Lynda Boyer-Chu

Lynda entered nursing because of her passion for experiencing diverse cultures and her interest in global health. Through summer internships during her BSN program — first with Crossroads Africa and then in Harlan, Kentucky — she gained experience serving communities with rich histories and cultures. She found her calling.

Early in her career, she worked with the International Rescue Committee in Thailand, assisting Cambodian refugees, a life-changing experience. At the San Francisco Unified School District, she directed projects on adolescent immunizations funded by the Centers for Disease Control, which supported the publication of materials and workshops nationwide. She also mentored nursing and medical students as they earned their clinical hours. As a Fulbright Specialist, she taught at a university in Vietnam where she forged deep connections with nursing faculty.

She hopes to ignite in USF students a passion for elevating health at the community level, including serving those who are immigrants and marginalized due to language, cultural, and economic barriers.

• Adolescent immunizations 
• Oral health and impact on systemic health
• Global health opportunities for nurses

• Journal Reviewer, Journal of School Nursing
• Member and former Co-Chair, UCSF Center for Community Engagement

• Johns Hopkins University, MPH in International Health, 1980
• Columbia University, BSN in Nursing, 1977

• Associate Clinical Professor, UC San Francisco (current)
• Fulbright Specialist Professor, Tra Vinh University, Vietnam
• Wellness Center Nurse, San Francisco Unified School District
• Director-Refugee Nurse Training Project, Peralta Community College District/Laney College
• Public Health Nurse, International Rescue Committee, Khao I Dang, Thailand

• Fulbright Specialist Award in Global Health
• Distinguished Service Award, San Francisco Unified School District
• Exemplary Community Health Partner Award, San Francisco Department of Public Health
• Inducted into Delta Omega, Honor Society in Public Health
• Inducted into Sigma Theta Tau, Honor Society in Nursing

• Fulbright as Opportunity for U.S. Nursing Educators and International Nursing Schools. T.H.T. Huynh, N.G.N. Nguyen, et al. Journal of Nursing Education. (2024)
• Challenged by immunization compliance? Five steps for urban high schools with multilingual students. NASN School Nurse. (2020)
• Disease Prevention (chapter editor). Selekman, J., Shannon, R.A., and Yokaitis, C.F. (Eds). NASN School Nursing, A Comprehensive Text, 3rd edition. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company. (2017)
• Authored sections: Coordinated school health model; Immunizations: site-based services. Wiley, D.C. & Corey, AC. (Eds). Encyclopedia of School Health. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publishing. (2013)
• Tips for Tdap triumph: implementing a statewide law in an urban school district. NASN School Nurse, 2013 May; 28(3),134-7. (2012)
• Li, C, Freedman, M., Boyer-Chu, L. Championing school-located influenza immunization: the school nurse’s role. Journal of School Nursing, 25 (Suppl 1),18S-28S. 2009.