California State University, Bakersfield’s new public health program continues to grow, with Dr. Chia Thao joining its faculty this fall. The program’s third faculty member, Dr. Thao will teach classes on health communication and health equity as well as the freshman seminar.
“I'm excited about the opportunity to expand on the public health program at CSUB,” Dr. Thao said. “When I visited the campus, I enjoyed talking to the students, faculty, administrators and dean. I wanted to be in a career where I would enjoy coming to work, and I found that environment and support at CSUB.”
Born and raised in a refugee camp in Thailand, Dr. Thao’s family came to the United States when she was 13 and settled in Fresno. She earned her bachelor’s degree in health science from CSU Fresno and her Ph.D. in public health from the University of California, Merced. Dr. Thao’s research interests involve improving minority health disparities and promoting wellbeing.
Dr. Thao’s research at UC Merced explored how environmental factors like pesticide use affect underserved populations in the Central Valley. For more than six years, she studied the impact of pesticide use and poor health outcomes on a group of Southeast Asian farmers. She looks forward to continuing her work on environmental health at CSUB and collaborating with her new colleagues, students and community.
“I intend to foster an atmosphere where I can train undergraduate students on the importance of this topic and train undergraduate students to be engaged in environmental health projects,” Dr. Thao said. “I hope to receive the community's support and plan to collaborate with community-based organizations and partners on this much-needed topic.”
When not at work, Dr. Thao enjoys reading, watching movies and spending quality time with her husband and kids. She mentioned her gratitude to her whole family for their support and inspiration along her educational and career journey. She also thanked the CSUB hiring committee.
“I appreciate their trust in selecting me as the final candidate and allowing this opportunity for me to ground my research agenda at CSUB,” she said. “I look forward to being a part of the CSUB community.”