Rate My Professor Saphonn Vonthanak

Professor Saphonn Vonthanak is the Rector of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he has served for more than 12 years. He holds a Medical Doctor degree from UHS, obtained in 1995, a Master of Science, and a PhD in Epidemiology from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Earlier in his career, he worked as a medical doctor for four years before pursuing advanced studies. He founded the School of Public Health at the National Institute of Public Health in 2007 and served as its professor. Professor Vonthanak previously headed Cambodia’s national HIV surveillance program, playing a pivotal role in mitigating the HIV/AIDS epidemic through effective surveillance and research initiatives. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and Advisor to the Ministry of Health in Cambodia. Additionally, he chairs the Cambodia One Health University Network (CAMBOHUN).

Professor Vonthanak’s research specializations encompass epidemiology, program evaluation, and operational research, with extensive work on infectious diseases including HIV, hepatitis, malaria, tuberculosis, influenza, and COVID-19, as well as non-communicable diseases. He has led national-scale surveys such as the National HIV Sentinel Surveillance Survey, National Behavioral Surveillance Survey, and Cambodian Demographic Health Survey. His contributions include outbreak investigations and multi-center international research projects. He has authored or co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in international journals. Notable publications include “Earlier versus Later Start of Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV-Infected Adults with Tuberculosis” (New England Journal of Medicine, 2011), “Survival of HIV-infected children: A cohort study from the Asia-Pacific region” (Journal of the International AIDS Society, 2011), and “Correlation of Selenium and Zinc Levels to Antiretroviral Treatment Outcomes in Thai HIV-Infected Children” (Antiviral Therapy, 2012). Professor Vonthanak has mentored over 30 PhD and Master’s students and lectures on Basic Epidemiology. His impact on public health in Cambodia is significant, particularly in HIV/AIDS control and health professions education. He was inducted into the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Alumni Hall of Fame in 2018 for his achievements.