Faculty and Staff Profile

Khoa Dang Truong

Educational Background

Ph.D. Policy Analysis
Pardee RAND Graduate School 2007

M.Phil. Policy Analysis
Pardee RAND Graduate School 2004

M.A. Development Economics
Williams College 1999

B.S. Agricultural Economics
Hue College of Economics (Vietnam) 1993

Courses Taught

UNDERGRADUATE
Overview of Healthcare Systems
Finance and Budgeting for Healthcare Organizations
Research and Evaluation Methods
Healthcare Economics
Creative Inquiry in Public Health
Creative Inquiry in Entrepreneurship
Independent Study
Honors Thesis

GRADUATE
Health Economics
Healthcare Delivery Systems
Health Policy
Advanced Quantitative Analyses in Health Research & Evaluation
Seminar in Applied Health Research and Evaluation
Independent Study

Profile

Dr. Khoa Truong is a health economist. His research is data-driven and has been published in top-tier public health journals with findings cited by the media including the Los Angeles Times and Radio New Zealand National. He recently has led a team of several faculty and students to study the uninsured, especially the chronically uninsured population in South Carolina. The project involved both primary data collection and secondary data analyses to examine health, physical access to healthcare, and utilization of ER among this population. Dr. Truong teaches a wide range of courses and serves on various committees for students across campus. He has served as peer reviewer/consulting editor/article editor/guest editor for more than 40 academic journals. Dr. Truong has reviewed a textbook for the Health Administration Press and grant applications for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Economic and Social Research Council of United Kingdom. A native of Vietnam, Khoa Truong began his career in the development field in Southeast Asia. Over the years, he has provided consultancies to the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Dr. Truong received Award of Excellence in Research in 2013 and Award of Excellence in Teaching in 2015 from Clemson University College of Health, Education and Human Development. He holds an adjunct appointment in the Medical University of South Carolina.

Research Interests

+ Access and Healthcare for Disadvantaged Populations
+ Insurance, Utilization of Healthcare Services, and Health Outcomes
+ Tobacco, Alcohol, and Illicit Drug Control Policy
+ Obesity, Mental Health, Child Health
+ Built Environment and Health, Global Health
+ Statistical Modelling, GIS, and Simulation

Research Publications

Charron E, Mayo R, Heavner-Sullivan S, Eichelberger K, Dickes L, Truong K, Rennert L. “It’s a very nuanced discussion with every woman”: Health care providers’ communication practices during contraceptive counseling for patients with substance use disorders. Contraception. 2020 Sept. 349-355. doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2020.09.002

Chen LT, Shi L, Zhang D, Jiang CY, Truong K. Does the “weekend effect” extend to Friday admissions? An Analysis of Ischemic Stroke Hospitalizations in South Carolina. Frontiers in Neurology. 2020 Jun 5. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00424

Gimbel et. al. Enhancing Patient Activation and Self-Management Activities in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes using the U.S. Department of Defense Mobile Health Care Environment: A Feasibility Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2020 May 26;22(5):e17968. doi: 10.2196/17968.

Shi L, Francis E, Feng C, Pan X, Truong K. Association between Prior Insurance and Health Service Utilization among the Long-Term Uninsured in South Carolina. Health Equity. Volume 3.1, 2019. DOI: 10.1089/heq.2019.0014

Shi L, Truong K, Chen L, Basco W. Burden of non-fatal opioid overdose hospitalizations on Medicaid. Journal of Substance Use. DOI: 10.1080/14659891.2019.1640303

Charron E, Francis E, Heavner-Sullivan S, Truong K. Disparities in Access to Mental Health Services Among Patients Hospitalized for Deliberate Drug Overdose. Psychiatr Serv. 2019 May 14:appips201800496. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201800496

Bedi J, Mayo R, Truong K, Chen L, Dickes L, Sherrill WW, Jones K. Endocrine Therapy Use in the 21st Century: Usage Rates and Temporal Trends Illustrate Opportunities for Improvement for South Carolina Medicaid Women. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2018 Oct;171(3):759-765. (IF: 3.629). PMID: 29971626

Hu Q, Shi L, Chen L, Zhang L, Truong K, Ewing A, Wu J, Scott J. Seasonality in the adverse outcomes in weight loss surgeries. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. December, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soard.2017.11.029

Zhang L, Scott J, Shi L, Truong K, Hu Q, Ewing J, Chen L. Changes in utilization and peri-operative outcomes of bariatric surgery in large U.S. hospital database, 2011-2014. PLoSONE. 12(10): e0186306. 2017.

Shi L, Feng C, Griffin SF, Williams JE, Crandall LA, Truong K. Does awareness of the Affordable Care Act reduce adverse selection? A study of the long-term uninsured in South Carolina. INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing. October 2017. 54: p. 0046958017727103

Sheng B, Truong K, Spitler H, Zhang L, Tong X, Chen L. The Long-Term Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Type 2 Diabetes Remission, Microvascular and Macrovascular Complications, and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Obesity Surgery. 2017 Aug. DOI 10.1007/s11695-017-2844-4.

Gimbel, R., Shi, L., Wiliams, J.E., Dye, C.L., Chen, L., Crawford, P., Shry, E.A., Griffin, S.F., Jones, K.O., Sherrill, W.W., Truong, K., Little, J.A., Edwards, K.W., Hing, M., & Moss., J.B. Enhancing mHealth technology in the patient-centered medical home environment to activate patients with Type 2 diabetes: A multisite feasibility study protocol. JMIR Research Protocols, 6(3), e38 p. 1. 2017.

Shi L, Truong K, Summey J, Spitler H. Liquor Store Density and Acute Pancreatitis Hospitalization. Journal of Substance Use. Volume 22, 2017 - Issue 3. Pages 337-342.

Shi L, Zhang D, Chen L, Truong K. "Weekend Effect" or "Saturday Effect"? An Analysis of Hospital Mortality for Patients With Ischemic Stroke in South Carolina. Circulation. 2016 Nov 8;134(19):1510-1512.

Sherrill WW, Mayo RM, Truong K, Pribonic AP, and Schalkoff CA. Assessing medical student cultural competence: what really matters. Int J Med Educ. 2016; 7:248-254; doi: 10.5116/ijme.578b.687c. July 2016.

Mayo RM, Sherrill WW; Truong K. Preparing for Patient Centered Care: Assessing Nursing Students' Knowledge, Comfort, and Cultural Competence toward Latinos. Journal of Nursing Education. 2014 Jun;53(6):305-12. doi: 10.3928/01484834-20140428-01. Epub 2014 Apr 28.

Truong K, Reifsnider SO, Mayorga ME, Spitler H. Estimated Number of Preterm Births and Low Birth Weight Children Born in the United States Due to Maternal Binge Drinking. Maternal and Child Health Journal. Volume 17, Issue 4 (2014), Page 677-688.

Chen DR, Truong K, Tsai MJ. Prevalence of poor sleep quality and its relationship with body mass index among teenagers: Evidence from Taiwan. Journal of School Health. 2013; 83: 582-588.

Truong K, Sturm R. The consequences of obesity: Schooling and human capital. In: John Cawley, editor. Handbook of the social sciences of obesity. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Sep, 2011, Part IV, Chapter 31, 517-530.

Chen DR, Truong K. Using multilevel modeling and geographically weighted regression to identify spatial variations in the relationship between place-level disadvantages and obesity in Taiwan. Applied Geography 32 (2011) 737-745

Hideki H, Truong K, Barendregt JJ, Nguyen KP, Vuong LM, Nguyen TT, Hoang TP, Wallace LA, Tran VT, Le QC, and Doran MC. Cost-effectiveness of tobacco control policies in Vietnam: the case of population-level interventions. Appl Health Econ Health Policy 2011; 9 (3): 183-196.

Sherrill, W., Truong K. Traditional Teaching vs. Hybrid Instruction: Course evaluation and student performance in health services management education. Journal of Health Administration Education. Vol. 27, No. 4, Fall 2010, 253-268

Doran MC, Byrnes J, Hideki H, Truong K. Revenue implications to the Vietnamese government of using taxes to curb cigarette smoking. Addictive Behaviors. Volume 35, Issue 12, Dec 2010, 1089-1093.

Truong K, Fernandes M, An R, Shier V, Sturm R. Measuring the physical food environment and its relationship with obesity: Evidence from California. Public Health. 2010 Feb;124(2):115-8.

Anh Ngo, Phan H, Pham V, Trinh T, Truong K. Impacts of a government social franchise model on perceptions of service quality and client satisfaction at commune health stations in Vietnam. Journal of Development Effectiveness. Volume 1, Issue 4 December 2009, pages 413 - 429.

Truong K, Sturm R. Alcohol environments: Disparities in exposure and adolescent drinking in California. American Journal of Public Health. 2009 Feb;99(2):264-70.

Pacula, R.L, Ringel J, Dobkins C, and Truong K. The incremental inpatient costs associated with marijuana comorbidity. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2008 Jan 1;92(1-3):248-57.

Truong K, Sturm R. Alcohol outlets and problem drinking among adults in California. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 2007 Nov; 68(6):923-33.

Ma S, Truong K, Sturm R. Datapoints: School characteristics and behavior problems of U.S. fifth-graders. Psychiatric Services. 2007 May; 58(5):610

Truong K, Ma S. A systematic review of relations between neighborhoods and mental health. Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics. 2006 Sep; 9(3):137-54.

Truong K, Sturm R. Weight gain trends across sociodemographic groups in the United States. American Journal of Public Health. 2005 Sep; 95(9):1602-6.