Dr. Mai Tuyet Pho is an infectious diseases physician and Associate Professor in the Section of Infectious Diseases and Global Health. She serves as the Director of Health Policy Research at the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination. Her work seeks to improve health outcomes and public policy at the intersection of HIV, HCV, and substance use. Current research leverages implementation science and intervention testing to expand public health interventions that support the health of people who use drugs, with a special focus in rural communities and criminal legal involvement. Her work has been supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institutes on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research and Grand Challenges Canada.
Dr. Pho served as the interim Chief Medical Officer at the Illinois Department of Public Health and a Medical Advisor for Healthcare Policy and Research. During her tenure she led multiple efforts around the opioid epidemic and HCV, including analysis on fatal and nonfatal overdose, HCV surveillance, naloxone overdose prevention and education around safe opioid prescribing. She is a member of the Illinois Statewide Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council and the Illinois Viral Hepatitis Coalition. She is an active infectious diseases clinician providing inpatient and outpatient specialty consultation and leads institutional quality improvement efforts in HCV testing and linkage to care. She currently mentors medical students, graduate students and fellows interested in public health, health economics and public policy.
Experiences of Rural Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals Who Use Substances: Risk Factors of Substance Use and Barriers to Harm Reduction Services.
Experiences of Rural Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals Who Use Substances: Risk Factors of Substance Use and Barriers to Harm Reduction Services. Subst Use Misuse. 2026 Jul 21; 1-13.
PMID: 42480016
Injection Drug Use and Sexual Behaviors Associated With Infection Transmission and Access to Harm Reduction for People Who Use Drugs and Sell Sex in the Rural US.
Injection Drug Use and Sexual Behaviors Associated With Infection Transmission and Access to Harm Reduction for People Who Use Drugs and Sell Sex in the Rural US. Subst Use. 2026 Jan-Dec; 20:29768357261465581.
PMID: 42437032
Implementation Evaluation of a Multicomponent Intervention to Address the Infectious Disease and Overdose Syndemic Among People Who Use Drugs in Rural Settings.
Implementation Evaluation of a Multicomponent Intervention to Address the Infectious Disease and Overdose Syndemic Among People Who Use Drugs in Rural Settings. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2026 Sep-Oct 01; 32(5):797-810.
PMID: 42400411
Drug Use and Social Connectivity Related to Hepatitis C Infection Among Rural People Who Use Drugs.
Drug Use and Social Connectivity Related to Hepatitis C Infection Among Rural People Who Use Drugs. J Viral Hepat. 2026 Jul; 33(7):e70200.
PMID: 42274013
Correlates of Rural Naloxone Possession Among People Who Use Drugs: A Multi-State Cross-Sectional Analysis.
Correlates of Rural Naloxone Possession Among People Who Use Drugs: A Multi-State Cross-Sectional Analysis. J Rural Health. 2026 Jun; 42(3):e70187.
PMID: 42499285
The Association Between Receiving Medications for Opioid Use Disorder and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing: Findings From the Rural Opioid Initiative.
The Association Between Receiving Medications for Opioid Use Disorder and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing: Findings From the Rural Opioid Initiative. J Addict Med. 2026 Mar 24.
PMID: 41875202
A community network-driven COVID-19 testing and vaccination intervention for vulnerable populations in the Central United States: results from a Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations randomized controlled trial.
A community network-driven COVID-19 testing and vaccination intervention for vulnerable populations in the Central United States: results from a Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations randomized controlled trial. J Public Health (Oxf). 2026 03 06; 48(1):122-136.
PMID: 41182296
Changes in nuclear and actin mechanics from G1 to G2 affect nuclear integrity.
Changes in nuclear and actin mechanics from G1 to G2 affect nuclear integrity. J Cell Sci. 2026 Jun 15; 139(12).
PMID: 41549998
The Experiences and Attitudes of Rural Black People who Use Drugs.
The Experiences and Attitudes of Rural Black People who Use Drugs. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2026 Jan 05.
PMID: 41491754
Genomic surveillance uncovers regional variation in HCV transmission networks in rural United States.
Genomic surveillance uncovers regional variation in HCV transmission networks in rural United States. Nat Commun. 2025 Dec 02; 17(1):249.
PMID: 41330928