Professor Saphonn Vonthanak graduated with a Medical Doctor Degree from UHS in 1995. After working for four years in the field, he continued his study at the University of California Los Angeles and earned his PhD degree in Epidemiology in 2003. Professon Saphonn has extensive experiences in conducting surveillance program, outbreak investigation and multi-center international research projects in infectious diseases (HIV, Hepatitis, Malaria, Tuberculosis, influenza and covid-19) and non-communicable diseases. He has mentored more than 30 PhD and Master students and published more than 100 papers in international peer reviewed journals and book chapters. He has been the Rector of the University of Health Sciences for more than 12 years and he is currently an adjunct professor at the School of Public Health, UCLA and a corresponding member of the French National Academie of Medicine.