Dear Sponsors, APHF Team members and Friends,
Please see the following tribute in honor of Dr. Ton Tran:
Ton D. Tran, MD: A Vanguard for Community Service
Dr. Ton D. Tran has had a strong love for Community Service.
As a young student in Saigon, Viet Nam, he participated at reconstructing houses that were devastated by fires. As medical student, he joined groups visiting Medical schools in Bangkok, Thailand, learning the health system in adjoining countries. After graduating from Saigon Medical School in 1962, and serving as surgeon in the unique civil and military hospital in Ban Me Thuot in the highland of Central Viet Nam for 4 years, he worked for the Ministry of Health at Pediatric Hospital and Binh Dan Hospital in Saigon where he was involved with teaching medical students on rotation.
In 1973, he did post-graduate work on Pediatric Neurology at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas. When he came back to Viet Nam one year later, it was not long before the whole family comprising wife Binh Tran, sons Tony (11), Phong (9.5) and daughter Thao (3.5) years old had to leave the country on the last day of April 1975. After arriving in Mishawaka, IN, he studied to get his ECFMG examination for foreign medical graduate, and Boards of medical practice in Indiana, Michigan and Texas. While Binh was working at Miles Laboratories in Elkhart, IN. Ton worked in the Emergency Room at hospitals in IN and MI.
The family moved to San Diego in 1980, where Ton started his private office taking care of the Vietnamese and Asian communities. Ton obtained his American Family Practice Board, and was President of the Vietnamese Physicians Association of San Diego, a chapter of the Vietnamese American Medical Association (VAMA).
1999 VMA Convention in San Diego
The high point of Dr. Ton Tran was the collaboration with Dr. Si Nguyen, President of Southern California Vietnamese Physicians association to organize the highly successful 1999 National Convention at Town and Country Resort Hotel and Convention Center in San Diego, CA on August 6-8, 1999. UCSD co-sponsored the CME program.
Work in Hepatitis B and C and Involvement with SSPPS
During his practice over the years, Tôn noticed the preponderance of patients afflicted with Hepatitis B, in Viet Nam as in the U.S. With the collaboration of colleagues and friends, he founded the Asian Pacific Health Center in 2000 to provide free health screening services to the San Diego community.
Collaboration with Community Health Group - an HMO serving the community in National City - led to a major grant with The California Endowment entitled "Prevention Project for Hepatitis B in Adolescents in San Diego" for 3.5 years. Upon completion of the grant, work with hepatitis B continued with funding from BMS and other organizations, and yearly Komen for the Cure mini-grants for breast cancer prevention. During this decade, APHF got the incredible participation of UCSD SKAGGS School of Pharmacy and Medical School students at very well attended Health Fairs and outreach events in the community.
In 2010, Dr. Robert Gish, renown hepatologist over the world, joined APHF Board, expanding its sphere of activities in education and screening of Hepatitis B, C metabolic and Liver diseases. APHF was among 12 other groups receiving recognition from the Department of Health and Human Services for Best Providers of Screening Services for Hep B at the National Hepatitis B Screening Day (May 19, 2017) in Washington, DC. On the same day, Dr. Ton and Binh Tran received the Certificate of "Binh and Ton Tran Endowed Scholarship Fund" from the Founding Faculty at SSPPS on the campus.
Dr. Ton Tran's Legacy
Dr. Tôn retired from medical practice a decade ago, and passed away on April 22, 2024, ending a life dedicated to medical care for his patients and community service in San Diego, CA, while enjoying tennis and happy traveling with family and friends.
The Asian Pacific Health Foundation was changed in name to American Pacific Health Foundation to include all population groups screened for in San Diego and Northern CA.
The celebration of his life will be on Sunday May 12, 2024 at Peek Funeral Home, Room #3 from 10:30 am - 6:00 pm with tributes starting at 11:30 am.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to American Pacific Health Foundation (APHF). Checks written to APHF can be sent to the address:
9500 Gilman Dr. #0657
La Jolla, CA 92093-0657
or through Zelle to Finance@aphfsd.org
Most gratefully,
Binh Tran, PharmD, MS, MBA
Co-Founder
American Pacific Health Foundation
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