Refugee Expert Dr. Hoa Tran Advocates for Humanitarian Careers Amid Funding Cuts
Dr. Hoa Tran, former head of refugee policy and programs for East Asia Pacific and South Asia at the Department of State and current Director for Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning at Jesuit Refugee Service USA, recently engaged with students at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. Dr. Tran shared her personal journey from a Vietnamese refugee to a leader in U.S. refugee policy, emphasizing her motivation to join the State Department's refugee bureau. She highlighted her work leading the U.S. humanitarian response to the 2017 Rohingya refugee crisis, where over 700,000 Rohingya fled Burma. Dr. Tran and her team were recognized for their efforts, becoming finalists for the 2018 Service to America Award. She discussed the challenges faced by over one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh camps, who have limited options for permanent solutions, and encouraged students to pursue careers in humanitarian affairs despite current funding cuts.
