Tohru Sato, M.D.

I chose to practice at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) in order to provide compassionate care to the local community. My philosophy is to provide care in a collaborative manner. Rather than dictating a plan, I prefer to provide options, making decisions with patients and family to determine the best plan.

Before joining PAMF, I had the opportunity to be a clinician and researcher at many local hospitals, including Stanford University Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto healthcare System, and Kaiser Permanente at San Jose and Santa Clara. My earlier research was on liver inflammation but evolved to more clinical research in colon cancer screening and management of flat polyps. I was born and raised in New York and did much of my education on the East Coast at Brown University and State University of New York. However, after coming to the West Coast to complete my fellowship and getting married, my wife and I decided to settle in the Bay Area.

Outside of Medicine, Dr. Sato enjoys spending time with family and going for a run whenever possible.