Executive Officers

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Thien M. Do, MD, FACC

WHA Founder, Program/Medical Team Director

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Dr. Thien M. Do is a practicing cardiologist and the Director of the American Executive Health System, a multi-specialty medical group in Virginia.  He is a board member for the INOVA Signature Partner Account Care Organization, one of the largest ACOs in the Northern Virginia area. Dr. Do served in the U.S. Army with the rank of Major.  While in the Army, he served multiple leadership roles at the Malcolm Grow Medical Center as Director of the Coronary Care Unit, Director of the Non-invasive Labs, and later as the Director for the Pacemaker Implantation Services.  He also served as Vice-President of the Vietnamese American Medical Association.  Dr. Do graduated with honors from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in chemistry.

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Under his leadership, WHA has grown to over 750 members across the U.S. and several foreign countries and has established active local chapters in D.C., Texas, Canada and Vietnam.  The program’s vision is to provide care to underserved populations and to create an environment in which sustainable care delivery can occur.  Dr. Do has led medical and dental missions in the U.S., the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

 

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Quynh Anh Nguyen, MD

Assistant Medical Director

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Doanh Lu, MD

Medical Director, Vietnam

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Dr. Doanh Lu received her Medical Doctorate from the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine in 2001. Dr. Lu completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Arizona and went on to fellowship training in infectious diseases at the University of Southern California.  She then went to Vietnam to work in HIV/AIDS.

 

Dr. Lu currently serves as technical advisor for the Center of Disease Control and Prevention's HIV care and treatment program in Vietnam, funded by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Dr. Lu is also a consultant for the Harvard Medical School AIDS Initiative and oversees the pediatric HIV technical assistance program for southern Vietnam.

 

Dr. Lu has published several scientific papers and presented at international conferences. In addition, she has participated as medical team leader on several international medical/dental missions.

 

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Thang Pham, DDS

Dental Team Director

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Dr. Thang Pham is the owner of All Smiles Dental of Falls Church, VA.  He attended Saigon Dental Medical University after graduating from Saigon Science University in 1973. He was determined to get accredited when he came to the U.S. and later graduated with honors, Cum Laude, at the Medical College of Virginia, School of Dentistry. He was awarded the Zeno Award by MCV's Prosthodontic Department and the Dentsply International Prosthodontic Award. He has been the owner and has practiced dentistry at All Smiles Dental of Falls Church for more than 30 years. In the community, for many years, he was an Assistant Scout Master for several Boy Scout troops. He also worked with other to organize dinner for soldiers returning home after service in Afghanistan. 

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He traveled on a dental mission in 2005 with Viet Nam Assistant for Handicapped before joining WHA on a medical and dental mission in 2006. He has been part of WHA since the beginning and is proud to be the Dental Team Director and a Member of the Board of Directors. 

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Nicole Rivera Vargas, DMD

Assistant Dental Director

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Dr. Nicole Rivera Vargas is a practicing dentist with All Smiles Dental of Falls Church, VA. Dr. Rivera Vargas grew up in Puerto Rico and attended the University of Puerto Rico for her undergraduate studies. She received her D.M.D. from the School of Dental Medicine in Puerto Rico and graduated Cum Laude. After finishing her studies, she decided to gain more experience, undergoing an additional year of a General Practice Residency in the Federico Trilla Hospital in Puerto Rico.

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She has always been involved with the community and worked as volunteer dentist on missionary trips to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Saint Vincent and Puerto Rico. This experience has helped her to build relationships with people of different backgrounds. She regularly volunteers in the Northern Virginia Free Clinic in Sterling. Dr. Vargas is a member of the American Dental Association and the Northern Virginia Dental Society. She speaks Spanish fluently and is more than happy to receive the Hispanic population at All Smiles Dental of Falls Church in Virginia.

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Dr. Rivera Vargas became a member of WHA in 2016 and is committed to help and contribute to dental health, providing the best compassionate care to those in need.

 

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Christine Le, PharmD PMP

Pharmacy Team Director

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Ms. Christine Le currently works with the FDA Center of Drug Evaluation and Research as the Director of Regulatory Research. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy in 2001. In 2009, Christine Le was commissioned in the USPHS and currently holds the rank of Commander (CDR, O-5). She joined the FDA as Director of Regulatory Research for the Center of Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Office of Generic Drug (OGD). Christine continues to work as a PRN Pharmacist at the INOVA Fairfax Hospital and obtained her PMP certification in 2015.

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As an executive team member and the Pharmacy Team Director for World Health Ambassador (WHA), Christine's leadership with this highly collaborative care team - and their responsibility in this work - is to provide clinical information about medications including drug safety, dosing, substitutions for the patients and consult as required. Ms. Le has also participated in WHA's annual fundraisers to support medical relief missions in Laos (2008), Vietnam (2010) and Myanmar (2014).

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Missions with the WHA are compassionate practices that go far beyond donating money to a good cause.  The goal is to get talented, caring people on the ground and provide aid directly to the underserved community.  Christine’s interest is focused on strengthening her pharmacy skills and increasing her knowledge, while broadening her perspective and compassion for global healthcare.

 

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See-Won Seo, PharmD, BCACP

Assistant Pharmacy Director

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Dr. See-Won Seo is currently an Assistant Professor at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.  Dr. Seo received her PharmD from Rutgers University in New Jersey. She completed residencies at Saint Michael’s Medical Center in New Jersey, and in ambulatory care and family medicine at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in North Carolina. During her residencies she participated in medical outreach missions in the Dominican Republic. through her work at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Dr. Seo has an interest in incorporating students with the contribution of care for underserved communities.

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Dr. Seo became a member of World Health Ambassador in 2017 and looks forward to assisting the team in future initiatives as WHA's Assistant Pharmacy Director.

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Beth DeMarco, JD

Missions Officer

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Mrs. Beth DeMarco joined WHA in February of 2011. Mrs. DeMarco is responsible for organizing and managing WHA medical missions overseas.  She is an attorney licensed in both Florida and Texas and has practiced in both the public and private sectors. Mrs. DeMarco is also a military spouse and is very active in military programs to support spouses throughout their military journeys.

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Thao Phan, MS PMP

​Mission Logistics Coordinator

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Tam-Anh Le, RPh

Treasurer

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Theresa Gunlicks

Development Coordinator

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Ms. Theresa Gunlicks joined World Health Ambassador (WHA) as the Program Development Coordinator in the Fall of 2019.  In this role, Theresa is responsible for overseeing administrative tasks of the organization, maintaining communications with team members, local chapters, donors, sponsors, and international colleagues, overseeing the medical and dental mission logistics, developing fundraising initiatives and securing grants and partnerships to help grow WHA's program portfolio.  

 

Before joining WHA, Theresa worked with several organizations with an international and humanitarian focus, supporting large scale capacity building USAID projects in Africa and Asia, as well as various work exchange, cultural exchange and volunteer programs. Ms. Gunlicks has always aimed to work in a field that makes a difference in the lives of those in need and is excited to advance WHA’s mission of helping the poorest among us have access to health and dental care around the world.

 

Theresa and her husband, Jeff, live in Annandale, VA with their two sons. As a family, they enjoy bike rides, hiking and camping, fly fishing, and spending time with family and friends in the greater DC area.

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Maria Livers

Communications Officer

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Ms. Maria Livers brings more than 20 years of diverse professional corporate and nonprofit experience to WHA, encouraging individuals and organizations in collaborations to achieve positive change.  Maria is most interested in working with those who are partners in service to others, and is excited to see WHA's commitment and success in providing medical and dental support to those who desperately need it. Maria is grateful to work with the dedicated WHA team as its Communications Officer.

 

Ms. Livers most recently worked as Executive Director of Cleveland Roots, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping address food deserts and provide access to fresh, healthy produce across the Greater Cleveland, Ohio community. Her previous experience includes working in the behavioral health field in Cleveland as the Executive Director of Lutheran Family Services, and on the Development team for Cleveland Christian Home and Bridgeway, Inc. Ms. Livers is also a video production professional and editor, and has extensive experience in the arts and in events management, having worked in administration and as a performer with The Second City Cleveland, Playhouse Square, Something Dada Improv Comedy Company and The Breen Center for the Performing Arts. 

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Advisory Board

 

​Huong Le, MD

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Quan Dong Nguyen, MD

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Jonathan Lam, MD

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Board of Directors

 

​Thien M. Do, MD, FACC – see bio above

 

Thang B. M. Pham, DDS – see bio above

 

Mina T. Nguyen, MBA

Ms. Mina T. Nguyen is a Managing Director at AQR Capital Management where she leads the firm's global corporate policy initiatives and philanthropic efforts. Nguyen was recently appointed to the Securities Exchange Commission’s Investment Advisory Committee which provides guidance on market structure and investor protection issues. Ms. Nguyen earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor's degree from the University of California Berkeley. Prior to AQR Capital, Nguyen served as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Treasury and Director of Public Liaison at the U.S. Department of Labor. Prior to her government career, Nguyen worked as a technology and financial services management consultant at Accenture.

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Ms. Nguyen is passionate about getting basic help to those who need it most and creating opportunities for girls and their families to engage in all facets of society. In addition to WHA, Nguyen serves on board for the Girl Scouts of America and Georgetown Center for Retirement Initiatives.

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