Commander, Medical Corps, United States Navy.

Dr. Nguyen strives to make every moment and person count. His diverse experiences have enabled him to address effectively a wide range of issues from delicate interpersonal relationships to professional policy decisions. His personal philosophy has been to do the most good in the finite time he is given and therefore no opportunity to benefit others should ever be squandered.

After Pomona College where he received his Bachelor in Fine Arts, specializing in Sculpture in 1989, he volunteered with Community Family Service International, an NGO providing assistance to Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong, a place in which he had been a refugee 10 years earlier. He received his Medical Degree at the Chicago Medical School, and training and certification in Family Practice at JFK Family Practice Residency. Right after residency, he joined the U. S. Navy in which he has held various positions: Senior Medical Officer (SMO) and Head of Medical Department of the USS Coronado, a Flag ship for the 7th Fleet; SMO and Medical Dept Head of Naval Branch Health Clinic Bahrain; Intensivist for Fleet Surgical Team – Three; Chair of Family Advocacy Program in Millington, TN. He currently serves as SMO of Tricare Outpatient Clinic Chula Vista in San Diego.

Dr. Nguyen has also worked as an emergency physician at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Lauderdale, Bolivar General Hospital, Hardiman General Hospital and Naval Hospital Yokosuka, Japan. While on deployments, he assisted the U.S Navy in coordinating and delivering humanitarian assistance to the Philippines Islands (2), East Timor (1).

A community activist, he has been a member of VCSA since 1993. In 2002, he co-founded the Memphis Chapter of VCSA and remained active until he transferred to another duty station. Since 2004, even while overseas, he has been actively involved with community activities sponsored by the San Diego Chapter. Since 2002, with trust and help from friends and family, he and his wife Viet-Ly have sustained a steady humanitarian relief effort in Vietnam, notably having built 15 small individual classrooms, 8 bridges and over 500 wells as well as maintaining 2 vocational centers in Da Nang and Dinh Quan.

His hobbies and passions are reading, sculpture and meditation.

Among his awards are: Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3) and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2)