May Chi Lau, MD $$

May Lau, M.D., M.P.H. is an adolescent medicine physician at Children's Health℠ and an Associate Professor at UT Southwestnern Medical Center.  

Many parents dread their children’s adolescent years, but Dr. May Lau particularly enjoys helping her patients and their parents through various adolescent issues. It is with this passion that Dr. Lau pursued a fellowship in adolescent medicine after her pediatric residency at Albany Medical College in New York. Adolescence is a time of tremendous upheaval in which adolescents can face multiple and unique challenges. These challenges manifest physically, emotionally and intellectually as adolescents transition to adulthood. Adolescents have their parents to guide them during these sometimes-tough years, and as an adolescent medicine physician, Dr. Lau endeavors to assist parents in this process as adolescents and parents face the most difficult issues.

“Our clinic visits are longer than is typical for adolescent patients. Because adolescent issues can sometimes be very complicated, it is vital that we spend enough time with our patients so that we can be sure that the issues are adequately addressed.  During the visit, I strive to develop a relaxed environment, spending time listening to the adolescent’s concerns and answering their questions. Through that process, I am able to identify any pertinent medical issues and create a plan of care that both the adolescent and parent agree on.”

Dr. Lau provides care for most medical issues that affect adolescent females and males. She has special expertise in sexual and reproductive issues facing adolescent females, such as menstrual issues, dysmenorrhea, breast masses and ovarian cysts. Her other expertise in contraception and sexually transmitted infection benefits the adolescent females and males she sees in clinic.

As an adolescent-medicine physician, Dr. Lau sees her position as a conduit between the parents and the adolescent, trying to help them understand each other and to assist the adolescent in decision-making.

My goal is to serve as an additional trusted resource for adolescents. Along with their parents, I hope to help guide my patients to make the best and healthiest decisions for them.

Besides seeing patients in the Adolescent and Young Adult clinic, Dr. Lau sees patients in the Young Women’s Bleeding Disorder Clinic, which provides care for adolescent females with bleeding problems and menstrual issues. She also treats some patients in the Cancer and Blood Disorders program.

 Along with seeing patients, Dr. Lau seeks to improve the lives of adolescents through research. Her current research is related to the human papillomavirus vaccine, improving communication between adolescents and physicians, and adolescent pregnancy prevention.

Dr. Lau is one of the few board-certified adolescent-medicine specialists in North Texas, and she is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Dr. Lau has been voted one of the Best Pediatric Specialists in Dallas four years in a row by D Magazine. She is also a member of the Texas Pediatric Society, the Texas Medical Society, the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. She also serves on the board of the North Texas Alliance to Reduce Teen Pregnancy.

In her free time, Dr. Lau enjoys reading mysteries, exercising, trying new recipes and spending time with her family.