Cynthia Maung (Burmese: စင်သီယာမောင် [sɪ̀ɰ̃θìjà màʊɰ̃]; born 6 December 1959) is a Karen medical doctor and founder of Mae Tao Clinic that has been providing free healthcare services for internally displaced persons (IDP) and migrant workers on the Thai-Burmese border for three decades.

[1] Maung received Southeast Asia's Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership and she was listed as one of 2003 Time magazine's Asian Heroes.

4 and it was during this period that political upheaval and the student movement began to cause disruptions to the education system in Burma.

Maung found that many of her friends were dropping out of school, as they needed to work in order to make a little money to assist their family.

In 1977, the Burmese government began to make changes to the educational system which affected universities and colleges, and there were more disruptions to the school year.

Many people sold their homes, property and land or animals so that a family member could receive medical assistance.

Many village children were not able to attend school and from necessity helped the military in order to make a small amount of money so that they could survive.

The village had one small hospital but during her stay there was a doctor present for only 2–3 months and there were no medicine or supplies with which to treat the people.

On arrival in Thailand, Dr. Maung and her friends stopped at Mae La, opposite Be Claw refugee camp in Tha Song Yars district.

Later, Maung moved to Hway Ka Loke refugee camp and it was while she was here that she made contact with Karen leaders responsible for student affairs and with local Thai authorities and church groups who were sympathetic to the plight of these people.

She improvised by sterilizing her few instruments in a rice cooker and solicited medicine and food from Catholic relief workers working in the area.

She and her companions lived simply and worked hard to treat the increasing number of patients coming to the clinic with malaria, respiratory disease and diarrhea as well as gunshot wounds and land mine injuries.

Gradually, migrant workers began to come to the area in an effort to find work and money for their families at home.

Mae Tao Clinic provides inpatient and outpatient medical care for adults, children, reproductive health clients and surgical service patients.

[4] Antiretroviral treatment and prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV is also conducted in collaboration with Mae Sot Hospital.