Dr. Jian Shen (M.D.-Ph.D. ’02)
Dr. Jian Shen (M.D.-Ph.D. ’02) started at Weill Cornell Medicine in 1992, fresh from college in Beijing and eager to pursue his passion for science at a major academic medical center in the United States.
Within 10 years, Dr. Shen completed a doctorate in pharmacology and earned his medical degree, all part of the Tri-Institutional M.D. - Ph.D. Program, a collaborative effort between Weill Cornell Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and The Rockefeller University. Now a successful spine surgeon with three offices in New York and one in New Jersey, he is profoundly grateful for the education he received, the people he has met and the career opportunities he has enjoyed over the years.
To help future students experience the same benefits, Dr. Shen recently pledged $2 million to support the new Weill Cornell Medicine student residence. In recognition of his generosity, the yoga/dance studio will be named after Dr. Shen’s practice, enVISION Spine Surgery, and two all-purpose “huddle” meeting rooms are to be dedicated in honor of his Weill Cornell Medicine mentors, Dr. Lorraine Gudas and Dr. Olaf Andersen.
Dr. Gudas is chair of the Department of Pharmacology and the Revlon Pharmaceutical Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology; Dr. Andersen is a professor of physiology and biophysics and former director of the Tri-Institutional M.D. - Ph.D. Program.
“Those 10 years at Weill Cornell were the most important of my life,” recalls Dr. Shen. “I was fortunate to be at a world-class medical institution like Weill Cornell Medicine. Drs. Gudas and Andersen were wonderful mentors and friends. Now, I would like to give back to the Weill Cornell community and help future physician-scientists grow and learn.”
“Supporting the new student residence is an amazing opportunity for a proud alumnus like me to serve the Weill Cornell Medicine community,” says Dr. Shen.
Planned for the northwest corner of East 74th Street and York Avenue, the student residence is a centerpiece of Weill Cornell Medicine’s $1.5 billion We’re Changing Medicine campaign – the largest and most ambitious in the institution’s history.
The 16-story, state-of-the-art building will create a vibrant hub of student life. Spacious apartments, modern amenities and collaborative meeting spaces will significantly improve students’ living and learning experience.
“We are profoundly grateful to Dr. Shen and his fellow alumni who remain committed to Weill Cornell Medicine,” says Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean. “By helping young physician-scientists learn and excel during a critical period in their careers, Dr. Shen’s gift will help propel medicine forward to benefit patients in new, creative and unexpected ways.”
