Biography
Tammy Mungchun Bray was born in 1945 in China and grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. She studied home economics at Fu-Jen University, earning a BS in nutrition and food science in 1967. Not long after completing her studies at Fu-Jen, Bray moved to the United States to pursue future education at Washington State University. She completed her MS in human nutrition in 1971 and her Ph.D. in nutrition, minoring in biochemistry, in 1974.
Following a four year period as post-doctoral research assistant in the WSU Department of Animal Sciences, Bray found her first academic appointment in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph. She stayed in Canada from 1978-1995, in the process building a research portfolio focusing on antioxidants and oxidative stress in health and disease; nutrition and gene expression; and protein energy malnutrition in children. Bray also gained her first experiences as a high level administrator at the University of Guelph, serving as Interim Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs from 1992-1994.
In 1995 Bray accepted a position as professor of medical biochemistry at The Ohio State University. During her seven years in Columbus, Bray continued to publish in nutrition and health sciences, while also moving up the administrative ranks, first as chair of the Department of Human Nutrition and Food Management, and later as Associate Dean for Research and International Studies in the College of Human Ecology. From 2000-2002, she also served as Director of the Ohio Bionutrition Research Initiative.
In 2002 Bray relocated to Corvallis to serve as Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences, which had very recently merged with OSU's College of Home Economics. During her tenure as Dean, Bray reorganized the college to focus holistically on the health sciences. In June 2014, the college achieved a major milestone when it became home to the first accredited public health curriculum in the state of Oregon.
Tammy Bray retired from OSU in June 2016.