Regional Programmes

Siyan Yi
Assistant Professor & USIRP Lead

Siyan is a community and global health epidemiologist and a pioneer in population health research in Cambodia and other countries in Southeast Asia. He established KHANA Center for Population Health Research in Cambodia in 2015 after spending several years as a research fellow at Japan’s National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Stanford University, and the University of South Australia. He continues to serve as an adjunct Professor at the Center for Global Health Research, Touro University California, based in the United States. His research is centred around exploring effective community-based interventions to improve access to health care services among vulnerable and marginalized populations, focusing on HIV, tuberculosis, sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, substance abuse, gender-based violence, and mental health. His ongoing projects include five large-scale community-based randomized controlled trials on HIV, tuberculosis, maternal and child health, and gender-based violence. He sits in several national and international technical working groups, has published more than 100 research articles, and is the winner of six international research awards.

Meng Ieng Ung
Research Fellow

Mengieng was originally an environmental scientist with a specialisation in drinking water quality monitoring of bacterial contamination and arsenic poisoning along the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers in Cambodia. After becoming a geographer specialising in health and geographic information systems, she joined a NGO in Cambodia worked on HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues among the general population and high-risk groups. Her research focus has broadened to include climate change and health impacts after she completed her Ph.D. dissertation in coastal Cambodia. Her broad research interests include health literacy, digital health, SRH, communicable diseases (HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis), non-communicable diseases (diabetes and obesity), and the impact of climate change on health. Additionally, she has years of experience teaching at the university level in Cambodia, Canada, Singapore, and The United States of America.

Sreymom Oy
Research Associate

Sreymom completed her bachelor’s degree in public health at the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh in May 2014. She subsequently obtained her master’s degree in community nutrition from the University of Indonesia in July 2016, before obtaining a second master’s degree in epidemiology from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in June 2020. Her research interests include infectious diseases, nutrition, non-communicable diseases, and maternal and child health.

Marina Binti Zahari
Research Associate

Marina is a research associate at SSHSPH. She worked as a laboratory technician on human viruses prior to obtaining her master’s degree in health sciences from Erasmus University. Prior to relocating to Singapore, she was involved in research on infectious diseases at both a municipal health service and a consultancy company in The Netherlands. Her main interest is the epidemiological assessment of pathogens relevant for public health. Currently, she is working on a project funded by the Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute, which focuses on developing interventions to reduce hospital-acquired infections in Laos and Cambodia.

Michiko Hayashi
Research Associate

Michiko is an experienced qualitative researcher with a focus on sexual and reproductive health, HIV, and disease prevention in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). She began as a news reporter at NHK, Japan, covering disaster response and gender issues. She managed a health program for HIV-positive women in Zambia and pursued a master’s in population and international health. She worked at UNFPA and UNICEF before joining SSHSPH, where she contributed to diverse health studies, including kidney disease, pharmacogenomics, SRH, and gender-based violence.

Hendra Goh
Research Assistant

Hendra is currently undergoing doctoral training in public health at the National University of Singapore. Prior to this, he obtained a master’s degree in public health from the University of Hong Kong, funded by the MPH Entrance Scholarship. He is interested in projects that advance population health through disease prevention, psychosocial health promotion, and chronic disease management. He has received training in qualitative and survey research methodologies used in a variety of fieldwork settings. His current research focuses on maternal and child healthcare in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and how health services can be integrated and improved to better support this population group. He enjoys working in a multidisciplinary team to collectively deliver public health benefits to the community.

Kiesha Prem
Assistant Professor & NUS Public Health – Laos PDR Programme Lead

Dr Kiesha Prem is an Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. As an infectious disease modeller, she builds computational models to understand the population impact and cost-effectiveness of interventions against infectious diseases. She led the development and updates of the global age- and location-specific contact synthetic contact matrices for contact-transmissible infections. In her secondary appointment at NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, Kiesha leads the NUS public health research office in Lao PDR and provides technical expertise to the national Tuberculosis and HIV programmes and other local partners in Cambodia.

Phetsavanh Chanthavilay
Research Fellow

Dr Phetsavanh Chanthavilay is a medical doctor with extensive research experience in infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases. He holds a PhD in Epidemiology from Laval University and has worked as a postdoctoral researcher in malaria modelling at the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit. With over a decade of experience as a researcher and lecturer, he is dedicated to improving population health through capacity building and operational research. Currently a Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, Phetsavanh focuses on modelling the impact of interventions on rotavirus and cervical cancer in Lao PDR. He aims to establish the Lao research unit as an excellent centre for supporting evidence-based decision-making in the Ministry of Health.

Viengsamay Sengchaleun
Research Associate

Dr Viengsamay Sengchaleun is a medical doctor turned public health researcher specializing in health policy and malnutrition in Laos. With a background in tropical medicine and international health, she holds a Master of Tropical Medicine and International Health from the Institut Francophone de Medecine Tropicale Laos and a PhD in Community Health from Laval University. Her research employs qualitative methods to understand malnutrition and develop innovative strategies. Viengsamay leads a project promoting multi-sector collaboration to address malnutrition in Laos, partnering with sectors like health, agriculture, education, and social welfare. Her work contributes to shaping health policies and interventions, aiming to create a healthier society by tackling the complex issues surrounding malnutrition.

Nirada Vannavong

Dr Nirada Vannavong is a medical doctor who holds a Master’s degree in Tropical Medicine and International Health from the Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute. With a primary research focus on developing mathematical and economic models for informed policy decisions, she contributes to evidence-based decision-making in healthcare. Currently, she is engaged in evaluating the cost-effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination among children under five years old. This research collaboration involves working closely with the Unit for Health Economics and Policy as well as the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group in Lao PDR and the National University of Singapore. Through her work, Nirada strives to provide valuable insights and recommendations to enhance healthcare policies and improve the well-being of the population.

Daophet Phetsiriseng

Dr Daophet Phetsiriseng is a dentist who received his training at the University of Health Sciences in Lao PDR. Currently, he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Tropical Medicine and International Health at the Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute. For his master’s practicum, he is researching the potential impact of single-dose human papillomavirus vaccination in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. With his expertise and dedication to public health, Daophet strives to contribute valuable insights to inform healthcare policies and interventions in his country.