Vi Donna Le, PhD, MPH

Dr. Vi Le is a leading expert in public health and violence prevention with over 15 years of experience. Her career is marked by a deep commitment to understanding and mitigating violence through rigorous research and evaluations of evidence-based interventions. She excels in planning, directing, and implementing research, rigorous evaluations, and providing strategic technical assistance for public health initiatives. Dr. Le has spearheaded numerous high-profile projects on intimate partner violence, teen dating violence, and technology facilitated violence, making her a trusted collaborator and advisor to community-based organizations, state and local health departments, and federal agencies.

Dr. Le has led high-profile projects on intimate partner violence, teen dating violence, and technology-facilitated violence. She has authored over 50 influential publications in the field, including peer-reviewed research articles, programmatic content and implementation resources, government reports, and a report to Congress on recommendations for teen dating violence prevention and strategies. She co-led the update to one of CDC’s flagship products that provides the best available evidence for communities to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV), the IPV Prevention Resource for Action. This resource has been instrumental in guiding public health strategies and policies aimed at reducing intimate partner violence and teen dating violence. Dr. Le had a pivotal role in the development and dissemination of CDC’s Dating Matters, a comprehensive, evidence-based violence prevention model for middle schoolers, their parents, and their communities. She and the Violence Prevention Solutions team continues to support Dating Matters implementation throughout the country, as well as an adaptation by the Swedish government.

Within this emerging field, Dr. Le has led the strategic planning and research initiatives on technology-facilitated violence. She co-led the addition of technology-facilitated sexual violence items to national surveys and co-authored manuscripts and reports from those data, contributing to a deeper understanding of how technology impacts violence. Her work in this area has helped inform the development of prevention strategies that address the unique challenges posed by technology-facilitated violence. She is particularly interested in how misogyny and hate speech intersect within the realm of technology-facilitated violence. Her research examines how digital platforms can perpetuate harmful behaviors and attitudes but also how they can serve as tools for effective solutions. She is dedicated to understanding these dynamics to develop strategies that leverage technology to combat and prevent violence.

Dr. Le served as a behavioral scientist in the Research and Evaluation Branch of CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention for 5 years until the Department of Health and Human Services eliminated this work in 2025. Her work has been recognized with awards such as the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control’s Honor Award for Excellence in Program or Policy Evaluation. She has presented her research at national conferences, conducted trainings, and presented for national webinars for various audiences.

Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Le enjoys expressing her creativity through designing and installing event floral arrangements, expanding her plant and book collection, and seeing her toddler experience the world as a young traveler. She is also deeply committed to the advocacy work for public health and for the rights and well-being of federal workers.

Relevant Experience

Behavioral Scientist, CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention (2017-2025)

Senior Research Coordinator at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (2011-2017)

Education

PhD, Population Health Sciences

University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston

MPH, Health Promotion and Behavior Sciences

University of Texas Health Science Center