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Dr. Nai-Kong Cheung and Dr. Irene Cheung are gratified to contribute in a small way to the Keystone Symposia by providing support for scientists from every part of the globe to join these meetings and to present their exciting research. We hope the attendees will be energized by such interactions. Our own life journey began in Boston decades ago, where we met as students at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, respectively. As a physician-scientist team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, we strive to find more effective treatments with less toxicity for children with cancer. We have been fortunate to be able to pursue our goals and to realize our dreams; convinced that it takes the support and generosity of others over the years to make them happen.

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This endowment is in recognition of Chieu Van Dang, MD (1919-2004), who was professor and Dean of Saigon Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Chieu Van Dang was the son of a school teacher and poet. After his graduation from Petrus Ký High School in 1939, he spent two years studying pharmacy and law before embarking on his studies in medicine in Hanoi. This was disrupted at the end of WWII, which led to the closure of the university and relocation of the Faculty of Medicine to Sàigòn, where Dr. Dang received his MD diploma. He had four years of post-graduate training in general surgery and served in the army between 1954-58, when he had informal training in neurosurgery. After his tour in the army, he joined the Faculty of Saigon School of Medicine and did a fellowship in neurosurgery at Yale University and in Tokyo, returning as the first Vietnamese neurosurgeon to train the next generation of surgeons. He was married to his beloved wife, Nga, who nurtured ten children. The family all relocated to the United States in 1975, when the Vietnam war ended. Dr. Chieu was re-certified in the United States and became chief neurosurgeon at the Fresno VA hospital in California before his retirement.

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Vishva M. Dixit and Manjul S. Dixit enjoying a drink while reminiscing about Kenya, their love of the country, their people and magnificent wildlife. They devote their energies to promoting medical research, environmental awareness and wildlife conservation. 

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Walter Moos and Susan Miller support the efforts of Keystone Symposia to draw on the unique expertise and insights of participants from diverse backgrounds, countries, disciplines, sectors, and career stages, connecting people around the world to devise novel solutions that benefit humankind. Walter and Sue are pleased to play a role in this global team, calling on the best minds in life sciences across academia, industry, government, and nonprofit sectors, altogether charting a course to biomedical breakthroughs and innovation. The most impactful science often happens at these interfaces, and Keystone Symposia provides the ideal forum for such advances.

Walter Moos and Susan Miller have been involved in basic science research, drug discovery, and education for decades, aiming to save and improve lives through their work. They believe that every life saved is a miracle.

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This endowment/fund is named in honor of Darrell T.Y. Liu, a protein chemist whose contributions to science ranged from: sequencing, deriving the three-dimensional structure, and developing a bioassay for human C-reactive protein, to major contributions to the development of vaccines targeting N. meningococcus and B. anthrax. He spent the majority of his career at the US Food and Drug Administration, at once running a laboratory focused on glycobiology; building research capacity for biologic products at the FDA; as well as strengthening review and regulatory oversight for biological products in the division now known as the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER).

Dr. Liu was ever mindful of the mentoring and support he received both during and long after his postdoctoral studies, maturing into a creative protein chemist in the lab of Drs. Stanford Moore and William Stein at the Rockefeller Institute, as it was known at that time. Their presence gave a young immigrant from Tainan, Taiwan a foothold as he navigated the world of academic science. (which included a happy sojourn serving on the founding Board of Scientific Advisors for the Keystone Symposia). He gave his vote of confidence to peers and junior colleagues alike when building the new division at the FDA, hiring 187 staff, who created 7 new laboratories. He taught. He taught young scientists, junior faculty, and technicians, and helped to find positions that fit individuals. Darrell T.Y. Liu gave back, and now will continue to do so in perpetuity through this Emerging Minds Endowment.

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Bei Zhang and Mark Erion are pharmaceutical executives with a mutual devotion for the discovery of innovative therapies for the world’s most devastating diseases. They gained an appreciation for diverse thoughts and approaches by working with scientists from around the world at different global research sites in the US, Europe, and Asia. This experience has spurred their passion for promoting diversity in life sciences.