Spotlight: Nhung Le, PhD: Teacher of the Year 

By Brent Davis 

Some people just brighten up your day. Dr. Le is one of those people. She is originally from Vietnam, where she learned the values of hard work and honesty from her parents. Her father was a government official, and her mother was a doctor. Her mother inspired her to get into healthcare as a research scientist. 

She is passing on this heritage to her two daughters, ten and eight, and, of course, to her many students who consistently evaluate her as an outstanding teacher. As a result, the School of Pharmacy has awarded her Teacher of the Year for her teaching in Biostatistics, Cardiology, Infectious Diseases, and numerous courses in the School of Nursing and AURA High School.  

On a personal note, Dr. Le enjoys swimming and interior design, but nowadays mostly enjoys playing with her children. Before focusing on her daughters, she also volunteered with Big Brothers, Big Sisters.  

Dr. Le has a distinguished resume with a PhD in Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and research interests in reproduction and oncology. Her work has centered around biocomplexity and how our immune system communicates with our microbiome, as well as how these interactions affect female reproductive disorders such as endometriosis and preterm birth. She wants to continue focusing on molecular biology techniques to gain a mechanistic understanding of the interactions between the immune system and mucosal microbial dynamics.  

In the future she plans to focus on her work and her family. We appreciate the great example Dr. Le is setting for our students and, therefore, are shining the spotlight on her devotion to students and family. Congratulations, Dr. Le—Teacher of the Year!