Thaddeus Pham

Thaddeus Pham is the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator (VHPC) for the Hawaii Department of Health’s Harm Reduction Services Branch (HRSB). He coordinates services statewide for people at-risk for and living with viral hepatitis through systems integration and collaboration with public and private partners.  Since hepatitis infections bear a disproportionate burden on communities marginalized by the health care system—especially people who are foreign-born and people who use drugs—Thaddeus uses an intersectional framework to develop novel public health approaches and cultivate a nimble, strengths-based mindset. Ultimately, Thaddeus aims to enhance the network of care for viral hepatitis and related harms (e.g. liver cancer, opioid overdose) by centering efforts on empowering community stakeholders.

The Harm Reduction Services Branch of the Department of Health (HRSB) focuses on promoting individual and population health through a low-threshold, health equity, and community-oriented framework. This intentional focus on the philosophy of harm reduction was informed by HRSB’s involvement in destigmatizing health issues that affect people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), sexually transmitted infections (STI), and viral hepatitis.