Nursing alum receives UCI Lauds & Laurels Distinguished Alumni Award

Lauds & Laurels Distinguished Alumni recipient Linda Trinh (in red) with, from left, Assistant Clinical Professor Tiffany Nielsen, Founding Dean and Distinguished Professor Adey Nyamathi, and Assistant Clinical Professor Candice Whealon.

Linda Trinh, a double board-certified family and psychiatric nurse practitioner in Orange County, is a recipient of the Lauds & Laurels Distinguished Alumni Award.

“It was a great surprise and honor to earn the award,” says Trinh, who graduated from the UCI Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing in the master’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program in 2013.

“Our professors are professionals and great at what they do. They are truly leaders, and I’m very proud to know that I came from UCI.”

Alumni chosen for the honor, given by the UCI Alumni Association, are those whose personal or professional achievements bring honor and distinction to a school or discipline.

Assistant Clinical Professor and former classmate Tiffany Nielsen nominated Trinh because, as she wrote in her nomination letter, “She realizes the dire need for expansion of mental health services and access to quality healthcare providers in her local community.”

Founding Dean and Distinguished Professor Adey Nyamathi says Trinh’s work is vital to addressing the mental health crisis.

“Linda’s important work is what people need right now. It’s improving lives,” she says. “Her commitment to the profession of nursing, mental health and her community is inspiring.”

‘Extremely curious and ambitious’

Trinh came to the nursing school as a UCI alum with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. She also has a master’s in public health with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention from California State University, Fullerton.

One year after earning her master’s, she had her doctor of nursing practice degree from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA.

After a few years serving Orange County as a family nurse practitioner, Trinh saw the need to expand access to healthcare and mental health services to its population. So, she returned to school, this time to earn a post-doctoral certification as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

Today, she is part owner of a psychiatric practice with four locations in Orange County and a fifth location opening before the end of the year.

As a guest lecturer for the UCI School of Nursing and a preceptor for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner students, she is ensuring that future mental health practitioners are trained to meet the needs of their community. She also serves on several pharmaceutical advisory panels to advance the knowledge and science of mental healthcare.

Despite being a graduate student, Trinh found time to work as a case manager and publish an article in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

“I knew she was going to accomplish great things since the day I met her,” Nielsen says. “She has always been extremely curious and ambitious with an unprecedented work ethic.”

Committed to Vietnamese community

Trinh’s dedication to the Vietnamese community has been evident since her undergraduate days at UCI, when she was the cultural chair of the Vietnamese Student Association in 2002-03.

She also spearheaded a student-based culture show at the UCI Bren Events Center that drew more than 2,000 attendees.

Today, she gives back by working with community outreach organizations throughout the county to promote diversity and cultural awareness, close gaps in vulnerable Vietnamese populations and be a role model to Vietnamese youth.

Advocate for the nursing profession

Trinh has been an active member of the California Association of Nurse Practitioners (CANP) since her nurse practitioner student days in 2011. In the Orange County chapter, she has been Education Chair, President-Elect, President and Immediate Past President.

At the state level, she is co-chair of the Education Committee for CANP. At the same time, she was the local chapter education chair.

“Dr. Trinh has been an incredible leader, mentor, and invaluable member of CANP,” Nielsen says.

“Through her educational, professional, and leadership experiences,” writes Nielsen, “she has demonstrated her commitment to the nurse practitioner profession, service to underserved populations, and mentorship in preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals.”

When asked about her prolific career, Trinh says she is an ambitious person who has sought to involve herself in community and professional organizations. “It’s always been who I am.”