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Dr. Minh Tran attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur and graduated in the top 10 percent of his class in 2000.

He graduated from Lamar University in 2004 and moved to Houston shortly after, spending the next four years working in clinical research at The University of Texas Health Center.

Tran was accepted into Ross University School of Medicine and graduated from medical school in 2014. He completed his medical residency in Long Island, New York and graduated in 2017.

After residency, he returned to Houston and spent the next several years working as a hospitalist for Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

In 2022, Tran joined Dr. Thi Nguyen and the team at First Response Urgent Care to help serve the communities in and around Port Arthur and Lumberton.

Tran told Port Arthur Newsmedia he wanted to transition and explore different clinical settings after being an inpatient clinician.

He has taken care of many emergency room patients and ended up getting admitted to the hospital due to their ailments.

“In some cases, it could have been prevented had those issues been caught earlier on or addressed accordingly as an outpatient setting,” Tran said. “The timing was aligned when Dr. Nguyen from FRUC presented me with an opportunity to return and assist him in caring for the Southeast Texas communities. An urgent care setting can effectively address medical issues that can help reduce the hospitalization rate, or overcrowding any ER/hospital.”

Now several months into his work in the urgent care setting, he believes his experiences can provide the proper medical care to patients.

“The icing on the cake when I serve the community where I grew up in are the moments I can provide care for a former high school principal, a former high school classmate, an old family friend,” he said. “Instances like that make the opportunity warming and put a smile on my face.”

Tran said the thing he likes most about being a doctor is the opportunity to make a difference, big or small, for someone in their moments of illness.

While that may sound cliché, he said, as that is what a doctor is supposed to do, Tran takes pride in knowing he can help a patient in a moment of need.

“I believe most, if not all, physicians want to make a lasting impact in the medical field,” he said. “For some, discovering the next cure for a disease, or the next great drug (is the goal). I just want to play a vital role in making a change, making a difference in the surrounding communities through better health.

Away from the office and medical settings, Tran enjoys time in the gym.

Other hobbies include cooking, lawn maintenance and household building projects.

“I’ve spent much time in the garage amongst my tools, just to build something,” he said. “I especially enjoy anything that is automotive-related, always been a car guy. As of the past two years or so, running has been a new addition to the list of hobbies.”

Tran has completed several half-marathons and is training for a full marathon in 2024.

He recently got back into long-distance cycling to compete in half-Ironman relay races.

“But spending time with my family, playing with my children, are by far a best way to recharge,” he admits.

Tran had an amazing opportunity to lead a team from Hope Initiative, a nonprofit, to Vietnam for a medical mission in 2008. The team consisted of physicians, residents and medical students from Baylor College of Medicine.

The trip solidified Tran’s urge to become a physician after seeing the disparities in health care and how a clinician can help so many in need.