Name in English: Samuel K. So
Name in Chinese: 苏启深[蘇啟深]
Name in Pinyin: Sū Qĭshēn
Gender: Male
Current location: Stanford University, California
Philanthropy: Yes
Profession(s): Doctor, Medical Research Scientist
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Microbiology, University of Minnesota – Minneapolis, 1972; Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Science, University of Hong Kong, 1978; Fellowship, University of Minnesota – Minneapolis, 1989
Awards: 2008, Fervent Global Love of Lives Medal, Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural & Educational Foundation; 2008, Salute to Excellence Award, American Liver Foundation; 2007, Congressional Commendation; 2007, 34th Annual Award, Chinese Hospital Medical Staff; 2007, Star Award for Community Service, Asian Americans for Community Involvement; 2005, National Leadership Award, New York University Center for the Study of Asian American Health; 2004, Local Hero of the Year, KQED-TV and Union Bank; 2004, Lui Hac Minh Professorship, Stanford University School of Medicine; 2004, Commendation for Commitment to Public Service, Stanford University; 2003, Santiago Ramon y Cajal Award, National Institutes of Health;
Contribution(s): During his practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Sam So found that many of his Asian American patients were dying from liver cancer. He discovered that 80% of these patients had Hepatitis B which can cause liver cancer and cirrhosis. The rate of Hepatitis B in foreign-born Asians is 1 in 10, compared with 1 in 1000 among whites. 1 in 4 of these infected people will die. Liver cancer rates are 9 times higher in Vietnamese Americans, 4 times higher in Korean Americans, and 4 times higher in Chinese Americans than white Americans. Although it is now routine in the US to immunize newborns against the disease there is little similar effort paid to adult mothers who carry the disease and pass it on to their children. In foreign countries where immunizations aren’t available due to cost or lack of awareness the situation is even worse. In 1996, angered by the existence of a vaccine but no public education about Hepatitis B, Dr. So formed the non-profit Asian Liver Center at Stanford University for outreach and education, advocacy, and research into the disease. In 2001, the Asian Liver Center launched the Jade Ribbon Campaign in the San Francisco Bay Area to spread awareness about Hepatitis B and liver cancer in the Asian community. Since then, the Jade Ribbon Campaign has spread across the country and the world. For combating and educating the public about a truly terrifying disease that oftentimes strikes otherwise healthy people in their mid-30s, Dr. Sam So has been a tireless hero.
Philanthropy: In 2007-2007, through the Qinghai Project, and with support from student interns and local governments in Qinqhai Province in China, Dr. So volunteered and was able to immunize approximately 50,000 children in 331 schools with the entire Hepatitis B immunization series. The Jade Ribbon Campaign as a whole has immunized approximately 100,000 children in China since 2004.
Publications:
http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Samuel_So/
