ST. LOUIS — Two philanthropists have donated $750,000 to Saint Louis University's COVID-19 vaccine research.
Dr. Stephen C. Peiper, a graduate of SLU's medical school, and his wife Dr. Zi-Xuan Wang made the donation to the university's Center for Vaccine Development.
"I am inspired by Drs. Peiper and Wang's generosity and investment in the work of leading scientists at Saint Louis University,” said SLU President Fred Pestello in a press release. “They realize that our infectious disease and vaccine research is second to none. It is gratifying to have successful health care experts in their own right acknowledge the substantial impact science at SLU has on the world."
The gift will establish a "center of excellence in vaccine research and will be called the Stephen C. Peiper and Zi-Xuan Wang Institute for Vaccine Science and Policy," the release said.
Robert Wilmott, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at SLU, said he appreciates the timeliness of the gift.
“SLU’s vaccine center is poised to fight back against COVID-19 by helping develop new treatments and vaccines,” Wilmott said in the release. “This generous gift from Dr. Peiper and Dr. Wang could not come at a better time.”
Peiper is the Peter A. Herbut Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology at Thomas Jefferson University, and Senior Vice President for the Enterprise Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service Line of Jefferson Health System.
Dr. Wang is the Scientific Director of the Molecular and Genomic Pathway Laboratory for Jefferson Health System, the release said.
For more information on the donation, click here.
