Dr. Tan is a Board Certified Pediatrician in private practice since the 80’s in Long Beach, California. After surviving the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime, in forced labor camps, he embarked on a perilous journey by foot to escape to the Cambodian-Thai border’s refugee camps.
After living in the Refugee Camps in Thailand for over a year, and almost six year-long ordeal, he was at last resettled for a new life in San Francisco, where he worked as a Health Worker and Interpreter. He went on to complete his Pediatric Residency Training at the University of Hawai’i John A. Burns School of Medicine/Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, Hawai’i.
He has been involved in multiple local hospital leadership positions. He was the Chair of Pediatric Medicine at Miller Children’s Hospital/Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and current Chair of the Pediatric Department at St Mary Medical Center, Long Beach. He served as a Board member of the Department of Health and Human Services of the City of Long Beach (1998-2006). He has been on the Board of Directors and Advisory Board of The Children’s Clinic, Long Beach since 1999, Founding Board member, VicePresident, and Secretary of the Cambodian Coordinating Council since 1999.
He has received numerous awards: The Katherine White Humanitarian Award (The Children’s Clinic, Long Beach), Outstanding Community Service Excellence Merit Award 2010 (Cambodian American Business Association), Outstanding Volunteer Award (Healthy Kids Coalition of Long Beach ), Immunization Innovation Award (California Department of Health Services, presented by the former First Lady of California, Gayle Wilson), Special Recognition for Southeast Asian Immunization Video Project (UCLA School of Public Health), Outstanding Volunteer Award (United Cambodian Community).
He is the President/Founder of the Cambodian Health Professionals Association of America (CHPAA). Besides English, he speaks Khmer (Cambodian), French, Chinese, and conversational and medical Spanish.
An avid hiker, he has hiked most of the local mountains including San Gorgonio, San Jacinto, Mt. Baldy, Half-Dome of Yosemite. His most memorable hike was his trek to the majestic and mythical Himalayas in Nepal, reaching Kalapatar and Mt. Everest Base-Camp.
