Whaijen Soo

Whaijen Soo A global biotechnology and pharmaceutical leader as well as beloved father, husband, and son, died on July 28, 2014 at age 64 in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Born and raised in Taiwan, Whaijen received his B.S. in chemistry from National Taiwan University before moving to San Francisco where he received his Ph.D in Biochemistry from UC-Berkeley and his M.D. from UC-San Francisco. In a thirty-year career at Roche, Biogen, and Shire, Whaijen led the research and development of innovative drugs to help patients fighting HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, influenza, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and many other diseases. Most recently, he was the Managing Director of the Supra Integration and Incubation Center (Si2C), a subagency of the Taiwanese government dedicated to accelerating Taiwan to the forefront of the global biotechnology industry.

Whaijen is survived by his wife Ellen of 38 years, his son Jevan and daughter Jennifer, his son-in-law Ryan, his mother Jan Hun, his brother Hwaili, his sister Olivia, and a circle of friends around the globe who will carry his spirit and passion for international travel, sailing and hiking, and unusual cuisines with them.

Funeral arrangements were for immediate family, but there will be a memorial gathering in northern California in the fall; please email whaijen.memorial@gmail.com for details.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, dedicated in memory of Whaijen Soo, at https://donate.lls.org.