NBC News has published a powerful feature on the death of pioneering Chinese American neuroscientist Dr. Jane Wu, who died by suicide on July 10, 2024, after Northwestern University abruptly shut down her laboratory. Following the one-year anniversary of her mother’s passing, Dr. Wu’s daughter, Elizabeth Rao, speaks out for the very first time in an exclusive interview on the devastating impact of her mother’s treatment on their family and her own life.
In the article, Rao describes the emotional weight of witnessing her mother, once at the forefront of neuroscience research, face professional isolation. Rao recounted a story of her mother who “turned simple houses into warm homes,” “h[e]ld hands and watch[ed] movie,” and “s[a]ng along to tunes during long drives”. Rao also remembers her mother’s lesson that she is striving to fulfill to this day: “We carry this with us: her upstanding morals and conviction to fight against injustice.”
“As painful as it is for us as her family to recount how Northwestern treated her, we are seeking justice to prevent this from happening again to others in the future,” Rao said to NBC. The recently filed complaint outlines a harrowing pattern of discrimination and retaliation that ultimately led to Dr. Wu’s death. It alleges racial and gender bias, as well as coerced psychiatric hospitalization. These allegations reflect a chilling reality: when scrutiny and suspicion replace support and fairness, the resulting mental health toll can be deadly.
NBC highlighted that Wu’s story has drawn support from the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), which “condemned the school’s treatment of the late scientist.”
“Universities must be places of community, support, and fairness, not fear and coercion,” said Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director of the Asian American Scholar Forum to NBC.
The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) strongly condemns the unjust treatment Dr. Wu endured and the broader climate of suspicion that surrounds many Asian American scientists, researchers, and scholars in the United States. Dr. Wu’s case has sent shockwaves through scientific, academic and research communities. We mourn her tragic loss, as her community and family will never be the same. AASF is committed to working vigilantly to prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again.
“There are no words to describe the profound loss for Dr. Wu’s family. Dr. Wu was not just a name or a number; she was a wife, a mother, a brilliant scientist, and a beloved mentor who spent four decades of her life in the United States,” said Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director of the Asian American Scholar Forum. “Dr. Wu’s story shows us how the effect of unjust scrutiny and investigations of Chinese American scholars does not just end careers; it can end lives. We urge institutions of higher education to adopt meaningful safeguards, to prioritize mental health, and to reaffirm their commitments to nondiscrimination, justice, and fairness. We stand with Dr. Wu’s family and all those demanding justice and systemic change.”
AASF is here to support our Asian American and broader research community. If you are experiencing similar concerns at your academic institution, please do not hesitate to reach out to AASF at info@aasforum.org for resources.
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Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) is a nonprofit organization promoting belonging, freedom, and equality for all. In response to heightened anti-Asian sentiments and profiling in the U.S., AASF has been a leading national voice fighting for the rights of Asian American and immigrant scientists, researchers, and scholars. AASF membership includes members from the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Science, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, in addition to past and current university presidents, provosts, vice provosts, deans, associate deans, and past and current department chairs.
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