Major: Nursing
Thao Griffith, Ph.D., came to the U.S. at the age of 16 and with little knowledge of English.
The Vietnam native dreamed of being a nurse but knew her lack of a high school diploma would hold her back. Griffith discovered that she could earn her GED at College of DuPage and, through the Early Admissions program, began taking a few classes before turning 18. But it wasn’t easy.
“The GED (now the High School Proficiency) program fit my situation perfectly,” she explained. “The Admissions office was very helpful in guiding me through the admission process, including the instructions to take the replacement tests. Finally, I was very eager to start my first semester at COD.
“I had a really hard time fitting into the college environment, understanding the materials and preparing for my classes. The culture shock that I experienced made me feel that it was impossible to achieve my dream. There were times that I was disappointed in myself and wanted to drop out of college.”
But Griffith’s dream of becoming a nurse kept her going. She began taking easy classes first so she could adapt to the college environment and learn English by interacting more with others. Then she began taking harder classes that were prerequisites for the Nursing program. These required stronger English skills.
“It is amazing how much English and science knowledge I learned at COD. Every day that I was in school and pursuing my goal was a valuable learning time in my educational journey. However, it will never be enough. I am still learning and exploring about America and about my nursing career.”
Griffith also received the Bonnie M. Wheaton Scholarship from the COD Foundation. As a student who worked part-time while attending school full-time, she was grateful that the scholarship, low tuition and financial aid helped her afford pursuing her dream.
“By awarding me the Honorable Bonnie M. Wheaton Scholarship, COD lightened my financial stresses, which allowed me to focus more on the most important aspect of my life—education,” she said. “This encouraged me to ‘climb harder on the ladder of success.’ Thank you to Mrs. Wheaton and everyone who helps to make the differences in my life.”
After graduating from COD, Griffith earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and ultimately Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She is now an assistant professor on a tenure track at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.
She has devoted her learning and research to improve neonatal care and outcomes with an emphasis on oral feeding in preterm infants. She successfully completed her dissertation research in 2017, entitled “The Relationship Between Duration of Tube Feeding and Oral Feeding Success in Preterm Infants.” That work was funded by five competitive awards from the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, Sigma Theta Tau International, Midwest Nursing Research Society, UIC College of Nursing, and UIC Alpha Lambda Chapter.
Griffith continues building her program of research and was funded by the AWHONN Every Woman, Every Baby Research Grant to support her pilot study. In 2020, she was nominated for the Midwest Nursing Research Society Family Health Research and Implementation Interest Group Early Investigator Award. She also received the Midwest Nursing Research Society Distinguished Abstract Award in 2020.
Health Science Admissions at COD
Her long-term research goal is to utilize biobehavioral epigenetic approaches as a clinical strategy to reduce the impact of early life stress on preterm infant development, facilitate optimal individualized care for preterm infants, and develop parent-guided interventions to empower parents of preterm infants. Most recently, she was awarded the K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award by the National Institute of Health to fund her research project, “Epigenetics Embedding of Oral Feeding Skill Development in Preterm Infants.”
In rapid response to the pandemic, she co-organized and established an interdisciplinary organization known as COVID Equity Response Collaborative Loyola (CERCL) in April 2020. She devoted her time and passion to address health inequalities in various underserved communities of color in west suburban Cook County. She effectively served as CERCL’s COVID Testing Faculty Lead from May 2020 to December 2021 during the most critical and uncertain time of the pandemic while building a strong foundation for CERCL to grow. Beginning with a core group of six, CERCL now has a cadre of more than 150 volunteers on standby and more than 35 currently active volunteers and paid staff. With funding from private foundations, Loyola University and Loyola University Health System, government agencies and individual donors, CERCL has provided (as of January 2022) 1,400 free COVID tests, referred more than 350 individuals for social and legal services, trained 75 contact tracers, registered over 50 seniors for vaccines, and scheduled 70 well-child examinations.
Griffith loves teaching pathophysiology and nursing research to undergraduate nursing students.
“My teaching philosophy is student-centered with a focus on transformative education. Through respect, kindness, knowledge and perseverance, I hope to nourish the seeds of these qualities in students, facilitating their journeys to becoming leaders and a person for and with others,” she said.
Griffith also has thrived in clinical practice. She has worked as a registered nurse in various settings, including a pediatric clinic, home health and wellness center. She is currently practicing as an aesthetic nurse at Images Med Spa. She specializes in non-surgical aesthetic procedures.
“I love to work in an environment that inspires positivity and artistry,” she said. “Aesthetic nursing continues to fuel my passion for learning and allows me to fulfill my creative side while still using my clinical judgement. I am passionate about establishing trust, building long-lasting relationships with patients, and helping them achieve their beauty goals and feel confident.”
Because of her accomplishments, Griffith has received numerous honors and awards. She has been nominated by students for the St. Ignatius Loyola Award for Excellence in Teaching for three consecutive years (2019, 2020 and 2021), as well as the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Freshmen (2021). She was awarded the 40 Under 40 Emerging Nursing Leader Award by the Illinois Nurse Foundation in 2020 and the Power of Nursing Leadership Pinnacle Nurse Leader Award in 2019.
“My passion for teaching, research, service and practice provides the motivation and inspiration to my ‘Why—to build relationships, empower others, and inspire positivity’ philosophy,” she said. “This simple yet powerful statement has been the cornerstone of my aspirations and successes. It will continue to guide me toward the American dream that my 16-year-old self carried from overseas.”
Griffith knows her start at COD provided the background needed for her success.
“I could have finished my prerequisites at other colleges or universities, but I believe that COD is the best decision I have ever made in my educational journey,” she said. “The faculty and staff were amazing in helping me build a very solid foundation which plays a significant role in my accomplishments today!”