Dr. Mao earned his TCM Doctoral Degree (MD equivalent) from Hebei Medical University TCM College in 1985. In 1988, he earned a Master's in Medicine (Physiology/Endocrinology) from Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He earned his PhD in Molecular Biology from Hokkaido University School of Medicine in 1999. After completing his post-doctoral training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he joined Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) as a molecular researcher/faculty for 15 years.