The privilege of serving: Hendry Ton announces retirement
(SACRAMENTO)
After more than 24 years of advancing health equity and belonging, Dr. Hendry Ton, associate vice chancellor for Health Equity by Design for Inclusive Excellence (HEDI) will retire on Oct. 1. Through his leadership within the broader division, UC Davis Inclusive Excellence, health equity became more deeply embedded in the institution’s culture, programs and partnerships, creating a foundation that will continue to shape work for years to come.
Hendry Ton, center, joins UC Davis Health employees and community members during a march supporting equity and community engagement.
After years of helping build a stronger foundation for equity at UC Davis, he looks forward to spending more time on other long-term projects: building the log cabin that has occupied his spare time for years and enjoying more time with his family, who have patiently waited while he devoted so much of himself to serving others. He eventually plans to return to clinical work with a focus on community-based clinics.
"As Dr. Ton branches out even further into serving others, we're happy for the communities that will benefit from him. And we're grateful for the example he leaves behind,” Renetta G. Tull, vice chancellor for Inclusive Excellence, said. “The way he leads, the compassion and love that he gives, has helped us be even more thoughtful in the ways we go forward, in the ways we connect with one another, and in the way we seek to build trust among one another."
A Journey Shaped by Service
Ton's commitment to advancing health equity is deeply rooted in his own life experience. Born in Vietnam, he immigrated to the United States with his family as a refugee, growing up with firsthand experiences of discrimination, food insecurity and barriers to health care. Those experiences shaped his understanding of the social factors that influence health and inspired a career dedicated to reducing inequities.
Hendry Ton, associate vice chancellor for Health Equity by Design for Inclusive Excellence, speaks with UC Davis Health employees during a campus event.
Throughout his career, he has championed the health and well-being of refugee and immigrant communities through culturally responsive mental health care, community partnerships and education. His leadership helped expand UC Davis Health's work in refugee health—from the Transcultural Wellness Center, which serves diverse Asian and Pacific Islander communities, to HEDI initiatives that support refugee, immigrant and asylum-seeking populations through clinical education, community resources and the Human Rights Initiative.
Building a Career of Care
Ton joined UC Davis in 2002 as a health sciences assistant clinical professor. His interest in cross-cultural psychiatry and community-engaged care shaped the trajectory of his career. Over the next two decades, he advanced through a series of leadership roles that expanded his impact from clinical care and education to institutional transformation.
As founding medical director of the Transcultural Wellness Center, Ton helped establish a model of culturally responsive behavioral health care for underserved communities. He later became director of education for the Center for Reducing Health Disparities, where he advanced training and scholarship focused on health equity and community partnerships.
Recognized as a thoughtful educator and mentor, Ton was appointed associate dean for faculty development and diversity, leading efforts to recruit, develop and support a more inclusive academic community. In 2017 he assumed leadership of HEDI's broad portfolio dedicated to embedding equity, belonging and inclusive excellence throughout UC Davis Health, first in an interim capacity and then as a permanent associate vice chancellor.
Hendry Ton, associate vice chancellor for Health Equity by Design for Inclusive Excellence, poses with Renetta G. Tull, vice chancellor for Inclusive Excellence, for a photo during a UC Davis Health event.
Throughout his career, Ton remained an active clinician, educator and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, mentoring generations of students, residents, faculty and health care leaders while providing excellent care to his patients. He led the department’s medical education efforts, first as a doctoring co-instructor-of-record, then as clerkship director, and later as the director for medical student education. During this time, he also led the development of the Team-PEACE curriculum, which innovatively combined a learner-centered approach with quality improvement to teach cultural humility and health care professionalism in the School of Medicine.
Scholarship, Teaching and National Recognition
Ton's influence extends well beyond UC Davis through his scholarship, teaching and national leadership. As a clinician, educator and professor, he advanced cross-cultural psychiatry, refugee and immigrant mental health, community-engaged care and health equity. His research, publications, presentations and educational leadership have shaped thinking and practice for health professionals across the country. His recent work has explored topics ranging from creating fairer population health prediction models and developing faculty communication and teaching skills through the SEED program to preparing a health care workforce equipped to address social drivers of health, fostering cultural humility through immersive medical education, and advancing patient-centered care.
Hendry Ton, associate vice chancellor for Health Equity by Design for Inclusive Excellence, visits with employees during a gathering at UC Davis Health.
His contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the UC Davis Chancellor's Achievement Award for Diversity and Community, the Dean's Award for Excellence in Community Engagement, the Dean's Inspirational Faculty Educator Award, and recognition from organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness for his exemplary clinical service. He also has been named among Becker's Hospital Review's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leaders to Know and recognized by the Los Angeles Times and The Sacramento Bee.
A Lasting Legacy
Ton has been a transformative force at UC Davis Health, advancing health equity, strengthening community partnerships, and helping build a culture where belonging and inclusion are recognized as essential to excellence. His leadership connected clinical care, education, workforce development, and community engagement in ways that expanded opportunities for underserved communities and inspired lasting organizational change. He often reminded colleagues that the work of equity belongs to everyone. His example empowered others to incorporate an ethos of equity into their own work, transforming the culture in important ways.
"Hendry has never been someone who sought to create a legacy or stand at a lectern seeking recognition. But he has created one. We all carry that legacy with us—in the patients he has impacted, the students and researchers he has inspired, and all that has happened because of his dedication. He has led with unwavering commitment,” Dr. Mark Rosenblatt, vice chancellor of Human Health Sciences, said.
Hendry Ton, left, joins fellow UC Davis Health participants at a community Pride event.
Ton's enduring legacy will be found in the people and culture he helped shape. Through his mentorship of students, residents, faculty, and emerging leaders, he cultivated a generation of professionals committed to advancing health and opportunity for all. The programs, organizational structures, and community partnerships he established created a lasting foundation that will continue to serve UC Davis Health and the communities it reaches for years to come.
"One of the jobs of a leader is to know when to step aside and let the next generation of leaders rise,” Ton said. “No matter what leaders do to foster the growth of the people around them, there's nothing quite like leaving to create that final opportunity. When I look across UC Davis, I see talented people doing extraordinary work, and I know this division is well-positioned for the future. That gives me a deep sense of peace."
