Tran Thi Phuong Thao, PhD
College of Health Sciences
Postdoctoral Researcher
Biography
Dr. Thao is a public health researcher with expertise in cancer prevention and tobacco control. She received her Ph.D. in Public Health from the National Cancer Center – Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy in South Korea in 2022. Her research has focused on the association between behavioral risk factors (e.g., tobacco use, alcohol drinking, sedentary lifestyle, and overweight & obesity), chronic diseases (e.g., chronic pancreatitis, alcoholic liver diseases) and cancer outcomes. Since 2019, she has worked as a Research Associate at the Hanoi University of Public Health, where her work has centered on tobacco control policies and interventions in Vietnam. During 2023–2024, she further advanced her expertise in global tobacco research through a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgia State University School of Public Health. To date, she has authored and co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications.
• Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention
• Cancer Screening
• Global Tobacco Research
• NCD Prevention and Control
• mHealth
• Implementation Science
• Community-Engaged Research
• Principles of Epidemiology
• Cancer Risk Appraisal and Prevention
• Tobacco Control: Research and Intervention
1. Tran, T. P. T., Nguyen, T. N. P., Vu, T. T., Duong, T. A., Phan, T. H., Luong, N. K., Dao The, S., Lim, M. K., Quah, A. C. K., Thompson, M. E., Fong, G. T., Oh, J.-K., & Minh, H. V. (2025). What cigarette price would drive Vietnamese smokers to quit smoking? Findings from the 2019–2020 ITC Vietnam Surveys. Tobacco Control. doi: 10.1136/tc-2024-059029.
2. Tran, T. P. T., Nguyen, T. T., Nguyen, T. N. P., Tran, T. T. H., Phan, V. C., Luong, N. K., Phan, T. H., Duong, T. A., Hoang, V. M., & Weaver, S. R. (2025). The prevalence and predictors of vaping quit attempt among electronic cigarette users: findings from provincial version of Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2020 in Vietnam. BMC Public Health, 25, 1651. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22642-2.
3. Tran, T. P. T., Cormier, J.-C., Hopwood, C. A., Foster, J., Scheib, I., Li, F., Dolan, K. A., Lynch, N. A., Aycock, D. M., Spears, C. A., Stauber, C. E., Owen-Smith, A. A., Arias, J. J., Pechacek, T. F., & Popova, L. (2025). Building trust for community-engaged research: Recommendations from a qualitative study. Journal of Participatory Research Methods.
4. Tran, T. P. T., Nguyen, T. N. P., Vu, T. T., Tran, T. U., Nguyen, D., Phan, T. H., Dao, S. T., Lim, M. K., Quah, A. C. K., Oh, J.-K., & Minh, H. V. (2024). Changes in retail cigarette price after tax increase: Findings from the 2018–2020 ITC Vietnam surveys. Tobacco Induced Diseases, 22(December), 188. https://doi.org/10.18332/tid/196675
5. Tran, T. P. T., Vu, T. T., Li, Y., & Popova, L. (2024). Tobacco and alcohol content in top Vietnamese YouTube music videos: Content analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26, e55555. https://doi.org/10.2196/55555
6. Tran, T. P. T., Nguyen, T. M. L., Nguyen, T. N. P., Tran, T. P., Nguyen, B. N., Duong, T. A., Phan, T. H., Luong, N. K., Dao The, S., Lim, M. K., Minh, H. V., & Oh, J.-K. (2024). Association between current cigarette prices and cessation behaviors among male adult smokers: Findings from 2018 to 2020 ITC Vietnam surveys. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 2278. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19689-y
7. Tran, T. P. T., Luu, N. M., Bui, T. T., Han, M., Lim, M. K., & Oh, J. K. (2023). Trajectory of physical activity frequency and cancer risk: Findings from a population-based cohort study. European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, 20, 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11556-023-00316-5
8. Tran, T. P. T., Han, M., Luu, N. M., & Oh, J. K. (2023). Alcoholic liver disease in relation to cancer incidence and mortality: Findings from a large, matched cohort study in South Korea. Cancer Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.5614
9. Tran, T. P. T., Luu, N. M., Bui, T. T., Han, M., Lim, M. K., & Oh, J. K. (2022). Weight-change trajectory about cancer risk: Findings from a nationwide cohort study in South Korea. Obesity, 30(7), 1507–1519. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23464
10. Tran, T. P. T., Park, J., Nguyen, T. N. P., Minh, H. V., & Lim, M. K. (2022). The association between perceived harm of tobacco and intention to quit: A cross-sectional analysis of the Vietnam Global Adult Tobacco Survey. BMC Public Health, 22, 909. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13348-w
11. Han, M., Tran, T. P. T.,* & Oh, J. K. (2022). Chronic pancreatitis and cancer risk in a matched cohort study using national claims data in South Korea. Scientific Reports, 12, 5545. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09426-z
12. Tran, T. P. T., Park, J., Park, E., Shin, S. H., Paek, Y.-J., Kim, Y. H., & Lim, M. K. (2020). Effect of additional motivational interviewing on smoking abstinence for 1 year among Korean adolescents: Results from a comparative retrospective study in Quitline. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 8025. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218025
13. Tran, T. P. T., Hoang, T. N. A., Khuong, Q. L., et al. (2020). Tobacco and alcohol use among ethnic minorities in Vietnam. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 32(8), 387–397. https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539520956444
14. Tran, T. P. T., Le, T. H., Nguyen, T. N. P., & Minh, H. V. (2020). Rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Vietnam government’s experience and preliminary success. Journal of Global Health, 10(2), 020502. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.10.020502
• Ph.D. in Public Health, National Cancer Center – Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, South Korea (2022)
• Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), National Cancer Center – Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, South Korea (2019)
• B.A. in Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Vietnam (2015)
• CDC Foundation Grant, 2024
• The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco – Global Research Network Travel Scholarship, 2023-2024
• The Center for the Assessment of Tobacco Regulations (CAsToR) Scholarship, University of Michigan, 2023
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Global Tobacco Research, Georgia State University School of Public Health, 2023
• Outstanding Paper Award, National Cancer Center Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, 2022
• Best Oral Presentation Award, Korean Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, 2021
• MPH & PhD Scholarship, National Cancer Center – Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy
• Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award, Hanoi Medical University, 2015
