Gary Kao, M.D.

Dr. Gary Kao is a Doctor of Medicine who is double board certified with the American Board of Anesthesia in both anesthesia and pain management. He graduated from and completed his internship in Internal Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana. He later completed a residency in anesthesiology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Following his core residency, Dr. Kao pursued subspecialty training with a fellowship at Mount Sinai West/Morningside in New York City where he gained extensive experience and specialized training in pain management and procedural interventions. He also holds an undergraduate degree with honors in neuroscience from John Hopkins University.

Prior to joining Coastal Health, Dr. Kao served as an interventional pain physician in Corpus Christi, Texas where he developed an interventional pain practice offering comprehensive care and CDC-compliant medication management when appropriate. Dr. Kao’s excellent service and tireless work built the Texas clinic from a part-time satellite to a full-time operation. He expanded their services to include more advanced procedures, with a drive to be at the forefront of innovation and emerging technologies.

Dr. Kao is an active member in his specialty societies such as the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience, American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and the North American Neuromodulation Society. He has been a contributor to peer-reviewed journals on pain management and has served as an instructor for other clinicians on specialty nerve blocks.