Mai-Nhung Le, Ph.D

Chair and Professor of the Asian American Studies Department, San Francisco State University

Mai-Nhung Le is an Asian/Asian American social scientist whose research focuses on social, cultural, and structural influences on health. Her research has contributed to our understanding of how race, ethnicity, and social class impacts health among communities of color – with a focus on the Asian American community.

Dr. Le has conducted extensive research on the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in both Asia and the United States. She served on the Advisory Committee for the Bay Area Asian Pacific Islander Women and HIV Working Group, and was the founder of the Women’s Program at the Asian AIDS Project, which provided HIV and women’s health information to female Asian Masseuses in San Francisco.

Over the past decade, Dr. Le has developed strong personal and professional interests in cancer research and intervention. This focus has informed her research agenda and led to many notable achievements. Dr. Le has published and presented extensively on issues related to Asian Americans and cancer, particularly on cancer survivorship. She has worked with and served as an advisory board member for community based organizations such as Asian American Cancer Survivor Network and Asian Pacific Islander National Cancer Survivors Network.  

Currently, Dr. Le is Chair and Professor of the Asian American Studies department at San Francisco State University. She teaches courses in Asian American history, Vietnamese American experience and identity, and Asian American community and health issues. 

She has earned a Bachelor’s degree from UC Davis, a Masters degree in Public Health from Yale University, and a Dr.PH. from UC Berkeley.