Vu Toan Thinh, 31 years old, won a doctoral scholarship in the US and published many studies in the field of Public Health, 10 years after graduating as valedictorian from Hanoi Medical University.
Mr. Thinh is currently a doctoral candidate at the Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY-SPH), and an editor of an international journal with an impact factor (IF) of 3.75.
"I didn't think I would make such great strides. When I first came to the US to study for my master's degree, I only thought that after I finished school, I would return to become a lecturer," said Mr. Thinh.
Graduated with a degree in Public Health from Hanoi Medical University in 2013, Mr. Thinh worked for a non-governmental organization for about four years before winning four full master's scholarships.
He decided to study Epidemiology at the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA, with a scholarship of 116,000 USD (over 2.7 billion VND). This is the number 1 public school in the US, according to US News .
Mr. Thinh on his master's graduation day in 2020. Photo: Character provided
With a grade point average (GPA) of 3.83/4 and 17 articles published in domestic and international journals, Mr. Thinh continued to receive a doctoral scholarship from UCLA.
However, he gave up this opportunity, choosing to work for the Center for Mental Health Innovation in the School of Social Sciences and Public Health, CUNY-SPH. His work is to research addiction (alcohol, drugs...), supporting the program to evaluate and intervene in depression treatment models.
Vietnamese-American professor Victoria Khanh Ngo, a researcher specializing in mental health here, was the one who invited Thinh to come.
"I feel the strong determination in Thinh," said Victoria, adding that she was most impressed with Thinh's progressive spirit and desire to have valuable research projects.
Returning to Vietnam in 2020, Mr. Thinh had to work remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and did not return to the US until July 2021. When his job was stable, he continued his PhD with a 5-year scholarship at CUNY-SPH. This school is in the top 15 best public health schools in the US, according to US News. He said that the school allows classes after office hours, so he works from 8am to 5pm every day, then goes to class until 10pm.
"Studying while working is tiring, but this method helps me save time and learn based on what I do in practice," Mr. Thinh explained. In addition, when choosing a lab, he paid attention to the professors, colleagues, living environment and salary. The professors here created conditions for him to use research data for learning purposes.
As a result, Thinh has 23 publications in professional journals. In 2021, he studied mental health and substance use among people in Harlem, New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. The results showed that many people may have been drinking more to cope with depression and social stressors. Providing them with access to mental health services and addressing public safety issues could reduce this.
Two reports from the study, of which Mr. Thinh is the main author, were selected to be presented at the American Public Health Association Conference in Boston and Atlanta in 2022 and 2023. This year, the reports were published in the Journal of Urban Health (IF= 6.6) and the Journal of Community Health (IF= 5.8).
Mr. Thinh (next to a doctor in white coat) during a visit to a psychiatric hospital in Phu Tho in June. Photo: Provided by the character
Ms. Deborah Levine, Director of the Harlem Health Initiative at CUNY-SPH, said that Mr. Thinh’s research was also shared with the New York City Health Commission and the Manhattan Mayor’s Office, which helped raise the voice of the people here.
“Thinh is a great team player and I am proud to work with him,” said Deborah.
In addition, Mr. Thinh is also the main author of many articles in other international journals. His main research interests are mental health of cancer patients, or substance use disorders .
On its website in March this year, CUNY-SPH said that Thinh was the only graduate student to receive two consecutive grants from the US National Cancer Institute. With a grant of $14,400 (nearly VND 350 million), Thinh studied mental health symptoms in cancer patients and their caregivers at the K hospital. Based on this research, he proposed another study titled "Understanding the mental health and resilience of caregivers of cancer patients in Vietnam".
In addition, Mr. Thinh also participated in a project to support free depression treatment for more than 1,600 people in Bac Giang and Phu Tho. This helped compare models of primary depression care in the community; providing information to deploy these activities throughout Vietnam.
Mr. Thinh reported at a Public Health conference in the US in 2022. Photo: Character provided
This October, Mr. Thinh will travel to Los Angeles to receive an award from the UCLA School of Public Health.
"Thinh is one of 80 alumni of the school honored in the Hall of Fame since 2002, among more than 11,600 graduates living and working in 71 countries," said a school representative.
Looking back on his journey, Mr. Thinh said he has always tried hard and determined to go to school and step out into the world despite being born into a poor family with many children in Quang Ninh. He was also the first person in his family to go to university and go abroad.
When he first arrived in the US, he was shocked by culture and language. He overcame it by diligently doing internships to gain more experience and expand his relationships. In addition to hard work, he also outlined a clear strategy.
"Whether I'm going to school or working, I always have a backup plan. If the first plan doesn't go as planned, I switch to plan 2. Thanks to that, everything stays on track and my mentality isn't affected by failures," Thinh shared.
He said he is trying to get his PhD by the end of next year, in 3-3.5 years instead of the planned 5 years.
"I plan to graduate early to apply for a job at a university, continue research and participate in projects to support Vietnam," said Mr. Thinh.
Dawn
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