San Francisco Bay Area

Zaw Maung, MD

Triple board-certified physician with subspecialty training from Johns Hopkins — bridging clinical medicine, occupational health, and high-stakes decision-making across industries and borders.

HIMS AME FAA Senior AME QME · IME Occupational Medicine Addiction Medicine Clinical Informatics Environmental Health
Zaw Maung, MD
About

A physician at the intersection of medicine and work

I'm a physician who has spent my career at an unusual crossroads — where clinical judgment meets occupational risk, regulatory compliance, and organizational decision-making. Most doctors see patients after something has gone wrong. I specialize in understanding how work shapes health, and how health shapes the ability to work.

My practice, Peninsula Medical Associates, serves pilots, injured workers, and employers across the San Mateo/Bay Area. I hold FAA Senior AME and HIMS AME designations, and I've worked extensively with OSHA-adjacent regulatory frameworks throughout my career.

My training at Johns Hopkins, combined with board certifications across three disciplines — Occupational Medicine, Addiction Medicine, and Clinical Informatics — gives me an unusually broad vantage point. I see not just the individual patient, but the systems and environments that shape their health trajectories — from worksites in the Bay Area to occupational health contexts in Qatar and Vietnam.

Clinical Work

What people come to me for

From pilots who need their medical certificate to attorneys building a case — here's where I spend my clinical time.

Aviation Medicine
FAA Medical Exams — Class I, II & III
Standard Class I, II, and III airman medical exams, plus special issuance support for pilots navigating complex medical conditions. I know what the FAA needs and how to help you get there.
HIMS Evaluation and Monitoring
HIMS AME with experience guiding pilots through the substance use history certification pathway — from initial evaluation through ongoing monitoring and return to flight. I understand both the medical and regulatory sides, and that your livelihood is on the line.
Med-Legal
QME Evaluations
Qualified Medical Evaluator with broad experience across industries and occupations. I understand the physical demands and hazards of different kinds of work — which means my functional capacity assessments reflect what your job actually requires, not a textbook approximation.
IME Evaluations
Independent Medical Examiner for disability and liability cases. I provide objective, well-documented assessments of functional capacity — translating a medical condition into what someone can and cannot do — for insurers, attorneys, and others who need a clear, defensible clinical opinion.
Toxic Exposure & Complex Cases
Toxic exposure cases require a physician who understands both the clinical picture and the environmental science. I evaluate complex cases involving chemical exposures, environmental hazards, and multi-system conditions.
Expert Witness & Record Review
Expert testimony and record review in occupational injury, disability, and workers' compensation cases. I translate complex medical facts into clear, defensible opinions for attorneys and courts.
Occupational & Environmental Medicine
Occupational Health for Employers
Medical program design, fitness-for-duty evaluations, drug and alcohol program support, and return-to-work assessments for businesses managing workforce health risk.
Addiction & Substance Disorders
Evaluation and management for individuals in safety-sensitive roles, including pilots and healthcare workers. Substance use is a medical condition — I treat it that way.
Credentials

Training & certifications

Three board certifications, two FAA designations, and subspecialty training at Johns Hopkins.

Board Certified
Occupational & Environmental Medicine
Work-related illness and injury, environmental exposures, and the health of working populations — the core of my clinical practice.
Board Certified
Addiction Medicine
Diagnosis and management of substance use disorders, with particular depth in safety-sensitive occupations and aviation certification.
Board Certified
Clinical Informatics
The intersection of medicine, data systems, and clinical decision-making — applied to occupational and organizational health problems.
FAA Designated
Senior Aviation Medical Examiner
Authorized to perform Class I, II, and III FAA airman medical examinations. Senior AME designation reflects volume and experience.
FAA Designated
HIMS AME
Specialized designation for evaluating pilots with substance use histories seeking return-to-flight certification through the HIMS program.
Academic Training
Johns Hopkins University
Subspecialty training in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, including research in worksite health promotion and workforce disease prevention.
Advisory & Speaking

Beyond the exam room

My clinical work sits at a rare intersection — occupational medicine, addiction, aviation, environmental health, and health informatics — that most organizations don't have internal access to.

I'm available for advisory board roles, retained consulting engagements, speaking, and expert panel participation with companies, law firms, insurers, aviation organizations, and global health entities that need a physician who can operate credibly across clinical, legal, regulatory, and strategic contexts.

I've worked internationally — including occupational health frameworks in Qatar and addiction treatment systems in Vietnam — and bring that global perspective to domestic consulting.

  • TopicHeat illness and climate-related workforce risk — evidence, thresholds, and what employers should be doing now
  • TopicAviation medicine and safety: substance use, mental health, and the FAA certification pipeline
  • TopicWork, the body, and longevity — what occupational medicine knows that the wellness industry doesn't
  • TopicAddiction in safety-sensitive industries — the regulatory, clinical, and human picture
  • TopicToxic exposure and complex occupational cases — bridging the clinical and legal worlds

I bring a clinician's perspective to settings that typically don't have one — boardrooms, courtrooms, conference stages, and regulatory discussions. If you're looking for a physician who can engage across those contexts and communicate clearly to non-medical audiences, let's talk.

Start a conversation
Areas of expertise
Occupational medicine Aviation medicine Addiction medicine Environmental health Heat illness Functional capacity Toxic exposure HIMS / FAA QME / IME Expert witness International health
Research & Publications

Peer-reviewed work

Published in journals from Nature Neuroscience to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine — spanning heat illness, COVID-19, vaccine safety, addiction treatment access, and worksite health.

2024
Satisfaction Amongst Drug-dependent Population with Methadone Maintenance Treatment Services: A Comparison between Public and Private Clinics — Implications for Private Sector Engagement in Vietnam
Le TA, Tran LMH, Nguyen LH, Dam VAT, Chiu RG, Maung Z, et al.
AIDS and Behavior
1 citation
2022
Temperature Screening of Healthcare Personnel Is Ineffective in Controlling COVID-19
Maung Z, Kristensen M, Hoffman B, Jacobson MA
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
1 citation
2021
Incidence and Characteristics of Delayed Injection Site Reaction to the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV2 Vaccine (Moderna) in a Cohort of Hospital Employees
Jacobson MA, Zakaria A, Maung Z, Hart C, McCalmont TH
Clinical Infectious Diseases
12 citations · 1 mention
2020
The Heat Death Line: Proposed Heat Index Alert Threshold for Preventing Heat-Related Fatalities in the Civilian Workforce
Maung Z, Tustin AW
New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy
4 citations · 9 mentions
2018
Work-Related Injuries in Qatar: A Framework for Prevention and Control
Mehmood A, Maung Z, Consunji R, El-Menyar A, Peralta R
Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology
16 citations · 4 mentions
2017
Using the CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard to Assess Employer Health Promotion Efforts: A Case Study at Johns Hopkins Medicine
Safeer R, Bowen W, Maung Z, Lucik M
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
7 citations · 1 mention
2011
A Drosophila Model for Alcohol Reward
Kaun KR, Azanchi R, Maung Z, Hirsh J, Heberlein U
Nature Neuroscience
182 citations · 14 mentions
View on PubMed →
Writing

In Working Order

Occasional writing on work, the body, and what medicine can tell us about careers and longevity. I write when I have something worth saying.

S
In Working Order
zawmaung.substack.com
Selected pieces
Aviation Medicine
What's temporarily grounding — and what can permanently end a flying career.
Occupational Medicine
Returning to work is a medical decision — but not only a medical one.
Read on Substack →
Contact

Get in touch

Whether you need a FAA medical exam, a HIMS evaluation, a QME or IME, expert testimony, or want to discuss an advisory or speaking engagement — reach out directly or use the form.

Practice location
Peninsula Medical Associates · San Mateo, CA
Clinical practice site
Response time
I read everything personally
Message sent — I'll be in touch soon.