Linda Hoang

Linda Hoang is a medical microbiologist and medical director of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) Public Health Laboratory, and a clinical professor in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

Dr. Hoang completed both her medical school and medical microbiology residency training at UBC, becoming a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2006. She also obtained a diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene from the London School of Hygiene & Epidemiology in the UK. Dr. Hoang has been based at BCCDC since 2006, though she has been involved in BCCDC-led projects in Vietnam and BC since 1998.

Dr. Hoang has pioneered advancements in public health laboratory science in British Columbia. Her research focuses on medical microbiology, genomic epidemiology, and infectious disease surveillance. She led the modernization of the Public Health Advanced Bacteriology and Mycology Program for over 17 years, implementing innovative diagnostic techniques such as 16S and ITS sequencing directly from clinical samples. Her work has significantly improved the province's capacity to detect and respond to infectious disease threats, including foodborne outbreaks and healthcare-associated infections.

Analysis of Dr. Hoang's publications reveals a consistent focus on applying genomic technologies to public health challenges. Her research spans diagnostic test evaluation, pathogen surveillance, antimicrobial resistance monitoring, and pandemic response. She has made significant contributions to understanding the epidemiology of bacterial pathogens including Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, as well as viral pathogens like SARS-CoV-2.

• Medical Director, BCCDC Public Health Laboratory
• Site Director, Medical Microbiology Residency Training Program
• Former Medical Co-Director for the Provincial Infection Control Network (PICNet) until 2023

Dr. Hoang has played a critical role in building British Columbia's public health laboratory infrastructure. She was instrumental in implementing Canada's first Laboratory Response Network program for the 2010 Olympics and has led the integration of genomic technologies into routine public health surveillance. Her leadership was particularly crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she helped establish a high-throughput pathogen-agnostic genomics hub at the BCCDC Public Health Laboratory as a pandemic legacy.