WSU Applebaum alumnus Dr. Zhongcong Xie is a recipient of the 2021 Wayne State University Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes graduates who epitomize the Wayne State spirit of achievement, excellence and service.

After earning his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 1994, Xie set forth on an outstanding career as a clinician, teacher and international scientist at Harvard Medical School. Currently, he is the Henry Knowles Beecher Endowed Chair in the Department of Anesthesiology, where he serves as director of the Geriatric Anesthesia Research Unit in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

In his role as a clinician, Xie provides anesthesia care for patients who undergo complicated surgeries such as esophagus resection and lung transplantation, and he has trained more than 100 residents and interns.

Xie is internationally renowned for his work on the underlying causes of memory problems following anesthesia and their relationship to Alzheimer's disease. He has co-chaired international workshops on anesthesia neurotoxicity, publishes extensively in medical and scientific journals, and currently has more than $2.5 million in research support. He also serves on a number of professional committees and boards, including the Wayne State Alumni Association board, to which he was appointed in 2019. That same year, he returned to WSU Applebaum to deliver the lecture "Anesthesia and Alzheimer's Disease Neuropathogenesis" as part of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar Series.

"Over the years, Dr. Xie has maintained his ties with Wayne State through communications with me and his former graduate student colleagues," said Pharmaceutical Sciences Associate Professor Randall L. Commissaris, who was Xie's PhD advisor. "He took a leadership role in working to establish the Dr. Timothy James Hill Memorial Scholarship within our college, honoring his close friend and graduate school colleague." The endowed scholarship was awarded for the first time in May 2020.

"We are so very pleased to see Dr. Xie honored for his professional achievements and his commitment to our college and the university community," said Interim Dean Cathy Lysack. "He is a shining star among our alumni, and stands as inspiration to current students."