Dr. Hanten Day

Hanten Day (HD) was born and grew up in the farmland, where he started working as a child.  It was there that, at a very young age, he learned the concepts of hard work and “living within your means”.

Always a top student, HD was forced out of school at age 12 and sent for “re-education” during the Cultural Revolution.  During this time, his family was stripped of everything they owned, and suffered unbelievable torture and humiliation.  The family’s values - “HOPE” - helped HD survive and eventually thrive.

               Honesty and Humbleness

               Optimism and Open-mindedness

               Prayer and Perseverance, and

               Education and Extra Efforts

China’s government changed course when HD was 14, and his family quickly sent him back to school.  At age 16, his outstanding academic performance earned him entrance to a prestigious college, now part of the Central China University of Sciences and Technology.  At that time, HD was the first teen from the area to ever enter college based on academic merits.

HD started learning English in college and became a student leader in the pro-democracy era of the 1980s.  After 8 years, he successfully graduated with degrees in medicine and public health, and was asked to work in the new Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, bordering Hong Kong.  Serving as a physician and heading up national and international cooperation projects, HD’s talent and leadership skills earned him a major role in developing the comprehensive medical and public health plan of the new Special Zone, facilitating the smooth return of Hong Kong.  Hanten authored the first two “Health System Five-Year Comprehensive Development Plans” and helped finalize the third. 

A promising young scholar, HD won the World Health Organization fellowship and became a fellow at Harvard University, where he received further training and worked on health policy issues and a United Nation’s global health project.  Continuing his education, HD earned another master’s degree and graduate certificate (in addition to numerous credits) while working full-time to support his family.  He was employed by several academic, corporate and non-profit institutions, before joining the State of Oregon and Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU).  During his decade-plus in public service, HD has worked at the largest Oregon state agencies (DHS, ODE and DAS) and completed the Salem Citizen Police Academy.  HD’s unique combination of life experience, education, and understanding of governmental policy and procedure has familiarized him with the day’s important issues (public health, public education and public security) and prepared him to make positive changes as a proven problem-solver and community leader.

In 2005, HD won the most-contested school board race in Salem-Keizer school district history. During his tenure, HD has been an adamant advocate for openness and transparency, and a tireless promoter of educational excellence and accountability.  HD has also been keen on constituent services, and tries his best to personally respond to calls and emails directed at him.  HD pledges to keep his constituents as his top priority - he deeply believes constituent welfare is any representative’s number one job.  HD strives to be the people’s representative, not a surrogate for special interest groups.

Please elect Hanten Day to represent the best interests of ordinary Oregonians and their working families.