Faculty
Zaw Wai Htoo, PhD, MPH, MBBS
Fall 1980 - Fall 2120
Interprofessional Education Department
ZawWaiHtoo@scuhs.edu
Current Position
Biography
Dr. Zaw Wai Htoo received his doctorate degree (PhD) in human nutrition- public health from Kansas State University, medical degree (MBBS) from the University of Medicine, Mandalay, and master’s degree in public health (MPH) from Kansas State University.
Dr. Htoo practiced as a physician, and worked with the United Nations —The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) as National Officer, worked with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as Programme Assistant for Health and Nutrition Programs, Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation, and Emergency Operation (food security and nutrition): Mother and Child Health and Nutrition - Young Child Survival and Development, Health and Nutrition for people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and Tuberculosis (TB) complementing Antiretroviral therapy. He served as Senior Project Officer for International Health Organization for Youth Sexual Reproductive Health, including Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS). He also served as Consultant/Instructor of Capacity Building Initiatives Organization performing organizational capacity assessment and capacity building consultations, training courses for United Nations Agencies, International and National Organizations, and staff members.
He had been a graduate teaching assistant at the College of Health and Human Sciences, Kansas State University, and Adjunct Faculty of Southern California University of Health Sciences teaching undergraduate and graduate human nutrition, clinical and public health courses. He also has been an academic, Community Health and Nutrition Advisor at University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources.
His research interests include health and nutrition for children and adults, lifespan nutrition, nutraceuticals, medical nutrition therapy, gut-brain-axis, gut health, human gut microbiome, lifestyle management, obesity, diabetes, chronic diseases, metabolic diseases, aging, neurodegenerative diseases, mood, mental health, long-term care, quality of life, health disparities and health equity, community health, program management and evaluation, and interdisciplinary research.
Degrees
Ph.D., Human Nutrition - Public Health, United States
MPH, Public Health, United States
M.B.B.S., Medicine & Surgery, University of Medicine, Mandalay
Residency Rotation, Medicine, Surgery, OBGyn, Peds., University of Medicine, Mandalay
DIP, Management, Managerial Principles, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry , United Kingdom
Scholarly Contributions and Creative Productions
Journal Article
Completed/Published
Honors and Awards
Spring 2019 - Spring 2019
Outstanding Teaching Award, 2019, Kansas State University
Spring 2022 - Spring 2022
Outstanding Teaching Award, 2022, Kansas State University
Spring 2021 - Spring 2021
Honor Society Member, 2021, Kappa Omicron Nu - Omicron Theta Honor Society
Spring 2014 - Spring 2014
Honor Society Membership, 2014, Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
Fall 2001 - Fall 2001
Distinction in Human Anatomy, 2001, University of Medicine, Mandalay
Fall 2000 - Fall 2000
Distinction in Physics, 2000, University of Medicine, Mandalay
Distinction in Chemistry, 2000, University of Medicine, Mandalay
Professional Membership
Summer 2023 - Ongoing
American Public Health Association (APHA), June 2023, Ongoing
Fall 2014 - Fall 2015
American Public Health Association (APHA), November 2014, November 2015
Hear from the Students Who’ve Been in Your Shoes
I chose SCU when looking for a PA program because of their Integrative Medicine approach. I am from Michigan, and not many programs focus on this Integrative, Holistic approach when it comes to patient care in the Midwest, and I felt that was very important for me to learn as a future provider. My transition to semi-virtual learning has been very smooth and quite enjoyable. [su_accordion][su_spoiler title="Read More..." open="No"]My favorite part about attending SCU is how tight-knit and diverse the community is. Coming from a large undergrad university and moving so far, it was very important for me to have a PA program that made me feel valued and invested in my success. At SCU, they do a great job of making you feel that.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Brianna Hadley
MSPA Class of 2022
One of the great things about SCU is we do have a campus layout, so all your classes aren't in a single room. We have our cadaver lab. We have different specialty rooms for physical assessment classes vs. acupuncture classes. All our acupuncture-specific classes have all the herbs in the room. You can pull out the herbs and look at them, whether in class or in between classes to get that extra studying in.[su_accordion][su_spoiler title="Read More..." open="No"]My favorite part of SCU is the collaboration from our beginning terms. We were working alongside chiropractor students, PA students, and ayurvedic students. It's a unique community where we get to learn about these different fields and sit in classrooms with them and work with them in the clinic. It allows you to get an understanding of all the different fields and how they can work together, and what is unique about your field. I think that is a wonderful aspect that I didn't think was going to be as prominent as it is here; even now, in my upper term classes and I am not in class with chiropractic students, I can still reach out to them about a certain aspect I may not understand or if I am working on a case. I want another perspective I know I have them to reach out to, so that has been a great networking community to have resources for.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Dr. Jamie Kuljis
Graduate, Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
"There are a lot of things that I love about the program at SCU. The first one is that the faculty come from a long line of Ayurvedic knowledge deeply rooted in ancient classical text. They studied Ayurveda, but they also lived it. When you learn from people who embody this wisdom, it's much easier to grasp this knowledge. The second thing I love is the camaraderie within the cohort. The combination of the training, supportive faculty, and the support of my peers and classmates has given me the confidence I need to start my own practice."
Portia Harris
Student, Ayurveda Program
Some of my favorite courses at SCU have to be the chiropractic procedure classes; those are the classes you get to hone in on your chiro skills, your palpation skills and ultimately work on the adjustments that make you a chiropractor. Those are the classes I feel enhance my knowledge the most and are some of the reasons I chose to become a chiropractor here are SCU.[su_accordion][su_spoiler title="Read More..." open="No"]On top of chiropractic procedures classes, my favorite is the cadaver lab experience. The cadaver classes opened up my perception of what the human body is made up of. It allowed me to get an in-person perspective of how the body works and looks on the inside. I am genuinely thankful for those experiences because they opened and broadened my horizons to the human body and anatomy in general.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Jordan Vega
Student, Doctor of Chiropractic
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