Amy Dao, an assistant professor of anthropology, has been named a 2022 Emerging Scholar by Diverse Issues in Higher Education.
The bi-weekly news magazine focuses on matters of access and opportunity for everyone in higher education in the United States, especially underrepresented populations.
Dao was one of only 15 scholars across the nation the magazine's editorial team selects to be recognized each year for demonstrated progress in improving humanity.
"Dr. Dao is fantastic and richly deserves this honor," said Cal Poly Pomona President Soraya M. Coley. "Dr. Dao's student-centered commitment provides truly unique opportunities for her students, and this national recognition acknowledges the life changing work the defines all her efforts."
Most students pursuing degrees in anthropology are women at 74 percent, according to Dao. Approximately 58 percent in the major are underrepresented minorities, 54 percent Latino, 14 percent Asian and 4 percent Black.
Dao points out that work, family, and other commitments make it challenging for students to conduct research on top of taking classes. That inspired Dao to redesign her Anthropology Methods class to give all students the opportunity to conduct ethnographic research. Her dedication to increasing the research opportunities available to underrepresented students plays a large role in why she was selected for this honor, according to the magazine.
Juan Salcedo, one of Dao's former students, recently lauded her commitment and passion.
Amy Dao talks with students on the first day of classes in 2018."Dr. Amy Dao is an outstanding professor and is constantly advancing the knowledge of students while in and out of the classroom," Saucedo wrote. "Dr. Dao is an excellent role model who is always there supporting her students and making time to improve a student's skills in anthropology by understanding the needs of a student and the goal they have and helping them achieve their goal."
Recently, Dao has also been awarded a National Science Foundation research grant to investigate how multigenerational households navigate care and safety precautions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dao's students have already gathered data on the factors that restrict a family's ability to practice recommended actions for preventing infection.
Through conducting research, students learn how structural inequities contribute to poorer health outcomes for impoverished communities. Dao enjoys helping her students gain important skills such as how to interview their subjects and present their research at scholarly meetings.
Dao's interest in anthropology developed during her undergraduate career when she was enrolled at UC Riverside, where she was mentored by Professor Juliet McMullin, a cultural and medical anthropologist. Dao had the opportunity to participate in research, and that experience led her to seriously consider going to graduate school.
She worked full-time for McMullin for three years before enrolling at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health where she earned a Ph.D. in sociomedical sciences. In 2015 and 2016, Dao spent time in Vietnam researching the country's pivot to universal health coverage, which was the topic of her dissertation while she was a doctoral student.
After earning her Ph.D. in 2018, Dao joined the CPP faculty as an associate professor and has made invaluable contributions to the university for the past four years.