Wei Family Fellowship
Using the occasion of Professor LJ Wei’s 65th Birthday as inspiration, LJ’s former students Tianxi Cai ’99, Su-Chun Cheng ’95 and Lu Tian ’02, joined by the late Professor Marvin Zelen, HMS Assistant Professor Hajime Uno (a former postdoctoral fellow in the Department) and Maria Wei, raised a significant amount of funds to endow the Wei Family Fellowship. Many of LJ’s former students, postdocs, colleagues and friends in industry contributed to the fund, knowing how important it is to raise funds for international students who are not eligible for NIH training grant support. In Lu’s words, “I am very excited about the establishment of the Wei family fellowship, since it will help many bright students to achieve their dreams no matter their beginnings. I can’t wait to see the difference the fellowship is going to make tomorrow through the students it supports today.”
The Fong Clow Doctoral Fellowship Fund
Fong Wang Clow, SM ’86 and ScD ’89, and husband Eric Clow established this Fellowship in honor of Fong’s advisor Professor Nan Laird’s retirement in 2015. Fong’s path from serving as a barefoot doctor in rural China to her current position as head of biometrics for Pharmacyclics included several years working on her doctorate in the Department. In addition to her beloved thesis advisor Nan, Fong also worked closely with Donna Spiegelman, ScD ’89, Jim Ware, Marvin Zelen, and Steve Lagakos. Fong’s career has included working at several biotech and private equity companies, including Syntex and Genentech. She has overseen several FDA approvals for drugs that have saved numerous lives, including the only FDA-approved treatment for stroke. When asked why she went into the pharmaceutical industry, Fong responded: “I like to put my knowledge of biostatistics to practical use. I like the complexity of the drug development process, involving science, people, marketing, finance and art. I like to make a difference in the world.”
