctor very helpful and caring, Never had a doctor like her
Excellent interpersonal skills, active listener
outstanding clinician and the staff is warm and welcoming
Dr. Tsai is extremely kind, and very professional and knowledgeable
Very time efficient
She’s absolutely amazing
She is an excellent doctor.
Very passionate, very patient!
I trust Cynthia Tsai to take good care of me. She is very thorough and orders tests that might be helpful for diagnosis. She arrives at our appointments prepared. When something changes about me (e.g., weight, digestion) she encourages me to try adjusting medication dosage and supplements to see if they make a difference or are the right course of action before making long term changes.
Dr. Tsai is kind, attentive, thorough and smart. She makes you feel comfortable to share information. I am fortunate to have her as my primary care doctor.
Good
She is very patient, willing to listen all my questions and explains every thing clearly. I feel so comfortable talking to her and trust her as my physician.
She’s absolutely amazing doctor
Very helpful and friendly
Dr. Cynthia Tsai is a great doctor she is very detailed concerning patient
Dr Cynthia Tsai my primary Doctor is very accommodating and very helpful in making me understand what she says.
Doctor seems mother s care to me , thanks
I want to say Dr. Tsai is a wonderful doctor. I have not felt this healthy/well in years thanks to her direct care and her referrals. Thank you for bringing in such a great doctor.
She’s exceptional
Very fortunate to have her as my PCP.
She's basically perfect!
Understanding, thoughtful. Feel quite fortunate at having her as my doctor.
Cynthia Tsai was exceptional in today's video visit. Understood my point of view, had reviewed my chart and was 100% familiar with my previous medical history. Dr. Tsai provided referrals to specialists that are critically important to my health Exceptional appointment!
Dr Tsai was very helpful and knowledgeable. We had a very good consultation and subsequent recommendation. Very pleased with my visit with Dr Tsai .
Very detail
It is a very constructive video call.
Excellent doctor.
Listens very well. Very personable.
Shes the absolute best! Kind, thorough, and a great listener.
Very good
Dr. Tsai has a calm personality that shows genuine care towards me. She listens, reviews my medical record and advised me. She was never at a rush. I am so fortunate to have her as my doctor.
Doctor Tsai friendly professional she listen and work with you, I like her as my doctor
Exceptional visit. She knew my previous medical history and surgery. Asked questions about my recent symptoms.
Wonderful doctor and very friendly staff.
Listens, thinks, offers alternatives. Very thorough, and uses the video format very well. I really am glad she’s my doctor.
Very good
She is an extremely wonderful and caring PCP.
She is very thorough and knowledgable. She likes to have data from tests to inform her.
Dr. Tsai is caring and knowledgeable and is willing to spend time to explain the issues I raised with her.
Excellent caring doctor.
Very understanding doctor and is very willing to listen to me and provides her solutions.
This was my 1st visit with Dr Tsai She was kind nice caring listened had wonderful information Dr Tsai was great
One of the best GPs I’ve ever had - very clear, helpful and extremely knowledgeable.
Cynthia Tsai is an outstanding doctor. Understanding, caring, thoughtful, resourceful, practical and professional are only few of her characteristics. I feel very fortunate that she is my doctor.
Dr Tsai is very knowledgeable, informative, professional and courteous.
I have no hesitation in referring her to my fiends
She is the BEST active listener all you want in a physician. She kind, and understanding and always makes you feel heard not dismissed. She also is great at asking open-ended questions so she knows how you are feeling. She is funny and light-hearted and compassionate. She is one of the best primary care physicians there!
Dr Tsai is awesome!!!
Tremendous respect for Dr. Cynthia Tsai.
Dr. Cynthis Tsai is an excellent physican. I see her as the most integal and essential person in my health care team. I respect her judgment and knowledge of medicine. She provides me with a treatment plan that makes sense and I understand. Dr. Tsai answers all of my questions regarding my health conditions and communicates effectively. I am very grateful to be her patient. Thank you.
Dr. Tsai was very attentive to my comments and questions and thorough in her explanations. I was very impressed with her.
Dr Tsai is very nice, friendly, knowledgeable and resourceful.
Dr. Cynthia Tsai is an excellent doctor. She is knowledgable, thorough, communicates effectively, LISTENS, accepting, emphathetic, geniune, and patient. I am grateful to be one of her patient's and appreciate her very much.
Dr. Tsai is knowledgeable, thorough and explains things well. She makes you feel welcome and most importantly listened to.
Thank you for being my partner in figuring out how to get back to good health in this Long Covid journey. I feel heartened to hear that other patients have responded well to LDN and that you are seeing/treating other patients with this condition. It's been a lonely journey, for sure.
Friendly, courteous, takes time to explain things and listen
Dr. Tsai is an excellent physician
Excellent internist!!
Excellent visit with Dr Tsai, she is very warm, friendly, professional and detail oriented, I felt I can trust her fully. It’s worth the long waiting became her new patient …. A +++ â ¤ï¸ â ¤ï¸ â ¤ï¸
I love doctor Cynthia Tsai. She listens to everything I have to say. Also ask’s me questions and any concerns I may have.
Excellent
Really great doctor and person very personable and caring
I love Dr. Cynthia Thai. She is a wonderful doctor who is genuinely care and provide such best accoomodation
I feel confident in her ability as a doctor to treat me!
Sincerely and professional ðŸ‘
Only visited her two times, but I already adore and appreciate Dr. Tsai.
I really like her
I was very impressed with her. She was very thorough and had a friendly demeanor. I will be happy to have her for my PCP.
Doctor was really checked everything and listened what I have to say
Dr.Cynthia Tsai is an excellent doctor.
Dr. Tsai was patient, kind and caring
Excellent coverage of my issues.
She's terrific! Super grateful. One suggestion: you should get Donald Duck bandaids for blood draws. Jessica drew my blood, she was great, I told her that I was going to write this in the comments. Looney Tunes bandaids would be fine as well.
Dr. Tsai is a very warm , pleasant doctor . I feel
very comfortable . She understands s my concern about my health issue . Glad to have her as my primary doctor .
Excellent and very helpful
She is very thorough, asks questions and listens to my answers. I like that she asks my wife what she has observed about my behavior.
The facility is very clean and pleasant. Staffs are kind. Wait time is short.
I found that the doctor is a very detailed person and is very easy to talk to.
Dr. Thai listened carefully, offered treatment options, and was generally very supportive and concerned.
Dr. Tsai is attentive, caring and knowledgeable.
Great service. Great staff.
Dr. Tsai was very patient and caring in discussing my health concerns and questions.
She is the best
You are the BEST!
As always, I had a great experience with my video visit with Dr. Cynthia Tsai! She is truly easy to talk to and understands my goals for my health care.
of all the clinics I go to, this is the most well run, compassionate team I have encountered
Excellent communication skills and rapport. She was prepared for my appointment, addressed all my questions, and formulated a plan for my care. .
It was very good introductory visit. I got several good advises such as Tdat vaccine.
She seems very knowledgeable about all my medical concerns.
Expert, very professional & knowledgeable. Awesome doctor. I am very happy she is my pcp.
I really respect her . Because to me she is wonderful .
Dr.Tsai was very attentive and took care of my concerns.
Kind, patient and helpful
I’m so happy I found Dr. Tsai. She was helpful, knowledgeable and had a caring manner.
Dr. Cynthia Tsai is so kind and caring and the most conscientious doctor I have ever met. She is so aware of my wife and my concerns and does everything possible to keep us aware of what we need to do to stay healthy. She stays in constant touch with us to make sure we are ok. She definitely is a great example of what all doctors should be like.
Thank you, Dr. Tsai!
Dr Tsai was very insightful; I appreciate it
Dr. Tsai was thoughtful, complete and a good listener
good Dr and Ns
Dr. Tsai is friendly and warm.
Nice to me
Great dr and team
She is knowledgeable, a good listener, personable, and easy to talk with.
Very kind receptionists, nurses and docters. I felt very well cared. Thank you so much!!
I liked the way she talked about alternative medicine to eventually being off of the medication. I will definitely think about that possibility.
Dr. Tsei was AMAZING!!!! Super sweet and easy to talk to. So happy to have found another amazing doctor at Stanford! thank you!
I have much respect and affection for Dr. Tsai.
Prompt attention to my needs!
Dr Tsai and RN Natalie were amazing in their professional practice and made my experience very warm.
I found an excellent primary care physician.
She's kind, confidence building, helpful, considerate, and invested in the outcomes. She sees me as an individual not just another body to pass along. She's vested fully in my well being. She's very smart but she hears me out and my concerns and my suggestions, listens to my values and my research and takes it all into consideration before anything is prescribed. She moves the conversation along at just the right pace. I really appreciate that.
She's very helpful, and interested in me as a patient and I feel that she's very knowledgeable.
Very patient, reassuring, calm, good listener and explains clearly offering options of care
She is very thorough.
This is my second visit. She's a happy and very intelligent doctor
Thank you for your time and using this medium to answer my questions sooner
She was engaged and well prepared for our appointment. She asked pertinent and relevant questions. She told us what she would do before our follow up meeting.
Thank you so much for always being so responsive and caring!!
Very easy to talk to
Excellent listener
I felt she understood my situation, and that she would work with me on anything needed
provider is outstanding, concern about availability of appointments
Caring, kind, careful and brilliant.
Thank you very much Dr Tsai
The doctor is very good
She answered my questions sufficiently and recommended a plan for treatment.
She was very attentive and understanding, definitely recommend Dr Tsai
very pleased to meet Dr. Tsai
Intelligent, caring, welcoming.
Great doc
Excellent Dr in every regard.
Wonderful experience. A+ thanks!
Very professional, friendly, patient in explaining things and answering questions
Dr Tsai is terrific. She is super smart, has had great training, and she has so much empathy for her patients.
Dr. Tsai explains things very well and is warm and cheerful.
She is kind and listens to whatever you have to say. She is wonderful.
Dr. Tsai was caring, thorough, and easy to talk to over video. I had a very good experience with her.
Dr. Cynthia Tsai is thorough and easy to talk with. I am recommending her to all of my family!
Dr. Tsai was very professional, caring, knowledgeable and pleasant.
all good
Extremely happy with the rigor and level of care provided.
Very helpful, knowledgeable with good bedside manners. Felt like she truly cared about the pain I am experiencing
Dr. Tsai was very thorough going through my health issues. She is one of the best doctors. I am so grateful to have her taking care of me.
Dr Tsai you’re the best! Thank you for help and guidance.
She is very responsible and patient! I am honored to have her as my family doctor! !
Excellent experience. Felt very listened to and covered my questions.
She was kind and has great communication skills.
Courteous, helpful and patient when answering questions and explaining thimgs
She listen and gives great feed back
first visit, excellent first impression, compassionate, read my medical record, listened well
Excellent first visit.
Everything is explained clearly
Dr. Tsai was fantastic!
excellent patient service
I am very pleased and impressed that Dr Tsai read the summary I sent prior to the appointment. It was more efficient and easier for me to write it down than say the story during the appt.
Nice to meet you and appreciate the clarity of next steps and expectations.
Jessie
So happy to have found Dr. Tsai! I felt very comfortable talking to her; she was attentive and thorough. She made me feel heard and genuinely cared for.
I am so glad I found Dr. Thai. She is attentive, excellent listener and provided thoughtful input and advice. She is an excellent healthcare provider and partner.
Dr. Tsai is precise & listens to the problems.
very reasonable. Kind. well prepared. it's my first time seeing Dr. Tsai due to my old primary doctor left the practise. She came into the room knowing all my needs for blood work, etc. from history in the PAMF. She also asked a few family history and explained MAMO can be done at 50 rather than 40.
Fun, thoughtful, thorough, responsive. I’ve had more contact with Dr. Tsai in the short time she has been my PCP than I ever had in all the years I’ve been with this clinic.
Dr. Tsai is wonderful and takes an active interest in my healthcare. I feel heard as a patient and pleased with our visits.
Dr. Tsai gives me the impression that I have been chosen a very caring primary doctor.
My visit was excellent
very good visit to the doctor
Dr. Cynthia Tsai and Jackie were fantastic. The receptionist was so friendly too 😊
Dr Tsai listened and addressed all of my concerns. She is very pleasant and I look forward to working with her.
Dr. Tsai took their time to listen to my needs & addressed all my concerns.
Thank you, Dr. Tsai! It was great to meet you today!
Very recommended
Very competent and knowledgeable.
That was the first time I did personally meet her & she very nice
She was well informed and very helpful for my needs.
Dr Tsai respects her patients and really listens.
She was thorough, and had taken time to get familiar with my medical history before starting the visit. She was very approchable, and really listened to my answers.
Super excellent
Dr. Tsai listened to patient's requests/comments very carefully and shared her advise wisely
Dr. Tsai explains things well, listens carefully, and is warm and cheerful
Exceptional care and bedside manner
I am impressed. Scheduling my three appointment on the same was great and time saving. Staff and doctors were friendly and knowledgeable.
Dr. Tsai is not only professional but so nice and kind and answered my questions. This is my first visit but I think she tried all her best to help me. She'll refer me to a cardiologist and will also check my medical records in detail to help me solve my issues. I like her and would strongly recommend others to be her patients.
I’m happy and they’re nice to me , God bless
Professional, good listener, bright, thoughtful, cheerful
Dr. Cynthia Tsai is fabulous. Easy to talk to. I am so excited to have her as my primary doctor.
I really like her
Personable, knowledgeable and professional physician. I am very grateful to have her as my physician and have access to her excellent care.
Highly likely to recommend
She's wonderful. Easy to chat with, a good listener and a very clear communicator.
She cares for my concerns on recent health changes and order lab test to address this concern.
Dr Tsai provided good suggestions and recommendations. I enjoyed the video visit and getting to know her.
Dr. Tsai is very knowledgeable and very attentive and responsive to my concerns. she is quick to answer any questions I send via my health, I am very satisfied with her services.
definitely
Dr. Tsai was very warm and friendly, and I am looking forward to having her as my primary physician. I feel that she cares about her patients.
She is kind and I don’t have any problem yet
Dr Tsai is probably the best MD we've ever seen
Dr. Tsai was great. Incredibly nice and helpful and seems to genuinely care about her patients.
Very caring and thorough.. Made me feel comfortable and well cared for. Excellent visit
First visit. Dr. Tsai was well prepared, is an excellent communicator and created a thoughtful health support plan specifically for me taking into consideration my thoughts and needs. Much appreciated.
She was awesome and wonderful. She listened carefully and asked good questions and didn't let things slip through.
The only complaints I have are about the video process.
Dr. Cynthia Tsai is a phenomenal doctor. She is patient, caring and very knowledgeable.
She was kind, attentive and answered all my questions.
Great doctor ! I would like to make her my PCP
I really liked Dr.Tsai, she was knowledgable, friendly and understanding.
Personable, friendly, knowledgeable, great to speak with.
I found her to be knowledgeable, personable a good listener and a problem solver. I really liked her.
She seemed caring and competent. I look forward to working with her. She’d obviously prepared for the meeting and made sure she was able to address all of my issues.
Glad to meet my new primary doctor. Very accommodating. Thanks
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