MSU alumnus Dr. Shaw Wan makes generous donation to Department of Biology and Chemistry

Dr. Shaw Wan (77) has gone from achieving success to making a generous donation to his alma mater so future Morehead State University students can do the same. The urologist based in Norwood, North Carolina, not only returned to MSU for the first time in 42 years in 2020, but he also made a generous donation of $100,000 to the Department of Biology and Chemistry to assist with the purchase of new equipment.  

“I am very grateful for the scholarship I received that allowed me to attend MSU,” Wan said. “I am so thankful for all of my professors in the College of Science. I was provided me with a great education that allowed me to be very competitive in my professional programs.”  

A native of Louisville, Wan graduated from MSU in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.  He later graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and completed his residency at the Tripler Army Medical Center in 1983. Wan earned the rank of colonel in the United States Army and is a veteran of the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, and Operation Desert Shield. He has served as chief of urology for U.S. Army Hospitals. Wan was also a clinical associate professor for the University of Missouri at Columbia. He has been in practice for more than 20 years.  

Wan’s gift will allow the department to purchase two needed pieces of equipment: the new High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography Unit (HPLC) used to separate a mixture of compounds in the fields of analytical and organic chemistry, biochemistry, drug discovery and other industrial applications, and an Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AA), which has multiple uses in different areas of chemistry such as clinical analysis of metals in biological fluids and tissues such as whole blood, plasma, urine, saliva, brain tissue, liver, hair, and muscle tissue as well as pharmaceuticals and the food/beverage industries.   

“We are grateful that Dr. Wan’s generous contribution enabled us to purchase these necessary instruments for both cutting-edge research and teaching,” said Dr. Wayne D. Miller, dean of the MSU College of Science. “This equipment will ensure our students are well prepared and highly competitive for future employment.”   

For more information about Morehead State’s College of Science programs, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/science, email dsci@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-2158. 

For more information about private giving, contact MSU’s Office of Alumni Relations and Development at 606-783-2033, email giving@moreheadstate.edu.