DUARTE, Calif., June 4, 2009 — Students from City of Hope’s Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences will be awarded their Doctor of Philosophy degrees at a commencement ceremony on Friday, June 12 at 4 p.m.
The students earning their Ph.D. in biological sciences are: Cai Guo, Yan Li, Selma Masri, Guihui Sun, Louisa Villeneuve and Tangsheng Yi. Their theses included studying the mechanisms and processes behind certain cancers, HIV/AIDS and cardiovascular diseases.
Established in 1994, City of Hope’s graduate school trains students in the fields of chemical, molecular and cellular biology as well as bioinformatics and genetics. The school’s interdisciplinary research approach allows students the unique opportunity to collaborate with peers and faculty, with an emphasis on translational research – the conversion of basic science discoveries into clinical applications benefitting patients.
Additionally, the graduate school will award an honorary doctorate to Morgan Chu, partner at Irell & Manella LLP.
“Morgan Chu is an accomplished and nationally respected attorney who has had a lifelong belief in and commitment to the power of higher education,” said John J. Rossi, Ph.D., Lidow Family Research Chair and dean of the graduate school. “We are proud to present our school’s highest honorary award, the Doctor of Science, to Morgan Chu in recognition of his commitment to advancing City of Hope’s research and education programs.”
Chu joined Irell & Manella as an associate in 1977. He served as co managing partner and became a partner in 1982. He has been a member of its governing board, the Executive Committee, since 1985. He graduated from Harvard Law School J.D. (1976), magna cum laude; Yale University M.S.L. (1974); University of California at Los Angeles A.B. (1971), M.A. (1972) and Ph.D. (1973). Chu was named “The Outstanding Intellectual Property Lawyer” in the United States in the first Chambers Award for Excellence, 2006, and one of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” by The National Law Journal.
He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Public Counsel since 1993 and its Executive Committee since 1995. Public Counsel is the nation's largest public-interest law firm.
“The graduate school at City of Hope has a rich culture of collaboration and inquiry that fosters learning, discovery and promising breakthroughs that can address life-threatening diseases. It is my privilege to receive an honorary degree from an institution that is an invaluable training ground for future generations of scientists,” Chu said.
Past recipients of the honorary Doctor of Science degree include Norman Payson, M.D., healthcare executive; Michael Kaplan, co-partner of real estate management firm ARKA Properties Group; and Richard S. Ziman, chairman and chief executive officer of West Los Angeles-based real estate investment firm Arden Realty Inc.
