Welcome to the Pacific Health Foundation

The Pacific Health Foundation is a non-profit organization based in San Jose, California. Our mission is to improve patient care through clinical investigation and education programs for physicians and patients.

We actively seek and encourage collaboration with the medical community to blend evolving scientific knowledge with the everyday realities of clinical medicine. We also pursue collaboration with community organizations to implement outreach programs for under-served populations.

Our efforts focus on the unique and often overlooked challenges facing ethnic minorities and other under-studied populations with the goal of making modern medical breakthroughs accessible and relevant to both the medical and general communities.

2010-2011 Publications from the Pacific Health Foundation:

• Ha NB, Ha NB, Garcia RT, Trinh HN, Chaung KT, Nguyen HA, Nguyen KK, Levitt BS, Nguyen MH. Medication nonadherence with long-term management of patients with hepatitis B e antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B. Dig Dig Sci 2011. In Press.
• Edward S, Trinh HN, Nguyen TT, Do ST, Phuong T, Nguyen HA, Nguyen KK, Garcia RT, Nguyen MH. High rate of complete viral suppression with entecavir therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B and partial response to adefovir. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011. In Press.
• Lam KD, Trinh HN, Do ST, Nguyen TT, Garcia RT, Nguyen T, Phan QQ, Nguyen HA, Nguyen KK, Nguyen LH, Nguyen MH. Randomized controlled trial of pegylated interferon-alfa 2a and ribavirin in treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis C genotype 6. Hepatology 2010; 52(5): 1573-80.

• Nguyen NH, et al. Treatment Response and Tolerability to Pegylated Interferon (PEG Inf) and Ribavirin (RBV) in Treatment-Naïve Asian American Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C and Genotype 1, 2/3 and 6. J Viral Hepatitis 2010;17(10):691-7.
• Nguyen NH, et al. Risk factors, genotype 6 prevalence, and clinical characteristics of chronic hepatitis C in Southeast Asian Americans.  Hepatology International 2010;4(2): 523-9.
• Vutien PB, et al.  Similar treatment response to peginterferon and ribavirin in Asian and Caucasian patients with chronic hepatitis C.  Am J Gastroenterol 2010;105: 1110-1115.

• Chaung KT, Ha NB, Trinh HN, Ha NB, Garcia RT, Nguyen HA, Nguyen KK, Garcia G, Ahmed A, Keeffe EB, Nguyen MN. High rate of recurrent hepatitis B viremia following treatment-induced hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion. Gastroenterology 2011; 140 (Suppl 1): S897. Oral presentation, Digestive Disease Week, Chicago, Illinois, May 2011.
• Lin B, Ha NB, Liu A, Trinh HN, Nguyen HA, Nguyen KK, Garcia RT, Ahmed A, Garcia G, Keeffe EB, Nguyen MH. Incidence and predictors of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated with anti-HBV therapy in routine clinical practice. Gastroenterology 2011; 140 (Suppl 1): S913.
• Liu A, Ha NB, Lin B, Yip B, Trinh HN, Nguyen HA, Nguyen KK, Ahmed A, Garcia G, Keeffe EB, Nguyen MH. Incidence of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion and suboptimal response in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated with entecavir 0.5 mg daily in routine clinical practice. Gastroenterology 2011; 140 (Suppl 1): S931-932.
• Nguyen V, Ha NB, Trinh HN, Nguyen HA, Nguyen KK, Garcia RT, Levitt BS, Nguyen MH. Long-term treatment response to entecavir and adefovir in treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B e antigen-negative patients in a community setting. Gastroenterology 2011; 140 (Suppl 1): S933.
• Nguyen MH, Trinh HN, Do ST, Tran PL, Nguyen TT, Nguyen KK, Nguyen HA, Garcia RT. Rapid complete viral suppression (CVS) with entecavir (ETV) in adefovir (ADV)-experienced patients: Interim report for a multicenter study. Gastroenterology 2011; S934.
• Nguyen MH, Trinh HN, Garcia RT, Nguyen HA, Levitt BS, Keeffe EB, Cooper AD, Nguyen KK, Ayoub W, Daugherty T, Ahmed A. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reverse transcriptase mutation prevalence was low in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) using INNO-LiPA HBV DR3 in a prospective multicenter study. Gastroenterology 2011; S973.
• Ristau JT, Zhang S, Trinh HN, Garcia RT, Nguyen HA, Nguyen KK, Nguyen MH. Proportion of patients who were previously ineligible for anti-HBV therapy who became eligible after 12 months of follow-up: application of U.S. Panel and AASLD Guidelines. Gastroenterology 2011; S896. Oral Presentation, DDW 2011.
• Vutien P, Garcia RT, Trinh HN, Nguyen LH, Ha NB, Keeffe EB, Nguyen HA, Nguyen KK, Levitt BS, da Silveira EB, Nguyen MH. HBV precore C1858T mutation does not share similar clinical or virologic characteristics with other precore mutants. Gastroenterology 2011; 140 (Suppl 1): S921-922.
• Zhang S, Ristau JT, Trinh HN, Garcia RT, Nguyen HA, Levitt BS, Nguyen MH. Treatment of chronic hepatitis B patients according to current guidelines: a community-based study. Gastroenterology 2011; S932.

• Do AL, Wong CR, Nguyen V, Garcia RT, Trinh HN, Kin KC, Nguyen HA, Nguyen KK, Levitt BS, Nguyen MH. Annual incidence for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in non-cirrhotic patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and cirrhotic patients of all etiologies. Gastroenterology 2011; S920.

• Ha NB, et al.  Response to Higher Dose of Entecavir (ETV) 1.0 mg Daily in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) and Partial Response to ETV 0.5 mg Daily. Hepatology 2010; 52(Suppl 1): 535A.
• Wong CR, et al.  Rapid Complete Viral Suppression with Combination Therapy in 109 Treatment-Experienced Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B. Hepatology 2010; 52(Suppl 1): 544A.
• Nguyen MH, et al.  Complete viral suppression (CVS) by entecavir (ETV) in patients previously treated with adefovir (ADV): Interim report for a multicenter study. Hepatology 2010; 52(Suppl 1): 510A.
• Yip B, et al.   Response to Alternative Therapies in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) and Entecavir (ETV) Partial Response (PR). Hepatology 2010; 52(Suppl 1): 535A.
• Ha NB, et al.   Risk Factors for Hepatocellular Carcinoma among Patients with Underlying Chronic Liver Disease: A Prospective Study. Hepatology 2010; 52(Suppl 1): 682A.
• Ha NB, et al.  Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Disease Knowledge of Chronic Hepatitis B Infection in Vietnamese Americans in California: A Cross-Sectional Study. Hepatology 2010; 52(Suppl 1): 696A.
• Nguyen MH et al.   Low Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Reverse Transcriptase Mutations in Treatment-Naïve Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Using INNO-LiPA HBV DR3 in a Multicenter Study. Hepatology 2010; 52(Suppl 1): 1001A.
• Chaung KT, et al. Virologic relapse following treatment induced hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Am J Gastroenterol 2010; 105(Suppl 1): S100. Oral presentation, ACG 2010.
• Ha NB, et al.  Ethnicity, alcohol consumption, and cigarette use as predictors for hepatocellular carcinoma: a prospective study.  Gastroenterology 2010;138:S-219.  Poster presentation with distinction, DDW 2010.
• Ha NB, et al.  Prevalence, risk factors, and disease knowledge of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection in Vietnamese Americans in California: A prospective study. Gastroenterology 2010;138:S-631.
• Do AL, et al.  Hepatocellular carcinoma incidence in a cohort of 981 U.S. patients with chronic hepatitis B without cirrhosis and patients with cirrhosis of all etiologies. Gastroenterology 2010;138:S-776.  Oral presentation, DDW 2010.
• Lam KD, et al.  Randomized controlled trial of pegylated interferon-alpha 2a and ribavirin in patients with treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis C genotype 6. Gastroenterology 2010;138:S-783. Oral presentation, DDW 2010.
• Nguyen MN, et al.  Treatment efficacy of entecavir (ETV) therapy in patients previously treated with adefovir (ADV): Interim report for a multicenter study. Gastroenterology 2010;138:S-793.  Oral presentation, DDW 2010.
• Wong CR, et al.  High rate of complete viral suppression with combination therapy with tenofovir using entecavir or lamivudine/emtricitabine in patients with chronic hepatitis B and prior monotherapy failure.  Gastroenterology 2010;138:S-794.  Oral presentation, DDW 2010.
• Verma K, et al.  Both hepatitis C and B virus were major underlying etiologies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Vietnamese American while the vast majority of HCC cases in Chinese Americans were associated with hepatitis B virus.  Gastroenterology 2010;138:S-813.
• Nguyen MH, et al.  Hepatitis B-e antigen positive (HBeAg+) chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with precore (PC) and basal core promoter (BCP) mutations.  Gastroenterology 2010;138:S-830. 
• Nguyen MH, et al.  Hepatitis B virus reverse transcriptase mutations were not detected in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B using INNO LiPA HBV DR3: a prospective multicenter study.  Gastroenterology 2010;138:S-830.
• Nguyen LH, et al.  Asian ethnicity is a significant predictor for viral dominance by HBV in HBV/HCV co-infected patients: a multicenter, matched case-control study.  Gastroenterology 2010;138:S-839.   Poster presentation with distinction, DDW 2010.
• Ha NB, et al.  Long-Term Outcome of Treatment-Naïve Chronic Hepatitis B e Antigen-Negative Treated with Entecavir 0.5mg (ETV) or Adefovir 10mg (ADV) in a Real-Life Community Setting. Gastroenterology 2010;138:S-833.