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Pei Hsien Tang, MD
Prof. Tang was born in October 1930 in Shanghai and obtained his MD degree from Peking Union Medical College (1949-1957), a missionary predecessor of John Hopkins Medical School in China. After medical school, Prof. Tang rose quickly through the ranks to become principal senior investigator, director of the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (1987-1994) and then vice president of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (1987-1994). Prof. Tang devoted his life to experimental hematology and hematopoietic stem cells research. His research focused on hematopoietic stem cells biology and its regulation in response to radiation-related injuries including early diagnosis of acute radiation sickness. His lab was among the first in the world that demonstrated the modulatory effects of T and B cells in hematopoiesis. His lab also explored the use of gene therapy and drugs to treat and prevent hematopoietic stem cell injury to radiation. He authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, books, and also reviewed articles and organized many workshops to disseminate the latest experimental hematology techniques in China. His lab was among the first to apply lymphokine activated killers cells (LAK cells) to treat cancer patients in China in the late 80's.
Over the last two decades, Prof. Tang trained 21 Master graduates, 12 PhD graduates and six postdoctoral fellows. We were among hundreds of student applicants fortunate enough to study under Prof. Tang. All of us benefitted from his brilliant scientific stewardship and also from his lifelong mentorship of everlasting human virtues: unselfish giving, modesty, compassion, and integrity. Even when he was so ill in the hospital, he still managed to review manuscripts and counsel his former students. “This is the right journal to boost your program awareness domestically.” “Have you thought of alternative approaches?” Minutes into the conversation, Prof. Tang could always zero in on the essence of the problem and this ability extended well beyond scientific realms.
Prof. Tang held numerous academic titles in China as well as abroad. He served as the director, board vice chairperson for Chinese Society of Pathophyisiology and as the president for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd sessions of the Chinese Pathophysiology Society of Experimental Hematology, while he remained as the editor-inchief for the Journal of Experimental Hematology (Chinese edition) since its inauguration. He was also vice president for Chinese Society of Hematology and a special council member of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. He served as the lead for quality control of the Ministry of Health Stem Cell Bank. He was the delegate of the Sixth People's Congress and won numerous national awards for his contributions in the field of experimental hematology and hematopoietic stem cell research. He was visiting hematopoietic professor for the Department of Cell Biology, University of Munich, the Department of Experimental Hematology at Ulm University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cornell University and Brookhaven Research Institute. He served on the evaluation committee for the Fulbright and Fogarty Scholar Fellowship Foundation as well as on the board of directors for the International Society of Experimental Hematology in 1989. He also served on the editorial board for the Stem Cells journal founded by Drs. Ann and Martin J Murphy.
Prof. Tang was a long time friend of Ann and Martin Murphy and their residence and ours both prominently display his beautiful calligraphy pieces taken from one of his favorite Tang Dynasty poems. The words best reflect our mutual internal emotions on missing hometown and family (for those of us living abroad) to inspirations to overcome challenges in life.
He was survived by his wife Yuanshuo Fu (
), three of his children Dong Tang (
) Fang Tang (
) Hong Tang (
), and several grand children. In honor of Prof. Tang who had profound influence on our lives, we propose to form the Pei-Hsien Tang Scholarship Foundation in support of future promising graduate students who display the same humanistic and scientific virtue as Prof. Tang in pursuit of science and medicine. Professor Tang, please do rest well and your legacy will be remembered and passed to the next generation.
