Biography & Credentials - Michael Lau, MD, FACS, FACOG
It is important to know the surgeon that you trust with performing a surgery for you, especially in the intimate area. For this purpose, Dr. Lau wants you to get to know him better through his biography.
Biography
Michael Lau, MD, FACS, FACOG
Dr. Michael Lau is a highly trained and experienced surgeon in gynecologic and cosmetic surgery, and he has been devoting his academic and professional life to achieving three career objectives:
- Excellence in surgical skills and judgment
- Translation of invasive surgeries to non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures to benefit his patients
- Development of innovative medical and surgical technologies
To this end, Dr. Lau has been successful.
Excellence in Surgery
Dr. Lau’s excellence in surgical skills and judgment is attested by his patients and his peers, formalized by his election to be a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) – one of the very few gynecologists receiving such recognition.
Dr. Lau received his pelvic reconstructive surgery and urogynecology training from Dr. C. Paul Hodgkinson, a world- renowned gynecologic surgeon and the pioneer of urogynecology. Dr. Hodgkinson was the first to recognize the condition of detrusor hyperactivity (overactive bladder) and develop the first urodynamic system. He also pioneered the retropubic urethropexy procedure, the gold standard of surgery for stress urinary incontinence. Over a period of four years, Dr. Lau was Dr. Hodginson’s resident and then chief resident, ever grateful for the tutorage that he received from the master surgeon.
In order to perfect his surgical skill for cosmetic vaginal surgeries, Dr. Lau devoted two years to a preceptorship in cosmetic and plastic surgery with Dr. Robert Alexander, a world-renowned cosmetic surgeon and pioneer in fat transfer grafts, and Dr. Ken Tucker, a well respected plastic surgeon in Seattle. Out of this training experience, Dr. Lau further developed minimally invasive surgical technologies as applied to cosmetic vaginal surgeries.
Minimal Invasiveness as Key Philosophy
Dr. Michael Lau performing laser surgery
Taking from what he learned from Dr. Hodgkinson and other great pelvic and vaginal surgeons at Henry Ford Hospital, Dr. Lau developed his own gynecologic surgery and pelvic/vaginal plastic and reconstructive surgery clinics in Seattle. Recognizing that while the traditional invasive surgeries are effective, new technology innovation can be used to translate some of these operations to minimally or even non-invasive procedures to reduce the surgical trauma and recovery requirement. Leveraging his scientific training, Dr. Lau was one of the first surgeons in the U.S. to use laser for gynecology, both for vaginal and cervical surgeries and laser laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Lau also pioneered the use of microwave for endometrial ablation to reduce heavy menses in the U.S. Using high definition optics and laser laparoscopy, Dr. Lau translates the open microscopic infertility surgery for pelvic adhesions and endometriosis to minimally invasive laser laparoscopy, an outpatient day surgery.
With his experience in doing hundreds of vaginal surgeries, Dr. Lau has transformed labioplasty and perineoplasty to be minimally invasive, done under local anesthesia and promoting quicker recovery.
Technology Innovator
Clinical studies for office-based, non-invasive
HIFU treatment for uterine fibroids
Dr. Lau studied nuclear physics and chemistry at the University of Washington graduate school. After his Master of Science degree, he spent two years towards his PhD degree, working on heavy ion nuclear physics and astro-nuclear physics, before deciding to go to medical school. Leveraging his knowledge of physics and chemistry, Dr. Lau has been developing innovative technologies applied to surgery and medicine, consistent with his goal of translating invasive surgeries to minimally or non-invasive procedures. In addition to laser and microwave, Dr. Lau is an innovator in using High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) therapy for non-invasive surgery, specifically in treating uterine fibroids. Dr. Lau has multiple U.S. patents and patent applications covering HIFU therapy, laparoscopic surgery, surgical mesh for urogynecology and plastic surgery, and also tissue contouring technologies. In order to implement the development of these technology innovations, Dr. Lau studied at the University of Oxford in the UK, concentrating in technology innovation and implementation, and received an MBA degree from Oxford.
With his close association with Oxford and his affiliation with the University of Washington and the University of Utah, Dr. Lau has been able to utilize the network amongst these three great institutions for technology innovation in helping him to develop innovative technologies for medicine and surgery.
Professional Credentials
Licensed to Practice Medicine:
State of Washington, Hawaii, & United Kingdom
Board Certification:
Diplomat, American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Professional Fellowships:
FACS, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
FACOG, Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Current Hospital Affiliations:
Swedish Hospital Edmonds, Edmonds, WA
Academic Appointment:
Clinical Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine
Adjunct Faculty, Bastyr University School of Naturopathic Medicine
Medical Advisor:
Former consultant and speaker for Microsulis America, American Medical Systems, and Pfizer
Education & Training:
Graduate School: University of Oxford – January 2008 – November 2009, MBA Nov 2009
Preceptorship: With Robert W. Alexander, MD, FICS and Kenneth R. Tucker, MD, FACS, Lynnwood, WA. Preceptorship in Cosmetic Surgery July 1999 – June 2001
Residency: Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI – Chief Resident 1981 – 1982; Residency in Gynecology & Obstetrics July 1978 – June 1982
Internship: University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital - July 1977 – June 1978
Medical School: University of Hong Kong - Sept. 1972 – May 1977, M.B., B.S. May 1977
Graduate School: University of Washington – Sept. 1969 – Sept. 1972, M.S. Dec. 1970, Ph.D. Candidate in Nuclear Physics & Chemistry
Undergraduate: Church College of Hawaii, Laie, HI – Sept. 1966 – May 1969, B.S. in Chemistry May 1969
Membership in Professional Societies:
American College of Surgeons
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery
King County Medical Society
American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery
AAGL
European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy
European Society for Sexual Medicine
International Society for Sexual Medicine
Awards:
Gynecologic Urology Society Prize
Outstanding Teacher in Medicine by the Medical Students of the University of Michigan
Distinction in Pediatrics – University of Hong Kong
Dr. P.M. Yap Memorial Prize in Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong Medical Association Prize for Research in Neonatology, University of Hong Kong
Published Patents & Applications:
United States Patent, Number 5,383,860 “Two part conductive cannula with adaptive disposable non-invasive element.” January 24, 1995.
United States Patent, Number 8,057,391 “Apparatus for Delivering High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Energy to a Treatment Site Internal to a Patient’s Body.” Nov. 15, 2011.
United States Patent, Number 8,052,604 “Methods and Apparatus for Engagement and Coupling of an Intracavitory Imaging and High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Probe.” Nov. 8, 2011.
United States Patent Application Publication, US 2008/0125771A-1. “Methods and Apparatus for Contouring Tissue by Selective Application of Energy.” May 29, 2008.
United States Patent Application Publication, US 2007/0232913. “Methods and Apparatus for the Treatment of Menometrorrhagia, Endometrial Pathology, and Cervical Neoplasia Using High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Energy.” Oct. 4, 2007.
Scientific Publications:
Mason J. Burger, Tajila Mullahkhel, Ian C. McPhee, Michael P.H. Lau, Leonard F. Pease III, "Biomimetic Soft Tissue Replacement and Regeneration," in the Handbook of Biomimetics and Bioinspiration, Dr. Esmaiel Jabbari, Ali Khademhosseini, Luke P. Lee, Deok-Ho Kim, and Amir Ghaemmaghami Ed., World Scientific Publishing, 2013.
“Retrospective Study Comparing Rollerball, Novasure and Microwave Endometrial Ablation.” Presented at Global Congress AAGL Annual Meeting, November 2004.
“Suburethral mesh for stress urinary incontinence, comparing the transabdominal versus the transobturator approach.” Presented at Global Congress AAGL Annual Meeting, November 2004.
“Comparison of urethro-vesical junction anatomy with ultrasound and metallic bead- chain urethrocystogram” – presented at the Gynecologic Urology Society annual meeting, November 1985.
“Histiocytosis X of the vulva” – presented at the Michigan Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists meeting, May 1980.
“Clinical significance of unbound bilirubin,” R. Wennberg, M. Lau and L.F. Rasmussen, Pediatric Research, Vol. 10, no. 4, p.434 (April 1976).
“Quantitative assessments of albumin-bilirubin binding in newborns,” R. Wennberg, M. Lau and L.F. Rasmussen. Clinical Research, Vol. 25, No. 2, p.175A (Feb. 1977).
“Elastic and inelastic scattering of 18O by 18O and 16O,” R. Vandenbosch, P.H. Lau, and W.N. Reisdorf. Nuclear Physics, A230, 59 (1974).
“One-neutron and two-neutron transfer in the scattering of 18O by 16O,” W.N. Reisdorf, P.H. Lau, and R. Vandenbosch. Nuclear Physics, A235, 490 (1975).
“The 12C(12C, 8Be) 16O reaction in the vicinity of the quasimolecular resonances,” M.S. Cooper, W.N. Reisdorf, and P.H. Lau. Bulletin American Physical Society, 17, 920 (1972).
Symposiums & Lectures:
Symposiums and lectures on Endometrial Ablation, Urinary Incontinence, Pelvic Cosmetic Surgery, HIFU Therapy,
and Pelvic Floor Surgery at various locations nationally and internationally.